UNDATED – The South Dakota Board of Regents is reporting positive enrollment for the Fall 2023.
The Regents’ announced the state’s public university student count is up two percent – marking the second consecutive year of enrollment growth for the system.
Northern State in Aberdeen saw the largest increase in first time freshman – 6.7-percent – with 319 first time freshmen for the fall.
Black Hills State University recorded an enrollment increase for the first time in nine years with overall enrollment reporting at 3,475 students, a growth of 50 students from Fall 2022. BHSU reported a 1.7-percent increase with 489 first time freshman.
The overall headcount increase at BHSU equates to a 1.46% bump over last fall, while the uptick in freshmen is a 1.66% upgrade. Overall student credit hours were down slightly from 31,516 to 31,349, and full-time equivalents (FTE) dipped by nine to 2,105. Undergraduate student headcount went up 18, while the graduate headcount expanded by 32 students. Internet students saw the biggest jump from a 2,228 total last fall to 2,326 this year. Headcount on the Spearfish main campus held relatively steady with an increase of two students to 1,527, while BHSU-Rapid City had a decline of 60 for a total of 382. The number of Native American students grew from 73 to 111, a gain of 52.05%.
The School of Mines in Rapid City was the only school to see a decrease in first time freshmen – down 7.8-percent with 496. The headcount at Mines’ though, was 2,492 which shows no significant change from 2022.
The state’s two largest schools, SDSU and USD, saw over headcount increases of 1.5-percent and point-one-percent respectively.
| BHSU | DSU | NSU | SD MINES | SDSU | USD | SYSTEM | |
| Fall 2023 First Time Freshmen | 489 | 395 | 319 | 496 | 2,275 | 1,367 | 5,341 |
| Percent Different
Compared to First Time Freshmen Fall 2022 |
1.7% | 6.2% | 6.7% | -7.8% | 3.8% | 3.1% | 2.6% |
| Fall 2023 Headcount | 3,475 | 3,509 | 3,521 | 2,492 | 11,505 | 9,868 | 34,370 |
| Percent Different
Compared to Headcount Fall 2022 |
1.5% | 8.3% | 5.3% | 0.0% | 1.5% | 0.1% | 2.0% |
