University of South Dakota - Vermillion Campus

Founded: 1862   Total Students: 9,464+

Overview

Welcome to USD, South Dakota’s flagship university. We may have been around since 1862, but we’re embracing the future through innovative research, flexible schedules and real-life learning opportunities both inside and outside the classroom.

Join the more than 9,000 students getting their education at affordable rates, and you’ll get that “big university feel” without that big university price tag.

USD is the only public liberal arts college in South Dakota, as well as home to the state’s only law and medical schools. These distinctions have helped us become regionally acclaimed and nationally recognized in higher education.

In 1862, the first Legislature of the Dakota Territory established the first postsecondary institution in the Dakotas, although classes were not held until 20 years later.

With Ephraim Epstein serving as the first president and primary faculty member, the university that would become USD began holding classes in a loaned space in downtown Vermillion. Sixty-nine students were enrolled at USD in 1883; by the time South Dakota became the 40th state in 1889, that number had grown to 500.

In 1883, the university moved into Old Main, a public board was appointed to govern it, and the first academic unit — the College of Arts & Sciences — was established.

The School of Law began offering classes in 1901; the School of Medicine in 1907; Continuing Education in 1916; the Graduate School and School of Business in 1927; and the College of Fine Arts in 1931.

Today, USD is one of six public colleges governed by the South Dakota Board of Regents, a nine-member board appointed by the governor.

Programs Offered in University of South Dakota - Vermillion Campus

  • Associate Degree
  • 4-Year Bachelor's Degree
  • Master's Degree

    • Highlights

    • Founded in 1862 in Vermillion, South Dakota
    • Campus locations in Vermillion and Sioux Falls
    • Led by President Sheila Gestring since 2018
    • Total enrollment of 9,464 students, as of fall 2021
    • 15:1 student-faculty ratio
    • More than 70,000 alumni

    Campus and Community

    • USD’s beautiful 274-acre campus in Vermillion sits along the bluffs above the Missouri River in southeast South Dakota. From the historic beauty of Old Main to the cutting-edge technology housed in the Lee Medicine & Science Building, you’ll experience a mix of the traditional and contemporary on the University of South Dakota campus.
    • Since its inception in 1862, USD has called the small, safe city of Vermillion home. As both grow in size and population, the campus and the city continue to enjoy a mutually beneficial relationship that helps foster innovation and creates exciting opportunities for both students and residents.
    • USD offers a number of premier programs in Sioux Falls, designed to meet the growing needs of South Dakota's largest and fastest growing communities. Here you'll find USD – Sioux Falls and the Sanford USD Medical Center.

    On-Campus Housing

    • 84% of new freshmen live on campus
    • 34% of all undergraduates live on campus

    Campus Detail

    Main Campus Address

    414 E Clark St, Vermillion, SD 57069, United States

    Outreach, A Student Referral Program by Canam

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