Black Hills State University

Public · Moderately Selective · SD

Photo: Tony Webster (CC BY 2.0)

School data & stats

TypePublic

LocationSD · Midwest

SettingRural

Undergrads1,928

Student:faculty17:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate29.4%

6-yr grad rate42.6%

Drop-out rate28.3%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$9k

Out-of-state tuition$12k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity32.8%

Gender diversity66.5%

International1.5%

Identity—

Overview

Black Hills State University is a public university in Spearfish, South Dakota, set at the mouth of a scenic canyon in the Black Hills, combining an access-oriented public mission with a setting built for outdoor recreation.

Academics

Education and business are established programs, and BHSU has developed real strength in outdoor and environmental programs that take direct advantage of the surrounding hills, along with science programs connected to the nearby Sanford Underground Research Facility in Lead, a working physics laboratory in a former gold mine.

Campus & student life

Rodeo and outdoor recreation, hiking, climbing, and skiing in the Black Hills, are genuine parts of campus culture rather than incidental to the location, and the small-town Spearfish setting keeps the campus close-knit.

Getting in

As a public access-oriented university, admissions is comparatively straightforward and less selective than the state's flagship, with a focus on serving regional and first-generation South Dakota students.

Worth knowing

The tie to the Sanford Underground Research Facility is a genuine research connection, not just regional trivia, giving science students at BHSU an unusual door into particle physics and geology research normally associated with much larger institutions.

bhsu.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate96.3%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 965–1135 · ACT 18–24

Test policyoptional

Rec letters0

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

AdmissionRolling

Applying