COLLEGES · 30-YEAR ROI · BROOKINGS, SD

Is South Dakota State University worth the money?

Yes — at resident pricing. A South Dakota State University degree clears +$2.24M in 30-year projected net value over skipping college and investing the difference.

A public four-year school in Brookings, South Dakota, priced as a South Dakota resident — earnings rolled up from 40 FREOPP-reported programs.

IPEDS 2023 cost · FREOPP 2021 earnings · BEA 2023 cost-of-living · same model as /worth-it · this school clears positive net value.

South Dakota State University · Brookings, SD

30-year net value · resident pricing
+$2.24M
30-year net value · non-resident
+$2.12M
Median earnings · 10 yrs after entry
$60,494
Breaks even by age
34
Annual tuition · South Dakota resident
$9,299
Annual tuition · out-of-state
$12,809
Total cost of attendance (4 years, sticker)
$75,444
Total cost of attendance · out-of-state
$89,484
FREOPP program coverage
40 programs

The out-of-state tax in South Dakota, ranked

How this is computed (and what it isn’t)

South Dakota State University runs through the /worth-it model at its resident tuition rate, with the standard loan assumptions, a 30-year horizon, and South Dakota’s own cost-of-living on the skip-college path. The “30-year net value” is the projected accumulated value of going vs. skipping and investing the difference, in real dollars.

What it isn’t: a verdict on every major. The school-level number averages across 40 FREOPP-reported programs — the field you pick swings it by over a million dollars on its own. We only publish school pages that clear positive net value at resident pricing; earnings roll up from at least three FREOPP programs (ADR-0032), so a single high-earning major can’t fake the number.

Questions

Is South Dakota State University worth the money?
At resident pricing, yes: South Dakota State University clears +$2.24M in 30-year projected net value versus skipping college and investing the difference. That is computed from a total cost of attendance of $75,444 and median earnings of $60,494 ten years after entry (IPEDS 2023 cost, FREOPP 2021 earnings, BEA 2023 cost-of-living — the same model as the LE TEEN calculator).
How much is tuition at South Dakota State University?
South Dakota State University's annual sticker tuition is $9,299 for South Dakota residents and $12,809 for out-of-state students, before financial aid. Total cost of attendance over 4 years — tuition plus fees, housing, and living costs — is $75,444 (IPEDS 2023).
What is the total cost of South Dakota State University?
Over 4 years, South Dakota State University's sticker cost of attendance is $75,444 at resident pricing, or $89,484 out-of-state — tuition, fees, housing, and living costs at South Dakota prices, before financial aid. Median earnings ten years after entry are $60,494.
What is out-of-state tuition at South Dakota State University?
Non-resident annual sticker tuition at South Dakota State University is $12,809, versus $9,299 for South Dakota residents — a premium of $3,510 a year. Even at the non-resident rate, South Dakota State University clears positive 30-year net value.
How long until a South Dakota State University degree pays for itself?
The degree path overtakes the skip-college path around age 34 under our defaults — from there the gap only widens, ending +$2.24M ahead at the 30-year horizon.
What could change the number for South Dakota State University?
Two levers dominate. Residency: this page prices South Dakota State University as a South Dakota resident; at non-resident tuition it still clears +$2.12M, but the gap is real money (see the out-of-state tax in South Dakota). And the major: the field you pick swings lifetime ROI by over a million dollars on its own (see the majors pages).

Keep going

Cite this:

LE TEEN (2026). “Is South Dakota State University worth the money? 30-year ROI.” Data: IPEDS 2023 · FREOPP 2021 · BEA 2023. https://le-teen.com/colleges/south-dakota-state-university