The South Dakota Advantage, in-state tuition benefits for students in nearby states, is expanding. Now, students from Minnesota, Kansas and Missouri get the advantage in our colleges.
South Dakota Advantage was established in 2019, and since then states all over the upper Midwest and Rockies are taking note.
Board of Regents executive director Nathan Lukkes said the numbers prove the effectiveness of the program.
“When we look at the numbers, the fall 2018 cohort – essentially the full-time, first-time freshman coming in – before we started the program from those states we had 996 students," Lukkes said. "When we look at the fall of ’23 numbers, we had 1,199. So, that’s a 20 percent growth I have to believe in large part due to the affordability component and what that program does.”
Lukkes said they’re trying to zero in on key markets.
“We’re really looking at that Kansas City market and proximity," Lukkes said. "It’s just a short drive up the interstate to USD, SDSU and Dakota State. We saw a great opportunity there. Minnesota was an outlier, we did the surrounding states plus Colorado in fall of ’19, but we’ve had a longstanding reciprocity agreement with Minnesota, and we thought it was time to take a look at that.”
Regents estimate about 30% of nonresident college students go on to put down roots in South Dakota.
“Not only is it pulling people in, but we’re seeing an increase in the percentage of nonresident students staying in South Dakota post-graduation," Lukkes said. "We’ve seen a five percent increase in nonresident students that come to South Dakota for their degree and then once they graduate, they’re choosing to stay, live and work in South Dakota.”
In real numbers, Lukkes said that translates to just under 800 new job seekers contributing to South Dakota’s economy in the last year alone.