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South Dakota Enjoys Decade-Long Trend of Increased College Freshman Imports

By caheidelberger on 2014.11.26

In our continuing treatment of students as commodities, let's look at South Dakota's import-export ratio for college freshmen. According to a report on the Board of Regents' agenda next week, we're actually in the black:

Freshman Import-Export Ratio for South Dakota 2000–2012
Freshman Import-Export Ratio for South Dakota 2000–2012. Source: SDBOR, "Interstate Migration of College Freshmen," November 2014, p. 3.

South Dakota may be shifting more costs onto students' shoulders, but local students are staying and out-state students are coming in larger numbers.

In the hepta-state region, South Dakota has the third-best student import-export number:

State Net Freshmen Import-Export Full-time first-time degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate, Fall 2012 (IPEDS) Ratio of freshman imports to first-time enrollers Fall 2012
Iowa 7,474 35,874 20.83%
Minnesota -4,554 41,299 -11.03%
Montana 860 7,694 11.18%
Nebraska 292 16,124 1.81%
North Dakota 2,673 8,680 30.79%
South Dakota 1,311 8,349 15.70%
Wyoming 845 4,285 19.72%

Minnesota is the only state losing freshmen. According to the SDBOR report, Minnesota provides the biggest boost to our freshman import-export ratio, supplying 52% of our surplus:

Net Freshman Import-Exports from States Surrounding South Dakota. Source: SDBOR, "Interstate Migration of College Freshmen," November 2014, p. 5.
Net Freshman Import-Exports from States Surrounding South Dakota. Source: SDBOR, "Interstate Migration of College Freshmen," November 2014, p. 5.

Now if we could just get those freshman imports to stick around after graduation, we'd really be cooking. According to the graduate-placement report Regents will study alongside their freshman-import report, 73.0% of South Dakota-raised graduates and 32.9% of out-state imports stuck around to work or do graduate school in South Dakota. That's slight improvement in both numbers from three years ago. However, the 629 imports gained don't make up for the 1,054 South Dakota graduates lost.

p.s.: Minnesota loses a net 674 to South Dakota. The new SDBOR dashboard on freshman import-export ratios tells me that Minnesota loses a net 2,037 to North Dakota.

caheidelberger

2 Comments

  1. Deb Geelsdottir 2014.11.26

    Education in MN is expensive. I don't see anything that says this is only state schools, so I'm assuming private colleges and universities are included. It is cheaper to get an undergrad degree in SD.

    I've noticed that SD recruits many athletes, both women and men. Vice versa is not the case.

    I'm glad more students are coming to SD. I hope new, different ideas and ways of doing and being come with them and, perhaps, begin to take root.

  2. Nick Nemec 2014.11.27

    It's a Board of Regents report so unless there is clarification I'll assume it includes only includes the six state supported regental institutions.

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