1
Southeast Technical CollegeSioux Falls · 2,659 students
- Enrollment
- 2,659
- Incidents /1k
- 0.38
State profile · SD · Clery Act
Safest Colleges in South Dakota
Federal Clery Act filings for all 21 tracked South Dakota campuses, ranked by 2024 on-campus Criminal Offenses and VAWA incidents per 1,000 students. Among nonzero reporters, Southeast Technical College currently has the lowest rate.
- 21
- Institutions tracked
- 1.17
- Avg campus rate / 1k (21 of 21 scored)
- 1.59
- Statewide rate / 1k
- #14
- Rank by avg campus rate
- 52,920
- Students enrolled
Among nonzero Clery reporters, Southeast Technical College has the lowest rate in South Dakota
According to U.S. Department of Education Clery Act filings, across 21 tracked campuses in South Dakota, 9 reported zero 2024 Criminal Offenses and VAWA incidents used in the rate; among campuses with any in those categories, Southeast Technical College has the lowest rate at 0.38 per 1,000 students. This comparison excludes other Clery tables and unreported harm, so review the details before drawing a safety conclusion.
Data source U.S. Department of Education, OPE Campus Safety and Security Survey
- campuses tracked
- 21
- average campus, per 1,000 (21 of 21 scored)
- 1.17
- lowest nonzero rate - Southeast Technical College
- 0.38
- campuses at zero in score categories
- 9
Data updated August 2026
Clery Act plate
Sheet SD · South Dakota 1.17/1k campus avg · #14/59
RATE-LOW · RANK-UPPER · PHOTO-FINISH · ZERO-MIX · WT-LARGE-HOT · BOOK-FULL · CONC-HEAVY
- RATE-LOW 1.17/1k
- RANK-UPPER #14/59
- PHOTO-FINISH Michigan · ±0.01
- ZERO-MIX 43% zero
- WT-LARGE-HOT Δ −0.41
- BOOK-FULL 21/21
- CONC-HEAVY top5 63%
Nearest campus-rate peer: Michigan (+0.01/1k)
South Dakota sheet RATE-LOW · RANK-UPPER · PHOTO-FINISH · ZERO-MIX · WT-LARGE-HOT · BOOK-FULL · CONC-HEAVY · peer Michigan. Codes from this state’s OPE Campus Safety filing: unweighted campus rate, corpus rank (low = safer), photo-finish peer state, zero-report share, campus-vs-weighted gap, scored book, top-five enrollment concentration. Not a moving recommendation.
Clery plate RATE-LOW · RANK-UPPER · PHOTO-FINISH · ZERO-MIX · WT-LARGE-HOT · BOOK-FULL · CONC-HEAVY. Nearest unweighted-rate peer is Michigan (+0.01/1k). Among nonzero reporters inside the state, Southeast Technical College leads at 0.38/1k. Instrument codes from this state's OPE Campus Safety sheet; compare similarly sized campuses before treating any single rate as decisive.
South Dakota's unweighted average campus rate sits better than 76% of scored U.S. states; inside the state, Southeast Technical College has the lowest nonzero rate at 0.38/1k, ahead of University of Sioux Falls (0.69/1k); South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (0.78/1k). The five largest campuses still hold 63% of enrolled students, so enrollment weight and campus-average rank can diverge.
Campus-rate neighbourhood around South Dakota
Lowest/highest poles plus states nearest South Dakota on unweighted average campus Clery rate. Full ladder: /rankings/.
- Marshall Islands · lowest 0
Marshall Islands (MH) - lowest
0 per 1,000 students
- Arkansas · near 1.11
Arkansas (AR) - near
1.11 per 1,000 students
- Federated States of Micronesia · near 1.16
Federated States of Micronesia (FM) - near
1.16 per 1,000 students
- South Dakota · this state 1.17
South Dakota (SD) - this state
1.17 per 1,000 students
- Michigan · near 1.18
Michigan (MI) - near
1.18 per 1,000 students
- Louisiana · near 1.2
Louisiana (LA) - near
1.2 per 1,000 students
- Vermont · highest
Vermont (VT) - highest
9.77 per 1,000 students
What this shows Neighbourhood of scored states around South Dakota's 1.17/1k unweighted campus average, not a full 50-state board reprint.
Safest colleges in South Dakota, ranked by reported rate
Ranked from the lowest 2024 Criminal Offenses and VAWA rate upward, counting only the 12 South Dakota campuses with at least one incident in those score categories. Positions are numbered within that group, because a rank counted through the zero-score campuses below would order them by nothing.
2
University of Sioux FallsSioux Falls · 1,450 students
- Enrollment
- 1,450
- Incidents /1k
- 0.69
3
South Dakota School of Mines and TechnologyRapid City · 2,576 students
- Enrollment
- 2,576
- Incidents /1k
- 0.78
4
Dakota State UniversityMadison · 3,774 students
- Enrollment
- 3,774
- Incidents /1k
- 0.79
5
Western Dakota Technical CollegeRapid City · 1,164 students
- Enrollment
- 1,164
- Incidents /1k
- 0.86
6
Black Hills State UniversitySpearfish · 3,346 students
- Enrollment
- 3,346
- Incidents /1k
- 0.90
7
South Dakota State UniversityBrookings · 12,056 students
- Enrollment
- 12,056
- Incidents /1k
- 1.33
8
Northern State UniversityAberdeen · 3,708 students
- Enrollment
- 3,708
- Incidents /1k
- 1.62
9
Sinte Gleska UniversityMission · 592 students
- Enrollment
- 592
- Incidents /1k
- 1.69
10
University of South DakotaVermillion · 10,619 students
- Enrollment
- 10,619
- Incidents /1k
- 2.17
11
Mount Marty UniversityYankton · 1,284 students
- Enrollment
- 1,284
- Incidents /1k
- 4.67
12
Augustana UniversitySioux Falls · 2,390 students
- Enrollment
- 2,390
- Incidents /1k
- 8.79
| # | Campus | Enrollment | Incidents /1k |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southeast Technical CollegeSioux Falls · 2,659 students | 2,659 | 0.384% of the leader · rank #1 |
| 2 | University of Sioux FallsSioux Falls · 1,450 students | 1,450 | 0.698% of the leader · rank #2 |
| 3 | South Dakota School of Mines and TechnologyRapid City · 2,576 students | 2,576 | 0.789% of the leader · rank #3 |
| 4 | Dakota State UniversityMadison · 3,774 students | 3,774 | 0.799% of the leader · rank #4 |
| 5 | Western Dakota Technical CollegeRapid City · 1,164 students | 1,164 | 0.8610% of the leader · rank #5 |
| 6 | Black Hills State UniversitySpearfish · 3,346 students | 3,346 | 0.9010% of the leader · rank #6 |
| 7 | South Dakota State UniversityBrookings · 12,056 students | 12,056 | 1.3315% of the leader · rank #7 |
| 8 | Northern State UniversityAberdeen · 3,708 students | 3,708 | 1.6218% of the leader · rank #8 |
| 9 | Sinte Gleska UniversityMission · 592 students | 592 | 1.6919% of the leader · rank #9 |
| 10 | University of South DakotaVermillion · 10,619 students | 10,619 | 2.1725% of the leader · rank #10 |
| 11 | Mount Marty UniversityYankton · 1,284 students | 1,284 | 4.6753% of the leader · rank #11 |
| 12 | Augustana UniversitySioux Falls · 2,390 students | 2,390 | 8.79100% of the leader · rank #12 |
Unranked campuses (9): zero score or no normalized rate
9 filed zero 2024 Criminal Offenses and VAWA incidents in the score categories; other Clery tables can still contain reports. Neither group supports a safety ordering, so these campuses are listed alphabetically without positions.
Dakota Wesleyan UniversityMitchell · 892 students
- Enrollment
- 892
- Incidents /1k
- 0.00
Kairos UniversitySioux Falls · 1,239 students
- Enrollment
- 1,239
- Incidents /1k
- 0.00
Lake Area Technical CollegeWatertown · 2,312 students
- Enrollment
- 2,312
- Incidents /1k
- 0.00
Mitchell Technical CollegeMitchell · 1,186 students
- Enrollment
- 1,186
- Incidents /1k
- 0.00
Oglala Lakota CollegeKyle · 1,188 students
- Enrollment
- 1,188
- Incidents /1k
- 0.00
Paul Mitchell the School-Rapid CityRapid City · 66 students
- Enrollment
- 66
- Incidents /1k
- 0.00
Sisseton Wahpeton CollegeSisseton · 206 students
- Enrollment
- 206
- Incidents /1k
- 0.00
Stewart SchoolSioux Falls · 133 students
- Enrollment
- 133
- Incidents /1k
- 0.00
The Salon Professional AcademyRapid City · 80 students
- Enrollment
- 80
- Incidents /1k
- 0.00
| # | Campus | Enrollment | Incidents /1k |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dakota Wesleyan UniversityMitchell · 892 students | 892 | 0.00 | |
| Kairos UniversitySioux Falls · 1,239 students | 1,239 | 0.00 | |
| Lake Area Technical CollegeWatertown · 2,312 students | 2,312 | 0.00 | |
| Mitchell Technical CollegeMitchell · 1,186 students | 1,186 | 0.00 | |
| Oglala Lakota CollegeKyle · 1,188 students | 1,188 | 0.00 | |
| Paul Mitchell the School-Rapid CityRapid City · 66 students | 66 | 0.00 | |
| Sisseton Wahpeton CollegeSisseton · 206 students | 206 | 0.00 | |
| Stewart SchoolSioux Falls · 133 students | 133 | 0.00 | |
| The Salon Professional AcademyRapid City · 80 students | 80 | 0.00 |
The largest universities in South Dakota by enrollment
Enrollment leaders: South Dakota State University (12,056); University of South Dakota (10,619); Dakota State University (3,774), then 18 more. The 15 biggest South Dakota institutions by total enrolled students, from the same federal IPEDS collection, each shown with its 2024 Criminal Offenses and VAWA rate. The five largest alone account for 63% of the 52,920 students enrolled across all 21 tracked South Dakota institutions. Mid-pack by size sits near Mount Marty University (1,284 students, 4.67/1k).
1
South Dakota State UniversityBrookings · 12,056 students
- Enrollment
- 12,056
- Incidents /1k
- 1.33
2
University of South DakotaVermillion · 10,619 students
- Enrollment
- 10,619
- Incidents /1k
- 2.17
3
Dakota State UniversityMadison · 3,774 students
- Enrollment
- 3,774
- Incidents /1k
- 0.79
4
Northern State UniversityAberdeen · 3,708 students
- Enrollment
- 3,708
- Incidents /1k
- 1.62
5
Black Hills State UniversitySpearfish · 3,346 students
- Enrollment
- 3,346
- Incidents /1k
- 0.90
6
Southeast Technical CollegeSioux Falls · 2,659 students
- Enrollment
- 2,659
- Incidents /1k
- 0.38
7
South Dakota School of Mines and TechnologyRapid City · 2,576 students
- Enrollment
- 2,576
- Incidents /1k
- 0.78
8
Augustana UniversitySioux Falls · 2,390 students
- Enrollment
- 2,390
- Incidents /1k
- 8.79
9
Lake Area Technical CollegeWatertown · 2,312 students
- Enrollment
- 2,312
- Incidents /1k
- 0.00
10
University of Sioux FallsSioux Falls · 1,450 students
- Enrollment
- 1,450
- Incidents /1k
- 0.69
11
Mount Marty UniversityYankton · 1,284 students
- Enrollment
- 1,284
- Incidents /1k
- 4.67
12
Kairos UniversitySioux Falls · 1,239 students
- Enrollment
- 1,239
- Incidents /1k
- 0.00
13
Oglala Lakota CollegeKyle · 1,188 students
- Enrollment
- 1,188
- Incidents /1k
- 0.00
14
Mitchell Technical CollegeMitchell · 1,186 students
- Enrollment
- 1,186
- Incidents /1k
- 0.00
15
Western Dakota Technical CollegeRapid City · 1,164 students
- Enrollment
- 1,164
- Incidents /1k
- 0.86
| # | Institution | Enrollment | Incidents /1k |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Dakota State UniversityBrookings · 12,056 students | 12,056100% of the leader · rank #1 | 1.33 |
| 2 | University of South DakotaVermillion · 10,619 students | 10,61988% of the leader · rank #2 | 2.17 |
| 3 | Dakota State UniversityMadison · 3,774 students | 3,77431% of the leader · rank #3 | 0.79 |
| 4 | Northern State UniversityAberdeen · 3,708 students | 3,70831% of the leader · rank #4 | 1.62 |
| 5 | Black Hills State UniversitySpearfish · 3,346 students | 3,34628% of the leader · rank #5 | 0.90 |
| 6 | Southeast Technical CollegeSioux Falls · 2,659 students | 2,65922% of the leader · rank #6 | 0.38 |
| 7 | South Dakota School of Mines and TechnologyRapid City · 2,576 students | 2,57621% of the leader · rank #7 | 0.78 |
| 8 | Augustana UniversitySioux Falls · 2,390 students | 2,39020% of the leader · rank #8 | 8.79 |
| 9 | Lake Area Technical CollegeWatertown · 2,312 students | 2,31219% of the leader · rank #9 | 0.00 |
| 10 | University of Sioux FallsSioux Falls · 1,450 students | 1,45012% of the leader · rank #10 | 0.69 |
| 11 | Mount Marty UniversityYankton · 1,284 students | 1,28411% of the leader · rank #11 | 4.67 |
| 12 | Kairos UniversitySioux Falls · 1,239 students | 1,23910% of the leader · rank #12 | 0.00 |
| 13 | Oglala Lakota CollegeKyle · 1,188 students | 1,18810% of the leader · rank #13 | 0.00 |
| 14 | Mitchell Technical CollegeMitchell · 1,186 students | 1,18610% of the leader · rank #14 | 0.00 |
| 15 | Western Dakota Technical CollegeRapid City · 1,164 students | 1,16410% of the leader · rank #15 | 0.86 |
Enrollment is total reported students, not full-time equivalent, and a branch campus is reported separately from its parent institution. A larger campus is not a less safe one: the incident rate beside it is already per 1,000 students.
Nationwide states with similar campus scale or Clery rate
Two nationwide peer sets for South Dakota: closest on tracked campus count (21 here) and closest on unweighted average 2024 Clery rate (1.17/1k here). The rate-neighbourhood and keep-peer blocks above stay geo-adjacent; these columns are cross-state ABS comparisons with deduped link sets.
Similar campus count
Nearest other states by number of tracked postsecondary institutions (≥5 scored campuses in corpus).
Similar campus Clery rate
Nearest other states by unweighted average on-campus Clery rate. Campus-count peers above are excluded.
Read with this state
Keep-peer handoff: Michigan sits nearest on unweighted campus average (+0.01/1k). Inside South Dakota, open Southeast Technical College's campus sheet next.
South Dakota campus safety FAQ
What are the safest colleges in South Dakota?
Among South Dakota campuses that reported at least one 2024 Criminal Offense or VAWA incident in the Clery categories used here, Southeast Technical College has the lowest rate (0.38 per 1,000 students). Next among nonzero reporters: University of Sioux Falls (0.69/1k); South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (0.78/1k). 9 campuses reported zero in those score categories and are listed separately without a safety ordinal, because a zero report is not the same as a proven safer campus.
How does PlainCampus rank campus safety in South Dakota?
In South Dakota, campuses with any 2024 Criminal Offenses or VAWA incidents in the score categories are ordered by incidents per 1,000 students - Southeast Technical College currently leads that nonzero list at 0.38/1k. Zero-report and unscored campuses stay unranked and alphabetical. See /methodology for the full rate definition.
How many colleges in South Dakota are compared?
This page covers 21 tracked higher-education institutions in South Dakota, serving about 52,920 enrolled students combined across 13 cities. 12 carry a ranked nonzero rate; 9 are listed without a safety ordinal. By enrollment the largest are South Dakota State University (12,056); University of South Dakota (10,619); Dakota State University (3,774). Nearby state averages for context: Michigan (1.18/1k); Federated States of Micronesia (1.16/1k); Louisiana (1.20/1k); Arkansas (1.11/1k); Ohio (1.34/1k); Utah (0.91/1k).
Every figure on PlainCampus is rendered directly from federal Clery Act source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on federal Clery Act source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.
PlainCampus is for informational purposes only and does not constitute safety, security, legal, or enrollment advice; the data describes reported on-campus activity, it is not a complete picture of safety at any campus and cannot predict any individual student's experience. See our appropriate use guidance.