by our College Data Analytics TeamBlack Hills State University is a public institution in Spearfish, South Dakota enrolling 1,928 undergraduates. It accepts 96% of applicants and has an on-time graduation rate of 43%, above the national average of 33%. College Factual ranks it #2,126 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in its 2027 Best Colleges ranking (top 41%), and its Value for Your Money analysis rates it a Fair Price.
Source: IPEDS 2025; College Scorecard July 2026; College Factual rankings 2027. Data as of: July 2026.
Black Hills State University ranks #2,126 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges ranking, placing it in the top 41%.
College Factual analyzes over 2,000 colleges and universities in its annual rankings and ranks them in a variety of ways, including most diverse, best overall quality, best for non-traditional students, and much more.
Black Hills State University was awarded 6 badges in the 2027 rankings.
College Factual ranked BHSU as #2,126 out of 5,159 colleges and universities in the country on its 2027 Best Colleges list.
BHSU also holds the #14 spot on the Best Colleges in South Dakota ranking.
See all of the rankings for Black Hills State University.
With an acceptance rate of 96%, Black Hills State University is easier to get into than many other schools. But that doesn’t mean you can slack off on your application. Make sure to treat this school like any other when submitting requested materials and documents.
About 6% of students accepted to BHSU submitted their SAT scores. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing scores ranged between 465 and 565. Math scores were between 500 and 570.
BHSU received ACT scores from 66% of accepted students. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, ACT Composite scores ranged between 18 and 24.
Learn more about Black Hills State University admissions.
The student to faculty ratio at Black Hills State University is about average at 17 to 1. This ratio is often used to gauge how many students might be in an average class and how much time professors will have to spend with their students on an individual level. The national average for this metric is 15 to 1.
When estimating how much access students will have to their teachers, some people like to look at what percentage of faculty members are full time. This is because part-time teachers may not have as much time to spend on campus as their full-time counterparts.
The full-time faculty percentage at Black Hills State University is 66%. This is higher than the national average of 47%.
The freshmen retention rate tells us what percentage of first-year, full-time students choose to continue on to their sophomore year at a particular school. The rate at Black Hills State University is 72%, which is about average when compared to the national rate of 68%.
The on-time graduation rate for someone pursuing a bachelor’s degree is typically four years. This rate at BHSU for first-time, full-time students is 43%, which is better than the national average of 33.3%.
Find out more about the retention and graduation rates at Black Hills State University.
During the most recent academic year, there were 1,928 undergraduates at BHSU.
Get more detailed information on the diversity at Black Hills State University.
The average net price of BHSU is $17,140. The affordability of the school largely depends on your financial need since net price varies by income group. See the table below for the net price for different income groups.
| $0-30 K | $30K-48K | $48-75 | $75-110K | $110K + |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $11,863 | $13,379 | $15,588 | $18,072 | $18,604 |
The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid. Note that the net price is typically less than the published price for a school. For more information on the sticker price of BHSU, see our tuition and fees and room and board pages.
Almost 66% of college students who graduated with the class of 2018 took out student loans, but that percentage varies from school to school. At BHSU, approximately 28% of students took out student loans averaging $6,035 a year. That adds up to $24,140 over four years for those students. The student loan default rate is 6.4%. Although this is lower than the national default rate of 10.1%, you’ll still want to keep this in mind when taking out student loans. Get more details about paying for Black Hills State University.
Although some majors pay more than others, students who graduate from Black Hills State University with a bachelor’s degree go on to jobs where they make an average salary of $46,674 in their early years. This is in the same neighborhood of the average college graduate’s salary of $49,219 per year. However, certain majors may produce higher-paying graduates.
See which majors at Black Hills State University make the most money.
Black Hills State University is a public institution found in Spearfish, South Dakota. The surrounding location of Spearfish is ideal for students who enjoy the charms of a college town. Get more details about the location of Black Hills State University.
Get in touch with Black Hills State University are given below.
| Contact Details | |
|---|---|
| Address: | 1200 University St, Spearfish, SD 57799-9500 |
| Phone: | 8002552478 |
| Website: | www.bhsu.edu |
| Facebook: | www.facebook.com/BlackHillsState |
| Twitter: | www.twitter.com/BlackHillsState |
During the most recent year for which we have data, students from 18 majors graduated from Black Hills State University. The following table lists the most popular undergraduate majors along with the average salary graduates from those majors make.
| Most Popular Majors | Completions | Average Salary of Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-Disciplinary Studies | 502 | NA |
| Business Administration & Management | 79 | $36,641 |
| General Biology | 70 | $25,935 |
| Teacher Education Grade Specific | 41 | $36,839 |
| Liberal Arts General Studies | 34 | NA |
| Health & Physical Education | 25 | $21,080 |
| General Psychology | 23 | $28,162 |
| Community Organization & Advocacy | 17 | $29,934 |
| Human Resource Management | 14 | $43,372 |
| Communication & Media Studies | 14 | $25,611 |
2,381 students took at least one online class at Black Hills State University.
Online courses are a great option for busy, working students as well as for those who have scheduling conflicts and want to study on their own time. As time goes by, expect to see more and more online learning options become available.
Learn more about online learning at Black Hills State University.
Want to see how other colleges compare to BHSU? Compare them side by side using College Combat, our free interactive tool that lets you compare colleges on the features that matter most to you.
Footnotes
*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.
References