Northern State University

Aberdeen, SD · Public · 1,273 undergrads (small, town) · website ↗

Test-optional
$20 application fee

What you'll actually pay

Average net price per year — tuition, fees, room & board minus grant and scholarship aid — for in-state students by household income.

Household income	Avg net price / year
Under $30,000	$10,762
$30,000 – $48,000	$12,087
$48,000 – $75,000	$15,293
$75,000 – $110,000	$18,372
Over $110,000	$17,933
All incomes (average)	$15,812

Sticker tuition and fees: $8,845 in-state, $11,947 out-of-state — before aid, from the same earlier College Scorecard release as the net prices above.

These are averages. For an estimate for your family, use Northern State University's own net price calculator — every college that takes federal student aid must publish one.

Net price calculator ↗

Other costs of attendance, 2025–26

The college's own estimate for a full-time undergraduate for the year, before aid, from the October 2026 College Scorecard. It is a newer year than the tuition and net prices above, so don't add the two together.

Housing and meals, on campus	$10,922
Housing and meals, off campus (not with family)	$10,922
Books and supplies	$775
Other expenses, on campus	$3,550
Other expenses, off campus	$3,550

Grants and loans for first-year students, 2022–23

What the college reported for its full-time, first-time students (280 of them) in 2022–23; 98% got some kind of aid, loans included. Each average is over the students who received that kind of aid, not over everyone. It is an older year than the 2025–26 costs above.

Type of aid	Students awarded	Average amount
Any grant or scholarshipFederal, state, local and the college's own	93%	$5,565
Federal Pell GrantNeed-based, from the federal government	28%	$5,159
The college's own grants and scholarshipsNeed- or merit-based, funded by the college	83%	$3,889
Federal student loansBorrowed by the student; repaid with interest. No Parent PLUS or private loans	61%	$4,761

IPEDS, U.S. Department of Education, Student Financial Aid 2022–23 (SFA2223, provisional release); full-time, first-time degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates; public domain.

Admissions & outcomes

Acceptance rate: 93%
Average SAT: 1089
Median ACT: 21
Students with Pell grants: 13%
Graduation rate (6yr): 49%
Freshman retention: 77%
Median earnings @ 10yr: $47,618
Median debt at graduation: $22,320
International undergrads: 59 (2%)

For comparison, the median across all 1,596 four-year colleges on this site: graduation rate 56%, earnings ten years after entering $54,869, debt at graduation $23,250.

Admission policy, test scores and teaching

SAT/ACT policy: Test-optional
Application fee: $20
Students per faculty member: 19 to 1
Faculty who are full-time: 95%
Open admission: No

Middle 50% of test scores, fall 2024

25th to 75th percentile of enrolled first-year students who submitted scores. A quarter scored below the first figure and a quarter above the second. Section ranges can't be added together into a total-score range.

SAT Reading and Writing: 490–590
SAT Math: 490–570
ACT composite: 18–24

What the college considers in admission decisions, fall 2023

How the college said it used each item when deciding on first-time, degree- or certificate-seeking applicants for fall 2023. For SAT and ACT scores, see the fall 2024 policy above.

High school GPA	Required
High school class rank	Required
High school record	Required
Completion of a college-preparatory program	Required
Recommendations	Considered if submitted
Formal demonstration of competencies (e.g. portfolio)	Not considered
English proficiency test (for applicable students)	Required
Other test (Wonderlic, WISC-III, etc.)	Not considered
Work experience	Not considered
Personal statement or essay	Considered if submitted
Legacy status	Not considered

First-time applicants: 1,082
Admitted: 1,004
Enrolled: 319

Counts of first-time, degree- or certificate-seeking students, including early decision and early action. The acceptance rate higher up this page comes from a different College Scorecard release, so it may not match these counts.

IPEDS, U.S. Department of Education, Admissions 2023–24 (ADM2023, provisional release), fall 2023; open admission from IPEDS Institutional Characteristics 2023–24 (revised); public domain.

Most popular fields of study

Share of bachelor's degrees awarded.

Education21%

Business21%

Biology & Life Sciences19%

Psychology8%

Criminal Justice6%

Visual & Performing Arts3%

Kinesiology & Sports Science3%

English & Literature2%

Physics & Chemistry2%

Social Sciences2%

Earnings and debt by field of study

Median annual earnings of graduates who received federal student aid and were working, not studying: one year after completing (graduates of 2020–21 and 2021–22) and four years after (2017–18 and 2018–19), measured in 2022 and 2023 and shown in 2024 dollars. Median debt is federal Direct and Grad PLUS loans borrowed at this college by 2022–23 and 2023–24 graduates; it leaves out Parent PLUS and private loans. “National” is the median for the same field and credential across all US colleges.

Bachelor's degrees (11)

Field of study	Degrees awarded 2023–24	Earnings, 1 yr after	Earnings, 4 yrs after	Median federal debt
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods	33	$45,766	$44,147national $47,382	$20,500
Business Administration, Management and Operations	27	$50,455	$56,571national $68,257	$22,900
Biology, General	22	—	$70,545national $57,214	$20,496
Psychology, General	19	—	$45,921national $50,706	$21,450
Criminal Justice and Corrections	16	—	—national $55,378	$20,500
Finance and Financial Management Services	15	—	$48,324national $83,343	—
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness	12	$37,257	$53,484national $54,562	$15,000
Accounting and Related Services	10	$53,026	$67,072national $76,194	$18,026
Special Education and Teaching	9	$47,672	—national $50,499	—
English Language and Literature, General	8	—	—national $48,590	$22,418
Sociology	8	—	$50,765national $52,657	—

Master's degrees (4)

Field of study	Degrees awarded 2023–24	Earnings, 1 yr after	Earnings, 4 yrs after	Median federal debt
Curriculum and Instruction	17	$49,342	$49,669national $63,399	—
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness	15	$42,261	—national $62,033	—
Educational Administration and Supervision	10	$60,580	—national $71,685	—
Music	—	$61,168	—national $48,285	—

A dash means the Department of Education suppressed the figure because too few graduates were measured — not zero. 57 more programmes at this college have every figure suppressed and are not listed.

Contact and accreditation

Address: 1200 S Jay St, Aberdeen, SD 57401-7198
Phone: (605) 626-3011
Institutional accreditor: Higher Learning Commission

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Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts) and IPEDS Fall Enrolment for international student counts. College Scorecard, October 2026 release: net price calculator link, mission flags and religious affiliation (2025–26), enrolment shares, test policy, SAT/ACT ranges and student-to-faculty ratio (fall 2024), cost-of-attendance components (2025–26), and earnings and debt by field of study. IPEDS Institutional Characteristics 2023–24 for the application fee and the IPEDS 2024 directory for the phone number. IPEDS Admissions 2023–24 (ADM2023, provisional release) for admission requirements and first-time applicants, admits and enrolments (fall 2023). IPEDS Student Financial Aid 2022–23 (SFA2223, provisional release) for grants and loans to full-time, first-time students. All are U.S. Department of Education data in the public domain. Verify current costs and requirements with the school.

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