10-yr median earnings
$46,674
Federal aid recipients only
Public · Spearfish, South Dakota
Black Hills State University
Black Hills State University is a public institution in Spearfish, South Dakota. as a public institution, published Scorecard outcomes are the federal Title-IV cohort view of former students — not every graduate and not a guarantee for any one enrollee.
- $15,911
- Avg net price / yr
- $46,674
- 10-yr median earnings
- 40.5%
- 150%-time completion
- 96.3%
- Acceptance rate
The verdict
Black Hills State University pairs above-median former-student earnings with open admission.
According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
- Top 35%
- former-student earnings, US
- 96.3%
- acceptance rate
- 40.5%
- 150%-time completion
- +20%
- earnings, 6→10 yrs
Town: Distant
Carnegie: Master's (S)
Institution data retrieved July 2026; field-of-study data retrieved March 2026.
How to read this Black Hills State University profile
Figures above come from IPEDS institution records published through the College Scorecard (retrieved July 2026 for institution fields; March 2026 for field-of-study). Peer groups and cost cohorts follow IPEDS ownership sector, Carnegie class ("Master's Colleges & Universities: Small Programs"), and locale, not an editorial shortlist.
Average net price subtracts grant and scholarship aid from cost of attendance for full-time, first-time undergraduate Title IV recipients. It is a defined cohort average, not a personalized price; income-band fields add context but do not replace the school's current net-price calculator.
Earnings use Treasury-linked records for federally aided former students who were working and not enrolled in the measurement year (completers and noncompleters). IPEDS completion and retention use separate first-time, full-time cohorts, so those denominators are not the earnings cohort. Read cost, completion, and earnings as distinct historical measures, not a causal verdict or individual forecast.
College Value Score
D
College Value Score
45/100
Black Hills State University
A 6-metric composite of earnings, cost, and completion outcomes benchmarked against every reporting US college, not a ranking of teaching quality, campus life, or fit for any individual student. See the full methodology.
Earnings C+
$46,674
10-year median former-student earnings
Net Price C-
$15,911
Average annual cost after grants and aid
Completion Rate F
40.5%
Completion within 150% of normal time
Debt F
$26,000
Median federal debt at graduation
Loan Repayment A-
77.7%
Borrowers repaying loans within 3 years
Retention F
71.7%
First-year students returning for year two
Each axis is the percentile score shown in the breakdown at left; the shape shows this school's overall profile at a glance.
Avg net price
$15,911
After grants and scholarships
150%-time completion
40.5%
Full-time, first-time cohort
150%-time completion vs portal median (57.1%) 40.5%
Four-year-institution cohort
College ROI Quadrant - Black Hills State University vs peers
Each dot is a college plotted by 10-year median earnings (x-axis) vs average net price (y-axis), colored by completion within 150% of normal time. Bottom-right = high earnings/lower price; top-left = lower earnings/higher price.
How Black Hills State University ranks nationally
Where this school's former-student earnings fall within the full national distribution of every US college that reports to the College Scorecard, not just its peer set.
Black Hills State University: former-student earnings vs. every US college
10-year median earnings, College Scorecard
$46,674 Top 35% higher than 65% of 5,103 US colleges
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US colleges. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard · Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals
| Metric | Black Hills State University | National rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $46,674 | #1789 of 5103 | 65th |
| Average net price | $15,911 | #2264 of 5020 | 55th (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 40.5% | #3630 of 4858 | 25th |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 1,928 | #1512 of 5462 | 72nd |
National ranks count every operating US college reporting each metric to the College Scorecard, separate from the earnings histogram above.
Quick Facts
1,928
Undergraduate enrollment
96.3%
Acceptance rate
1,087
SAT average
40.5%
150%-time completion
$46,674
10-yr median earnings
71.7%
First-year retention
How Black Hills State University ranks in South Dakota
State rank among 21 reporting South Dakota colleges with College Scorecard data, a separate lens from the national distribution above.
| Metric | Black Hills State University | State rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $46,674 | #12 of 21 | 43rd |
| Average net price | $15,911 | #8 of 21 | 62nd (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 40.5% | #17 of 21 | 19th |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 1,928 | #7 of 24 | 71st |
Highest former-student earnings in South Dakota
| # | School | 10-yr earnings | Net price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Dakota School of Mines and Technology | $72,257 | $20,183 |
| 2 | Augustana University | $59,217 | $23,894 |
| 3 | South Dakota State University | $55,070 | $19,841 |
| 4 | University of Sioux Falls | $54,521 | $21,383 |
| 5 | Dakota Wesleyan University | $53,728 | $19,735 |
| 6 | University of South Dakota | $51,926 | $19,858 |
| 7 | Dakota State University | $50,970 | $21,057 |
| 8 | Mitchell Technical College | $50,743 | $13,460 |
| 9 | Mount Marty University | $48,179 | $22,227 |
| 10 | Northern State University | $47,618 | $15,812 |
| 11 | Southeast Technical College | $46,709 | $17,400 |
| 12 | Black Hills State UniversityThis school | $46,674 | $15,911 |
Admissions
| Admission Rate | 96.3% |
| SAT Average | 1,087 |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 500 – 570 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 465 – 565 |
| ACT Average | 21 |
| ACT (25th-75th) | 18 – 24 |
Costs & Financial Aid
Net price by family income at Black Hills State University
Average annual net price after grants; Title IV recipient cohort by income bracket
- $0 – $30k
$0 – $30k
$11,863 net price / yr
- $30k – $48k
$30k – $48k
$13,379 net price / yr
- $48k – $75k
$48k – $75k
$15,588 net price / yr
- $110k+
$110k+
$18,604 net price / yr
What this shows Need-based aid pulls net price down at lower brackets at Black Hills State University - compare the bar for your income band, not the overall average alone.
Tuition & Net Price
| In-State Tuition | $8,764 |
| Out-of-State Tuition | $11,866 |
| Average Net Price | $15,911 |
20.0%
Pell Grant Rate
27.6%
Federal Loan Rate
$26,000
Median Debt
$276/mo
Monthly Payment
What students pay at Black Hills State University rose +26.8% since 2013
Average net price for the reported Title IV-recipient cohort went from $13,407 in 2013 to $17,001 in 2023, a rise of $3,594 in nominal dollars. Across the 4,315 colleges measured over the same 2013–2023 span, the median change was +14.6%.
11 reported years. Nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation.
2013 · $13,4072023 · $17,001
Over the same years, enrollment went -38.7% (3,156 → 1,935 students).
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, per-year fields (2013–2023). Net price is the average cost after grant and scholarship aid for federally-aided undergraduates.
Student Demographics
Race & ethnicity
White 67.2%
African American 1.5%
Hispanic or Latino 5.2%
Asian 0.6%
American Indian or Alaska Native 3.3%
Pacific Islander 0.1%
Two or More Ethnicities 1.8%
International 1.5%
Student body at a glance
62.2%
Female
28.4%
First Generation
Outcomes
71.7%
Retention Rate
$38,927
Median Earnings (6yr)
59.5%
Earning Over $25K
77.7%
Loan Repayment, Completers (3yr)
Outcomes & debt snapshot
| Measure | Cohort / horizon | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Completion within 150% of normal time | First-time, full-time | 40.5% |
| First-year retention | First-time, full-time freshmen | 71.7% |
| Median earnings | 6 years after entry | $38,927 |
| Median earnings | 10 years after entry | $46,674 |
| Share earning over $25,000 | Working, not enrolled | 59.5% |
| Loan repayment rate | Completers, 3 years after leaving | 77.7% |
| Median federal student debt | At completion | $26,000 |
| Estimated monthly payment | Standard 10-year plan | $276/mo |
Programs & Earnings
Field-of-study summary by credential
| Credential | Programs | Award count | Avg earnings | Top earnings | Avg debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's | 13 | 301 | $48,481 | $69,079 | $25,155 |
| Master's | 4 | 44 | $58,962 | $73,150 | $27,500 |
| Associate's | 2 | 41 | $50,271 | $60,349 | $12,000 |
| Certificate | 2 | 12 | $48,750 | $51,562 | - |
Top programs at Black Hills State University by completer earnings
Median earnings of program completers, College Scorecard field-of-study file
- Human Resources Management…
Human Resources Management and Services
$73,150 median earnings
- Accounting and Related Ser…
Accounting and Related Services
$69,079 median earnings
- Biology, General
Biology, General
$60,349 median earnings
- Business Administration, M…
Business Administration, Management and Operations
$59,626 median earnings
- Teacher Education and Prof…
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods
$57,025 median earnings
- Sports, Kinesiology, and P…
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness
$55,622 median earnings
- Teacher Education and Prof…
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas
$53,793 median earnings
- Teacher Education and Prof…
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas
$52,883 median earnings
What this shows The highest-earning programs at a school are not necessarily its most popular ones - a small specialized program can post strong median earnings without reflecting the outcome most students here actually see.
Explore Data-Matched Colleges
Matches use Scorecard measures among reporting colleges — not state-system recommendations or geographic proximity.
Similar Enrollment and Sector
Other Public institutions closest in reported enrollment, preferring the same Carnegie classification.
Similar Reported Net Price
Other Public institutions with the nearest reported average net price.
Similar 2013–2023 Net-Price Trend
Same-sector institutions with the same direction and nearest fitted annual change; only series with R² of at least 0.40 qualify.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the acceptance rate at Black Hills State University? ▼
Black Hills State University is a public institution in Spearfish, South Dakota. The acceptance rate is 96.3%. The average SAT score is 1,087. Undergraduate enrollment is 1,928 students.
How much do Black Hills State University former students earn? ▼
Federally aided former students at Black Hills State University who were working and not enrolled had median earnings of $46,674 ten years after entry; the cohort is not limited to graduates. Six years after entry, the corresponding median is $38,927.
How much does Black Hills State University cost? ▼
The average net price at Black Hills State University is $15,911. In-state tuition is $8,764 and out-of-state tuition is $11,866. Median student debt at graduation is $26,000.
What is the graduation rate at Black Hills State University? ▼
Black Hills State University has a 40.5% completion rate within 150% of normal time at a four-year institution (typically six years for a bachelor’s program). The first-year retention rate is 71.7%.
Is Black Hills State University worth the student debt? ▼
The median student debt at Black Hills State University is $26,000, while former students earn a median of $46,674 ten years after enrollment. That debt represents about 56% of those annual earnings. Among borrowers who completed their program, 77.7% are repaying their loans within 3 years. Estimated monthly loan payment is $276.
Sources & methodology
Public-college profiles lean on IPEDS enrollment and Scorecard Title-IV outcomes. State appropriations are outside this page; the figures below are the federal cohort measures only.
Every number is read live from the Mar–Jul 2026 Scorecard/IPEDS retrievals. Public institutions often enroll large Title-IV cohorts, so medians can be stable — still cohort averages, never a personal forecast. Read the full methodology for how the data is sourced, computed, and verified.
- College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education - former-student earnings, cost & completion (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- IPEDS, National Center for Education Statistics - enrollment, admissions, Carnegie class & demographics (nces.ed.gov/ipeds).
- U.S. Treasury / IRS earnings linkage - median earnings 6 & 10 years after enrollment for federal-aid recipients (irs.gov).
- College Scorecard, Field of Study - program-level (credential) earnings & debt (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- Federal Student Aid (Title IV / NSLDS) - U.S. Department of Education - net price, student debt & aid-recipient repayment outcomes (studentaid.gov).
Where to go next from Black Hills State University
- Compare Black Hills State University against schools with similar outcomes at a lower average net price.Find similar schools that cost less
- Browse every reporting college in South Dakota side by side.Browse South Dakota
- See how fields of study differ on former-student earnings and debt.Explore programs
Public-college Scorecard figures are historical Title-IV cohort averages — confirm current tuition, aid, and admissions rules with the institution before deciding.
Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. Public-institution profiles compile Scorecard Title-IV earnings, IPEDS enrollment/admissions, and Treasury linkage fields — no editor-typed figures. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Review the public data changelog. Data current as of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals.