University of South Dakota, Vermillion, USA

Overview

History, Affiliations & Rankings

A public university, the University of South Dakota, popularly known as USD, was established in 1862. It is South Dakota’s oldest public university and the flagship university for the state. The university is affiliated to the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) and has been accredited by NCACS. The U.S. News & World Report has been naming USD among the "Best National Universities" since 1992. The university, along with the University of South Dakota School of Law, USD's Sanford School of Medicine and Beacom School of Business have also been featured in Princeton Review’s "Best 382 Colleges" and “One of Nation’s Best”. 

Infrastructure, Campus & Courses

The USD Campus is spread over an area of 274 acres, Old Main being the most significant academic facility. It comprises several buildings, some of which are the Wellness Center, the Theodore R. and Karen K. Muenster University Center, the Dakota Dome, and the Beacom School of Business. The university has 10 colleges and schools and a total of 205 undergraduate majors and academic programmes and 78 graduate programmes across myriad fields such as Arts & Sciences, Business, Education, Fine Arts, Health Sciences, among others. With a student-faculty ratio of 16:1, all students at USD get individual attention along with out-of-class opportunities and resources. 

Accomplishments & Alumni

University of South Dakota's has over 70,000 alumni who have made their mark in numerous diverse fields. These include a total of 17 Truman Scholars, 12 Rhodes Scholars, and 1 Nobel Laureate. The athletic teams compete in the NCAA's Division I as members of The Summit League, except football, which competes in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. The university is popular for its notable alumni such as Al Neuharth, founder of the USA Today;  former U.S. Senators James Abourezk, Tim Johnson, Larry Pressler,  Tom Brokaw, American broadcaster, to name a few. 

Student Diversity & Visiting Companies

USD aims at ensuring inclusiveness and diversity in every aspect of campus life and providing equal opportunities to students of all ethnicities and genders. It welcomes and celebrates all cultures and works towards creating a vibrant global community. The university has its very own career support services and network, Coyote Careers, that transcends job opportunities and offers internships, work-study positions as well as graduate assistant positions. Further, it helps them build a professional network that promises 70% of all jobs according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

COVID-19 Response

As cases continue to rise across the world, the University of South Dakota has been working with the South Dakota Department of Health to make sure that the USD is safe and protected from the virus. Along with numerous measures adopted by the university, the most important is the USD Safe App. Given below are the latest COVID-19 details from the university:

• The USD community comprising faculty, staff and students will return to the Vermillion campus during the Fall semester 2020. All guidelines will be followed before coming to the campus.
• The university has approved the Duolingo English proficiency test for Fall 2020 admission applications as many testing centres are still not operating.
• Classroom tables, desks and other commonly touched surfaces are being disinfected daily. 
• In-person instruction will continue until Thanksgiving recess (25th to 19th November, 2020) for almost all the academic programmes.
• All students will be required to complete their final exams remotely.