Do South Dakota Residents Get In-State Tuition in Minnesota? (Graduate, 2026)
Yes — South Dakota and Minnesota run Minnesota-Dakotas Tuition Reciprocity, so South Dakota residents can pay the Minnesota in-state graduate rate of about $20,000 a year instead of the $30,900 non-resident rate at University of Minnesota Graduate School. Check the current terms before you apply.
- You would pay
- $20,000/yr
- Resident pays
- $20,000/yr
- Non-resident rate
- $30,900/yr
- Saved over 2 yrs
- $21,800
Tuition and mandatory fees only, compiled from published rates and rounded. Excludes housing, books and course differentials. Eligibility is decided by the institution, not by this page.
Open this pair in the checker to switch level, compare other states, or copy a link to the result.
South Dakota and Minnesota have a standing agreement, which puts this pair in a small minority. Most state pairs have nothing between them except the non-resident rate. Here, Minnesota-Dakotas Tuition Reciprocity brings graduate tuition at University of Minnesota Graduate School to roughly $20,000 instead of $30,900.
Seen from South Dakota, this is one option among 50. 14 other states offer South Dakota residents a reduced graduate rate, the lowest being Wyoming at about $7,000, against $10,300 for in-state study at USD Graduate School.
Confirm the specific campus takes part. State-level membership is necessary and not sufficient, and several flagship universities either exclude their most competitive majors or sit out entirely.
Every route from South Dakota to Minnesota
| Route | What it gives you | Per year | Saving | Guaranteed? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota-Dakotas Tuition Reciprocity | Minnesota maintains standing reciprocity agreements with both Dakotas. Residents of either side pay a reciprocity rate at the other's public institutions, applied for through the Minnesota Office of Higher Education or the partner state's system office. | $20,000 | $10,900 | Yes, if eligible |
Where South Dakota residents pay less
Staying home, a South Dakota resident pays $10,300 a year for in-state graduate tuition at USD Graduate School. The cheapest Minnesota option for you is $20,000 at University of Minnesota Graduate School, which is $9,700 a year more than staying home, or $19,400 over 2 years.
South Dakota belongs to Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) at graduate level, so 15 of 50 states offer South Dakota graduate students a reduced rate, and Minnesota is one of them.
| State | Route | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| South Dakota to Wyoming | Western Regional Graduate Program · University of Wyoming graduate programs | $7,000 |
| South Dakota to Montana | Western Regional Graduate Program · University of Montana Graduate School | $8,000 |
| South Dakota to New Mexico | Western Regional Graduate Program · UNM Graduate Studies | $8,000 |
| South Dakota to Nevada | Western Regional Graduate Program · UNLV Graduate College | $9,000 |
| South Dakota to Utah | Western Regional Graduate Program · University of Utah Graduate School | $9,300 |
South Dakota's neighboring states, compared
What a South Dakota resident pays for graduate tuition in each state that borders South Dakota, cheapest first:
- Wyoming$7,000/yr · Western Regional Graduate Program
- Montana$8,000/yr · Western Regional Graduate Program
- North Dakota$12,700/yr · Western Regional Graduate Program
- Minnesota$20,000/yr · Minnesota-Dakotas Tuition Reciprocity
- Nebraska$28,300/yr · non-resident
- Iowa$31,600/yr · non-resident
Compare all 50 states from South Dakota in the checker. Each figure is one reference campus per state, not a state average.
Minnesota residency, in brief
Minnesota grants in-state tuition after 12 months of domicile before the term begins (Minn. Stat. § 135A.031), and a financially dependent student takes the parents' domicile. Moving to Minnesota to enroll does not by itself start the clock.
Minnesota residency requirements in full · how long every state requires
Step by step
- Read the current terms of Minnesota-Dakotas Tuition Reciprocity — bilateral agreements are renegotiated and can narrow to specific campuses or majors between academic years.
- Apply through the channel the agreement specifies; several are administered by the home state's higher-education agency, not by the receiving campus.
- Provide proof of South Dakota residency in the form the agreement requires.
- If you fall outside the agreement's scope, fall back to the residency route: 12 months of Minnesota domicile.
Official links
Related
Asked and answered
›Do South Dakota residents get in-state tuition in Minnesota?
Effectively yes, through Minnesota-Dakotas Tuition Reciprocity, but it is not residency. You pay the in-state rate of about $20,000 while remaining a South Dakota resident for every other purpose, and the benefit ends if you leave the approved program.
›How long does it take to get in-state tuition in Minnesota?
Minnesota requires 12 months of domicile before the term begins (Minn. Stat. § 135A.031), and a financially dependent student takes the parents' domicile.
›How much would graduate study in Minnesota actually cost a South Dakota resident?
About $20,000 a year in tuition and mandatory fees under Minnesota-Dakotas Tuition Reciprocity, against $30,900 at the published non-resident rate and $20,000 for a Minnesota resident. Over 2 years that is roughly $21,800 saved. Figures are compiled 2025–26 published rates and exclude housing, books and course-specific differentials.
›Where can South Dakota residents get reduced graduate tuition?
In 15 states at graduate level. Outside Minnesota, the lowest are Wyoming ($7,000), Montana ($8,000), New Mexico ($8,000). Each figure is one reference campus, and awards are made campus by campus.
›Is studying in Minnesota cheaper than staying in South Dakota?
No. South Dakota's in-state graduate rate is $10,300 a year at USD Graduate School, and the cheapest Minnesota option for a South Dakota resident is $20,000, so Minnesota costs about $9,700 more a year, or $19,400 over 2 years, in tuition and fees alone.
Sources
Every eligibility rule on this page is checked against the operating compact commission or the state's own residency authority. Last verified 2026-09-27.
Tuition figures on this page are compiled 2025–26 published rates (basis: published compiled), rounded to the nearest $100 and refreshed each June. Eligibility rules are checked against the cited compact commission or residency authority.
- Minnesota Office of Higher Education — residency for tuition purposes ↗Accessed 2026-08-07
- University of Minnesota Graduate School — tuition and fees ↗Accessed 2026-08-07
- USD Graduate School — tuition and fees ↗Accessed 2026-08-07
How this page was made
Compiled and checked by Billy Reiner, editor of In-State Check. Last verified 2026-09-27.
- Compiled from published rate pages
- The in-state and non-resident figures are tuition and mandatory fees for one full-time year, read from University of Minnesota Graduate School’s own 2025–26 rate page and rounded to the nearest $100. Housing, books, travel and course-specific differentials are not included in them.
- Checked against the administering body
- Compact membership at this level was checked against the commission that runs the program (WICHE, MHEC). The residency test — the durational requirement, the domicile evidence and the dependent-student rule — was checked against Minnesota Office of Higher Education, Minn. Stat. § 135A.031. Nothing here is taken from another comparison site.
Not advice. In-State Check is independent of every college, compact and state agency named here. Residency classification and award decisions are made by the institution you apply to. Found an error? Send the page URL and the source that contradicts it to [email protected], and the page is corrected and re-dated. Full methodology.