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No school ranked more economically diverse than Oglala Lakota College this year in South Dakota. Oglala Lakota College scores 99.9 out of 100 for economic diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 11.8, alongside a 87.6 gender-diversity score.
by our College Data Analytics TeamIf you’re seeking a diverse and multi-faceted college experience, you’ve come to the right place. The ranking below was designed to help you find 23 institutions by economic diversity in South Dakota, using our 2026 methodology.
Our ranking weighs the economic backgrounds of the student body (the mix of income levels). To arm you with the information you need, College Factual analyzed 23 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. Drill down by location, or explore the overall, racial-ethnic, gender, economic, and age diversity rankings, or other rankings below.
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Explore the leading colleges below:
No school ranked more economically diverse than Oglala Lakota College this year in South Dakota. Oglala Lakota College scores 99.9 out of 100 for economic diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 11.8, alongside a 87.6 gender-diversity score.
A rank of #2 makes Western Dakota Technical College one of the most economically diverse colleges in South Dakota. On economic diversity, it scores 99.7 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 41.0, and gender diversity 99.1.
You'll find a welcoming community at Black Hills Beauty College, which ranked #3 this year. The school's economic diversity score is 99.0 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 45.0, and gender diversity 13.7.
Out of the 23 colleges in South Dakota in this year's ranking, Headlines Academy Inc landed the #4 spot. On economic diversity, it scores 98.6 out of 100.
You'll find a welcoming community at Sinte Gleska University, which ranked #5 this year. Sinte Gleska University scores 96.5 out of 100 for economic diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 22.0, alongside a 79.5 gender-diversity score.
Southeast Technical College landed the #6 spot in South Dakota this year. On economic diversity, it scores 96.5 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 42.5, and gender diversity 98.6.
Mitchell Technical College ranked #7 on our 2026 list of the most economically diverse colleges. Mitchell Technical College scores 95.8 out of 100 for economic diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 25.6, and gender diversity 94.2.
Lake Area Technical College came in at #8 in this year's ranking. On economic diversity, it scores 93.4 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 21.9, and gender diversity 99.8.
Mount Marty University placed #9 among the most economically diverse colleges in South Dakota. Mount Marty University scores 93.4 out of 100 for economic diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 45.4, with a gender-diversity score of 99.8.
Black Hills State University came in at #10 in this year's ranking. The school's economic diversity score is 92.5 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 45.1, and gender diversity 94.5.
Sisseton Wahpeton College placed #11 among the most economically diverse colleges in South Dakota. On economic diversity, it scores 92.5 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 26.9, alongside a 93.3 gender-diversity score.
Stewart School placed #12 among the most economically diverse colleges in South Dakota. It scores 90.4 out of 100 for economic diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 42.6, alongside a 7.6 gender-diversity score.
Dakota Wesleyan University earned the #13 position in South Dakota. The school's economic diversity score is 89.3 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 33.9, and gender diversity 98.7.
Northern State University earned the #14 position in South Dakota. Northern State University scores 86.9 out of 100 for economic diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 31.2, and gender diversity 95.0.
University of Sioux Falls earned the #15 position in South Dakota. The school's economic diversity score is 86.9 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 40.6, alongside a 98.0 gender-diversity score.
Dakota State University ranked #16 on our 2026 list of the most economically diverse colleges. Dakota State University scores 81.1 out of 100 for economic diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 41.9, with a gender-diversity score of 99.7.
University of South Dakota ranked #17 on our 2026 list of the most economically diverse colleges. University of South Dakota scores 81.1 out of 100 for economic diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 42.5, alongside a 94.8 gender-diversity score.
California Intercontinental University ranked #18 on our 2026 list of the most economically diverse colleges. It scores 77.8 out of 100 for economic diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 76.7, alongside a 99.5 gender-diversity score.
South Dakota State University landed the #19 spot in South Dakota this year. On economic diversity, it scores 70.2 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 36.9, and gender diversity 98.5.
Augustana University landed the #20 spot in South Dakota this year. Augustana University scores 68.0 out of 100 for economic diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 54.6, and gender diversity 96.0.
South Dakota School of Mines and Technology ranked #21 on our 2026 list of the most economically diverse colleges. South Dakota School of Mines and Technology scores 68.0 out of 100 for economic diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 43.6, and gender diversity 83.4.
Sanford Medical Center earned the #22 position in South Dakota. It scores 0.0 out of 100 for economic diversity.
Kairos University placed #23 among the most economically diverse colleges in South Dakota. The school's economic diversity score is 0.0 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 45.3, and gender diversity 94.6.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
We measure this ranking on the economic backgrounds of the student body (the mix of income levels). 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.
These rankings are produced by College Factual, 2026 edition.
References
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.