South Dakota extends in-state tuition to Wisconsin, Illinois

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota’s six public universities plan to offer in-state tuition rates to students from Wisconsin and Illinois by next fall.

The South Dakota Advantage plan has until now offered in-state tuition to undergraduates and graduate students from Colorado, Iowa, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota and Wyoming residents, the Argus Leader reported Thursday. The Board of Regents voted to add Wisconsin and Illinois to the list earlier this month.

Officials at South Dakota’s universities say the move should boost enrollment and lead to more graduates remaining in South Dakota. The regents said in a Dec. 9 news release that about 30% of nonresident students remain in-state following graduation.

In-state students and students from states in the South Dakota Advantage plan will pay about $253.85 per credit hour at Black Hills State University, Dakota State University and Northern State University. They will pay $259.10 per credit hour in undergraduate studies at the University of South Dakota and South Dakota State University and $260.55 per credit hour in undergraduate studies at South Dakota Mines.

Minnesota isn’t included in the South Dakota Advantage plan because officials controlling public universities in both states agreed in 1978 that Minnesota residents who attend any South Dakota public university must pay the higher rate between resident tuition at the school they attend or the average rate of nine Minnesota schools.