REGENTS REPORT REGENTS REPORT
Out-Migration and South Dakota Students
A Look at Students Leaving
the State for Higher Education
A continuing area of concern for policymakers and citizens
alike is the number of South Dakotans leaving the state for their
higher education. Recent discussions at a number of levels have
focused the need for and possible means of attracting more of our
students to stay at home for their college education. What
percentage of the state's freshmen leave South Dakota to attend
college? How do South Dakota's rates compare with those of other
states in the region? The following information shows that while
South Dakota does not lead the region in the out-migration of its
students, the state still faces legitimate concern in this area.
Out-Migration--What Percentage of Students Are Leaving? How Does That Compare Regionally?
In the Fall 1994 semester, 17.4% of first-time South Dakota freshmen enrolling at 4-year public institutions did so out-of-state, which ranks 5th in an eight-state region.
SOURCE: Integrated Post-Secondary Education Data System (IPEDS)
In the Fall 1994 semester, 21.4% of all South Dakota first-time freshmen graduating from high school within the past year and enrolling in a public 4-year institution did so out-of-state, which ranks 3rd in an eight-state region.
*Graduating from high school within the past 12 months SOURCE: IPEDS
For Fall 1994, 21.0% of first-time South Dakota freshmen enrolling in all 4-year institutions (public and private) did so out-of-state, which ranks lowest in an eight-state region.
SOURCE: IPEDS
CONCLUSION--Attracting talented South Dakotans to
educational opporutnities here at home is a concern for both
policymakers and citizens. While the preceding data show that
South Dakota's out-migration rate is not abnormally high for the
region, it also shows that a significant proportion of South
Dakota students leave the state for higher education.
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