Bachelor's · Vermillion, South Dakota
Is Business Administration, Management and Operations at University of South Dakota worth it?
Medium confidence Medium confidence: 40–99 graduates behind the earnings figures.
The verdict · all families, in-state, half paid with loans
Pays back in time: graduates typically recover the cost in about 4.7 years.
- Earnings 1 year after graduating
- $53,773
- Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Earnings 4 years after graduating
- $69,700
- Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Typical federal debt at graduation
- $21,625
- NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
- Net cost to graduate, all families
- $85k (likely $85k – $103k)
- AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
- Earnings bump, year 4
- $31k a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in SD
- 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Payback
- 4.7 years (likely 3.8–6.0)
- Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
- 10-year net return
- $24k (likely −$54k – $96k)
- Today's dollars
- 20-year net return
- $401k (likely $233k – $581k)
- Today's dollars
- Odds of finishing (school-wide)
- 60%
- Fall 2019 or AcadYr 2019-20 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
- Borrowers making progress / in default, 2 years in
- not reported / ≤ 20%
- NSLDS AY2016-17, AY2017-18 pooled cohorts measured in 2018-19, 2019-20
Change income, residency or loans Compare Business Administration, Management and Operations at other schools
📈 Getting ready in high school
Students heading toward business & money majors like this one often take these classes. Every school offers a different mix, so check with your counselor.
AP classes
- AP Microeconomics
- AP Macroeconomics
- AP Statistics
- AP Precalculus or AP Calculus AB
IB Higher Level
- Business Management HL
- Economics HL
Build my roadmap 🗺️ Middle school to career, plus high schools near you that offer these classes.
Other majors at University of South Dakota
- Medicine (First professional)$126,911
- Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's)$123,612
- Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's)$109,366
- Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral)$105,958
- Public Administration (Master's)$87,275
- Human Services, General (Master's)$86,703
- Accounting and Related Services (Master's)$85,964
- Law (First professional)$83,195
- Health and Medical Administrative Services (Bachelor's)$74,816
- Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's)$73,025
- Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (First professional)$72,528
- Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's)$72,032
Business Administration, Management and Operations at other schools in South Dakota
- Dakota State University$69,841
- Augustana University$68,463
- Black Hills State University$59,626
- Mount Marty University$59,205
- National American University-Rapid City$57,756
- Northern State University$56,571
- Oglala Lakota College$56,375
- University of Sioux Falls$50,253
- Dakota Wesleyan University$48,437