The University of South Dakota, the state's oldest university, was founded in 1862 by the Dakota Territorial Legislature. The U has been accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools since 1913 and is an active member of the National Association of Land Grant Colleges and Universities.

The U is located on an attractive 216-acre campus in Vermillion, a small community nestled along the bluffs above the Missouri River in the southeast corner of South Dakota.

Today the University is an acknowledged leader of higher learning committed to excellence in education, research and service. A comprehensive, doctorate granting institution with a liberal arts undergraduate emphasis, the U houses the state's only law and medical schools and the only College of Fine Arts.

Following its mission, the U seeks to provide graduate and undergraduate programs in the liberal arts and sciences and in professional education, to promote excellence in teaching and learning, to support research, scholarly and creative activities, and to provide service to South Dakota and the region.

Recognized by U.S. News and World Report, The Princeton Review and Money magazines, the U is considered one of the nation's top colleges for academic excellence and affordability.

Typical full-time enrollment averages approximately 8,700 students. More than 131 majors and minors are available with over 6,000 different course offerings each year. Master's degrees are offered in more than 50 areas, and doctorates are available in 12 fields. We also offer degree programs through USDSU at Sioux Falls. Through our Statewide Educational Services (SWES), we offer distance learning courses throughout the state, region and nation.

Our caring and dedicated faculty and staff are committed to educational excellence. Approximately 80% of our 500 full-time faculty members hold doctoral or other terminal degrees in their field. Each year, the scholarship and research contributions of our faculty result in millions in grants, numerous awards, innovations, insights, and national recognition. Our student faculty ratio is a low 16-to-1.

Throughout its history, the U has produced 13 Rhodes Scholars. Recently, five U students were awarded four of the nation's most prestigious scholarships - the Fulbright, Truman, Goldwater, and Udall scholarship. Rarely is one school home to recipients of these four scholarships in a single year. In fact, the 2002 awards put the U among a group of only 13 colleges and universities across the country to have earned such honors. In addition to the U, the list includes schools such as Yale, Stanford, Harvard, and Princeton.