Do North Dakota Residents Get In-State Tuition in South Dakota? (Undergraduate, 2026)
WUE — 150% of the resident rate
Not in-state, but reduced — North Dakota and South Dakota both belong to Western Undergraduate Exchange, so undergraduate tuition at University of South Dakota can drop to roughly $13,600 a year against the $13,600 non-resident rate. Awards are limited and campus-by-campus.
- You would pay
- $13,600/yr
- Resident pays
- $10,000/yr
- Over 4 yrs
- No saving available
Conditional: Individual campuses opt in and can cap or close awards — confirm with the school before you apply.
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.
Western Undergraduate Exchange sits between the $10,000 in-state rate and the $13,600 non-resident rate at University of South Dakota, landing at roughly $13,600. It is a discount you apply for, not a classification you qualify for.
20 other states offer North Dakota residents a reduced undergraduate rate, the lowest being Wyoming at about $10,050. At home, in-state undergraduate tuition is $11,100 at University of North Dakota, so South Dakota works out at $2,500 a year more than staying home.
The failure mode is timing. Awards of this kind are funded annually and allocated in the order applications arrive, so a student admitted in March can find the program closed while a student admitted in November does not.
Every route from North Dakota to South Dakota
| Route | What it gives you | Per year | Saving | Guaranteed? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western Undergraduate Exchange | A WUE award caps tuition at 150% of the receiving institution's resident rate. About 170 public colleges and universities across the member states participate, and each one decides which majors it opens to WUE, how many awards it funds, and what GPA it asks for. | $13,600 | $0 | Conditional |
Where North Dakota residents pay less
Staying home, a North Dakota resident pays $11,100 a year for in-state undergraduate tuition at University of North Dakota. The cheapest South Dakota option for you is $13,600 at University of South Dakota, which is $2,500 a year more than staying home, or $10,000 over 4 years.
North Dakota belongs to Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) and Midwest Student Exchange Program (MSEP) at undergraduate level, so 21 of 50 states offer North Dakota undergraduate students a reduced rate, and South Dakota is one of them.
| State | Route | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| North Dakota to Wyoming | Western Undergraduate Exchange · University of Wyoming | $10,050 |
| North Dakota to Montana | Western Undergraduate Exchange · University of Montana | $12,000 |
| North Dakota to Nevada | Western Undergraduate Exchange · University of Nevada, Las Vegas | $13,350 |
| North Dakota to New Mexico | Western Undergraduate Exchange · University of New Mexico | $13,350 |
| North Dakota to Alaska | Western Undergraduate Exchange · University of Alaska Fairbanks | $13,950 |
North Dakota's neighboring states, compared
What a North Dakota resident pays for undergraduate tuition in each state that borders North Dakota, cheapest first:
- Montana$12,000/yr · Western Undergraduate Exchange
- South Dakota$13,600/yr · Western Undergraduate Exchange
- Minnesota$16,500/yr · Minnesota-Dakotas Tuition Reciprocity
Compare all 50 states from North Dakota in the checker. Each figure is one reference campus per state, not a state average.
South Dakota residency, in brief
South Dakota grants in-state tuition after 12 months of domicile before the term begins (SDBOR Policy 3:5), and a financially dependent student takes the parents' domicile. Moving to South Dakota to enroll does not by itself start the clock.
South Dakota residency requirements in full · how long every state requires
Step by step
- Check that your chosen South Dakota campus participates in Western Undergraduate Exchange — membership is a state-level agreement, but each campus decides whether to offer it and how many awards to fund.
- Confirm your intended major is on the approved list. Individual campuses opt in and can cap or close awards — confirm with the school before you apply.
- Apply for the award at the same time as admission, and well before the campus deadline — most participating institutions award on a first-come basis and close early.
- Keep your North Dakota residency documentation current; the program is only open to residents of a member state.
- Compare the result against the residency route: South Dakota grants in-state status after 12 months of domicile, currently $10,000 a year.
Official links
Related
Asked and answered
›Do North Dakota residents get in-state tuition in South Dakota?
No — but you pay less than the sticker rate. Western Undergraduate Exchange caps undergraduate tuition at University of South Dakota at roughly $13,600 rather than the $13,600 non-resident rate. That is a discount, not in-state classification.
›How long does it take to get in-state tuition in South Dakota?
South Dakota requires 12 months of domicile before the term begins (SDBOR Policy 3:5), and a financially dependent student takes the parents' domicile.
›How much would undergraduate study in South Dakota actually cost a North Dakota resident?
About $13,600 a year in tuition and mandatory fees under Western Undergraduate Exchange, against $13,600 at the published non-resident rate and $10,000 for a South Dakota resident. Over 4 years that is roughly $0 saved. Figures are compiled 2025–26 published rates and exclude housing, books and course-specific differentials.
›Where can North Dakota residents get reduced undergraduate tuition?
In 21 states at undergraduate level. Outside South Dakota, the lowest are Wyoming ($10,050), Montana ($12,000), Nevada ($13,350). Each figure is one reference campus, and awards are made campus by campus.
›Is studying in South Dakota cheaper than staying in North Dakota?
No. North Dakota's in-state undergraduate rate is $11,100 a year at University of North Dakota, and the cheapest South Dakota option for a North Dakota resident is $13,600, so South Dakota costs about $2,500 more a year, or $10,000 over 4 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 2026-08-07.
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.
- South Dakota Board of Regents — residency for tuition purposes ↗Accessed 2026-08-07
- University of South Dakota — tuition and fees ↗Accessed 2026-08-07
- University of North Dakota — 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 2026-08-07.
- 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 South Dakota’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 South Dakota Board of Regents, SDBOR Policy 3:5. 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.