Find a Job You Really Want In
One of the biggest things that incoming college freshmen consider when they’re thinking about what school to attend is the likelihood that a school will improve their job prospects.
Jobs are hard to come by nowadays, after all, and the everyday expenses of living in a country like America aren’t cheap.
Compared to a lot of other states, South Dakota has some unique advantages as far as attending college here goes. There are impressive research universities, quality state schools, and the ability to study majors that will prepare you well for the job market.
All that made us curious — with so many good colleges to attend in SD, which ones, in particular, were most likely to help their graduates land a job? Using data from IPEDS as well as College Scorecard as a baseline, we created this list of some of the best colleges for jobs in South Dakota.
The full list can be found further down, but first, here’s a look at the top ten best colleges for jobs in South Dakota:
- Augustana University
- Northern State University
- Mount Marty College
- South Dakota State University
- University of Sioux Falls
- University of South Dakota
- Dakota State University
- Presentation College
- South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
- Dakota Wesleyan University
If you go to one of these schools, chances are, you’re not surprised. After all, you know how great you have it.
But for the rest of you — keep reading and we’ll get to just why these schools have some of the best programs the state of South Dakota has to offer.
How We Determined The Best Schools In South Dakota For Jobs
Using the College Scorecard Data, we searched for the college in each state with the highest listed job placement ratings, looking specifically at employment levels at year 10 after students have graduated.
We limited the analysis to the 13 public and non-profit, four year institutions colleges in South Dakota that offer at least a bachelors degree.
Then, we ranked each college from best to worst on the percentage of graduates with jobs. For the purposes of readability, each school’s rating was then rounded down to the last two decimal places.
The school with the highest percentage of grads with jobs, Augustana University, earned the distinction of being the ‘Best College For Jobs in South Dakota.’
Best Colleges For Getting A Job In South Dakota
| Rank | College | Employed |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Augustana University | 96.05% |
| 2 | Northern State University | 94.11% |
| 3 | Mount Marty College | 93.51% |
| 4 | South Dakota State University | 93.41% |
| 5 | University of Sioux Falls | 92.76% |
| 6 | University of South Dakota | 92.12% |
| 7 | Dakota State University | 92.11% |
| 8 | Presentation College | 91.72% |
| 9 | South Dakota School of Mines and Technology | 90.99% |
| 10 | Dakota Wesleyan University | 90.79% |
| 11 | Black Hills State University | 89.68% |
| 12 | Sinte Gleska University | 72.68% |
| 13 | Oglala Lakota College | 68.79% |
Author
Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.
