Dakota Wesleyan University
Mitchell, South Dakota · Website
$53,728
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$53,728
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Dakota Wesleyan University is a private nonprofit 4-year college in Mitchell, South Dakota with 670 undergraduates and 121 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $19,735 a year (tuition and fees $33,790). It admits 73% of applicants and 48% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $53,728 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $27,000 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$19,735
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$33,790
US median $11,837
Admission rate
73%
US median 78%
Completion rate
48%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$27,000
About $286 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$53,728
Rank 1,194 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $19,735
- Tuition and fees
- $33,790
- Cost of attendance
- $43,864
- Students with a need-based grant
- 27%
- Students with federal loans
- 73%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $15,251
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $15,750
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $15,927
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $19,048
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $22,416
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $24,800 in 2015-16 to $33,790 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 73%
- SAT reading, middle
- 475
- SAT math, middle
- 505
- ACT, middle
- 22
- Undergraduates
- 670
- Graduate students
- 121
- Part-time students
- 3.9%
- Women
- 50%
- Students per teacher
- 12
- Completion rate
- 48%
- Retention rate
- 75%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 58
- Endowment
- $42.8M
- Other
- Religious affiliation
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 1,194 of 5,094 US colleges and 5 of 21 in South Dakota (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | SD median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $19,735 | $18,146 | $22,320 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $33,790 | $8,845 | $31,170 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 73% | 85% | 74% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 48% | 54% | 57% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 75% | 78% | 77% | 75% |
| Median debt | $27,000 | $23,250 | $24,287 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $49,432 | $43,427 | $44,392 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $53,728 | $46,709 | $52,928 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US private nonprofit 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 70% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 84% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
58 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, OtherMaster's | Master's | 55 | Withheld | $75,731 | $93,024 | $96,656 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 35 | $24,855 | $67,981 | $76,515 | $88,910 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 23 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $68,257 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 17 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $47,382 |
| Psychology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 17 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $50,706 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 8 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $57,214 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessBachelor's | Bachelor's | 7 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $54,562 |
| Educational Administration and SupervisionMaster's | Master's | 6 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $71,685 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsMaster's | Master's | 6 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Accounting and Related ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 6 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $76,194 |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular BiologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 5 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $65,466 |
| Behavioral SciencesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 5 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $48,673 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 5 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $55,378 |
| Visual and Performing Arts, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 5 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $41,688 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsAssociate's | Associate's | 5 | - | - | Withheld | - |
| Entrepreneurial and Small Business OperationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 4 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $61,027 |
| Special Education and TeachingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 3 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $50,499 |
| English Language and Literature, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 3 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| HistoryBachelor's | Bachelor's | 3 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $50,680 |
| Wildlife and Wildlands Science and ManagementBachelor's | Bachelor's | 2 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $45,338 |
| Education, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 2 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject AreasBachelor's | Bachelor's | 2 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $51,389 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssociate's | Associate's | 2 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsAssociate's | Associate's | 2 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $46,706 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and StagecraftBachelor's | Bachelor's | 2 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $39,775 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: South Dakota on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in South Dakota
- Homes: Homes for sale in South Dakota
Questions and answers
How much does Dakota Wesleyan University cost?
$19,735 a year is the average net price at Dakota Wesleyan University after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $33,790, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $43,864. Families earning under $30,000 pay $15,251 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Dakota Wesleyan University?
73% of applicants are admitted to Dakota Wesleyan University. The median admission rate of colleges in South Dakota is 85%.
How much do Dakota Wesleyan University graduates earn?
$53,728 a year is the median pay of former Dakota Wesleyan University students who work, 10 years after they started ($49,432 after 6 years). That ranks 1,194 of 5,094 US colleges and 5 of 21 in South Dakota. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other (Master's) at $75,731.
How much student debt do Dakota Wesleyan University graduates have?
$27,000 is the median federal student loan debt of Dakota Wesleyan University graduates, about $286 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 73% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Dakota Wesleyan University?
48% of first-time, full-time students at Dakota Wesleyan University finish within 6 years. 75% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of private nonprofit 4-year colleges is 57%.
What are the most popular majors at Dakota Wesleyan University?
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other (55 master's graduates), Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (35 bachelor's graduates), Business Administration, Management and Operations (23 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 58 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.