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Leading the list is Oglala Lakota College, our #1 most age-diverse college in South Dakota. It scores 89.0 out of 100 for age diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 11.8, and gender diversity 87.6.
by our College Data Analytics TeamIf you’re seeking a diverse and multi-faceted college experience, you’ve come to the right place. We have ranked 9 colleges ranked on age diversity in South Dakota, using our 2026 methodology.
This ranking is based on the range of student ages (the mix of traditional and non-traditional-age students). So you can compare your options, College Factual evaluated 9 colleges, drawing primarily on U.S. Department of Education data (IPEDS and College Scorecard). Learn more about our ranking methodology.
Diversity means different things to different students. Refine the list by location, or explore the overall, racial-ethnic, gender, economic, and age diversity rankings, or other rankings below.
Looking to pit your favorite colleges against each other? Try our tool College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter most to you.
Learn more about these age-diverse colleges below:
Leading the list is Oglala Lakota College, our #1 most age-diverse college in South Dakota. It scores 89.0 out of 100 for age diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 11.8, and gender diversity 87.6.
Out of the 9 colleges in South Dakota in this year's ranking, Sisseton Wahpeton College landed the #2 spot. The school's age diversity score is 88.2 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 26.9, and gender diversity 93.3.
You'll find a welcoming community at Dakota State University, which ranked #3 this year. It scores 85.6 out of 100 for age diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 41.9, and gender diversity 99.7.
Mount Marty University came in at #4 on this year's Most Age-Diverse Colleges ranking in South Dakota. On age diversity, it scores 82.5 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 45.4, alongside a 99.8 gender-diversity score.
Out of the 9 colleges in South Dakota in this year's ranking, Western Dakota Technical College landed the #5 spot. It scores 81.7 out of 100 for age diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 41.0, and gender diversity 99.1.
University of South Dakota placed #6 among the most age-diverse colleges in South Dakota. On age diversity, it scores 80.5 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 42.5, and gender diversity 94.8.
Northern State University landed the #7 spot in South Dakota this year. It scores 77.3 out of 100 for age diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 31.2, and gender diversity 95.0.
South Dakota School of Mines and Technology placed #8 among the most age-diverse colleges in South Dakota. On age diversity, it scores 68.7 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 43.6, and gender diversity 83.4.
Mitchell Technical College came in at #9 in this year's ranking. It scores 62.3 out of 100 for age diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 25.6, alongside a 94.2 gender-diversity score.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This ranking is based on the range of student ages (the mix of traditional and non-traditional-age students). The racial-ethnic minorities percentage is calculated by taking the total number of students, subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity is unknown, and dividing by total enrollment.
The ranking above is published by College Factual, 2026 edition.
References
See our data sources and methodologies.