Financial Information/Student Services

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Tuition and Fees

*Many programs including Engineering, Nursing, and Pharmacy have additional fees. Internship fees, laboratory fees, international student fees and textbook/material fees are not included in this estimate. For a complete listing of department fees, contact the Cashier’s Office at 605-688-6116 or visit http://www.sdstate.edu/cashiers/undergrad/fees.cfm.

Activity Fee - A fee charged per semester to cover health, Student Union and other University services, such as: admission to plays, athletic events, athletic facilities, and partially funded judging, music and forensic programs.

University Support Fee - Funds administrative and service areas of SDSU. This includes construction and maintenance of buildings, as well as the areas listed below.

• Instructional and Administrative Service Areas; direct instruction, libraries, computer centers, museums, admissions, financial aid, and administrative offices.
• Salary Competitiveness Component
• Maintenance and Repair Fee – Facilities Management
• Technology Fee Component

Late Charge - A fee charged if tuition and fees are not paid during the regular established payment periods. Failure to satisfy financial obligations when due may result in a student’s administrative withdrawal from the University.

Residency Requirements - In order to establish residency for tuition purposes you must live in South Dakota for twelve (12) consecutive months immediately preceding the first scheduled day of classes of the semester.  Attendance at the college or university controlled by the Board of Regents does not count in determining the twelve (12) month period of residence.

Residency qualifications for tuition purposes may be obtained by contacting the Admissions Office at 605-688-4121.

Indebtedness - If you are indebted to the University and do not satisfy financial obligations when due, you may be denied admission to the University. You may be administratively withdrawn from the University after notice from the University and you will not be permitted to register or receive a transcript of grades until the indebtedness is paid. This applies to your indebtedness to the University for tuition, fees, required deposits, room and board, financial aid, but not obligations due to student organizations. All accounts that the University is unable to collect will be submitted for collection and forwarded to a credit reporting bureau.  The University will recover from the debtor all collection fees and attorney’s fees that result from collection of an account.  

By the day after census date, each student makes a full payment of charges based on the number of registered credits, residency status, and campus housing. Late fees will be assessed starting on the day after the established payment due date. SDSU encourages students to mail payments before the registration day. Payment of tuition and fees can be made by cash, check or electronic bank transfer directly to the University Cashier’s Office SAD 136 PO Box 2201, Brookings, SD 57007-2098.

Payment of tuition and fees can be made directly to the University by cash, check or electronic bank transfer. Payment of tuition and fees using a debit or credit card can only be made through SDePay, the electronic billing and payment system. Discover, Visa, American Express or MasterCard credit/debit cards are accepted by SDePay. A 2.75% service fee will be charged by Nelnet Business Solutions, host provider of SDePay. For more information or to make a payment, please contact the Cashiers Office at 605-688-6116 or visit http://www.sdstate.edu/cashiers/billing/index.cfm.

All student accounts which the University is unable to collect will be submitted to a collection agency for collection and referred to a credit reporting bureau.  The debtor will be responsible for all collection fees and attorney fees resulting from collection of an account.

All tuition, fees, housing, food service and miscellaneous charges to student accounts will be on an electronic billing (eBilling) system and can be viewed on a secured Web site via the Internet through a student’s WebAdvisor account. Payment of the student account can also be made electronically (ePayment) through the secure website. Students can authorize parents, spouse and other individuals to view the eBill and make ePayment on their student account. For additional information on eBilling and ePayment, please contact 605-688-6116.

E-Mail Policy

E-mail messages sent by SDSU to students through university-assigned, jacks e-mail addresses will constitute an official means of communication. It is the student’s responsibility and obligation to access official university e-mail messages in a timely manner. As other email accounts may be blocked by the SDSU firewall, SDSU is only able to monitor student e-mails coming from university-assigned e-mail accounts.

The student identification card can be used as a debit card to access prepaid accounts. In addition to its extensive use in the food service system, the ID card accesses prepaid accounts, called HOBO DOUGH, for bookstore, campus vending, laundry, photocopying and printing, and selected off-campus businesses. Students may load funds at the Card Services office in the Student Union, the Briggs Library, or Online. Upon graduation or leaving the University, these funds ($5.00 or more) will be returned in full upon request. No service charges are assessed for active accounts. However, accounts inactive for six (6) months or more are assessed a monthly service charge. If the service charge exceeds the account balance, the account is automatically closed.

Regular tuition and fees, per credit, will be charged for auditing a course. Registration as an auditor is by petition. Auditing courses will be a matter of record (recorded on the academic transcript). Grades will be designated by the instructor as Audit Pass (AUP) or Audit Fail (AUF). Audit courses are not counted in calculating undergraduate or graduate full-time student status.

Students are responsible for following all deposition protocols and paying all archiving fees associated with a thesis or dissertation.

Application - Students receiving assistantship appointments must meet the academic requirements established by the Graduate School for admission (minimum 2.75 GPA, either cumulative or Junior/Senior, or complete a minimum of nine (9) graduate credits with grades of B or above and must maintain a 3.0 Plan of Study GPA). Graduate assistants must be enrolled in at least one credit of graduate work each semester, including summer. Graduate assistants who graduate in May are not eligible for assistantships the following summer unless they remain enrolled as a graduate student in good standing. International graduate students receiving graduate assistantships must have sufficient English proficiency to perform the duties assigned. Ordinarily, this will be interpreted to mean successful scores on the TOEFL examination or completion of remediation for any deficiencies; however, it may also involve further assessment and observation by a department head relative to a classroom teaching role.

Full time enrollment required when the summer session is an international student’s first semester.

According to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), international students who begin their studies during a summer session must be enrolled full time in order to maintain their F1/J1 status. It is a violation of USCIS regulations to permit an international student to begin a program and only register for 1 credit the first semester they are here. Graduate Programs (that intend to admit international students for the summer session/term) must ensure that students will be able to enroll in enough credits to maintain their full time status. Students without an assistantship would need to register for 9 credits. Students with an assistantship would need to enroll in the appropriate number of credits corresponding with the percentage of their assistantship.  International students are allowed to register for less than a full time course load during all subsequent Summer Terms. This policy only pertains to international students who are beginning their programs during a summer term.   

Student financial assistance programs are administered through the student Financial Aid Office in the Enrollment Services Center. They may be contacted at 605-688-4695 or via e-mail at finaid@sdstate.edu for more information. Graduate assistantships, fellowships, and traineeships are administered by the department or program involved.  Students enrolled in SDSU certificate programs are not eligible for federal student financial aid. The non-federal alternative loan programs may be used for students meeting the lender criteria as found at www.sdstate.edu (alternative loans). Please contact the SDSU Financial Aid Office if you have any questions.

The Division of Student Affairs provides services and activities that are designed to help students gain the greatest benefit from their University education. The following departments are included in Student Affairs: Admissions, New Student Orientation, Office of Enrollment Services (Financial Aid, Records and Registration, and Scholarships) Office of Student Conflict Prevention, Management, and Conduct Services, Residential Life, The Union, Office of Student Engagement (Student Organizations, Greek Life, Program Board, Career Center), Multicultural Center/Student Support Services (Disability Services, Upward Bound, TRiO Student Support Services, Veterans Resource Center, African American, Latino, and GLBT student support), University Dining Services, and Wellness (Intramurals and Club Sports, Recreation, and Student Health & Counseling). If you have questions or need information about any of these areas, contact the Vice President for Student Affairs office in SAD 312, phone 605-688-4493. The specific programs and services offered by the departments are listed in this section and elsewhere in this catalog.  Detailed information on Student Life and Services is found in the General Catalog (Undergraduate Catalog). 

Academic Evaluation and Assessment Office - Students needing testing information (GRE, TOEFL, etc.) may contact the Office of Evaluation and Assessment located in the American Indian Education and Cultural Center, (920 9th Street, northwest entrance), telephone 605-688-4217 or by email.

Bookstore - Located in the University Student Union SSU 146, the University Bookstore sells textbooks, merchandise and other supplies. Telephone:  605-688-6392.

Disability Services - Disability Services coordinates services for students with a wide range of disabilities. Services include coordinating testing accommodations, the acquisition of alternative format texts, classroom accommodations, referral to other service agencies, and coordinating additional services based on the individual needs of the student. Direct Line: 605-688-4504 or Main Office: 605-688-5585.

Health and Counseling Services - Student Health and Counseling Services provides outpatient services and is located in the Wellness Center. To schedule an appointment call 605-688-4157 or e-mail.

Housing and Food Service - Prospective graduate students should inquire about rooms or apartments on-campus from the Department of Residential Life well in advance of registration. Information regarding off-campus housing is also available from the Department of Residential Life.  Caldwell Hall 167, telephone: 605-688-5148 and e-mail, Students may select a dining services plan by visiting Campus Card Services in the University Student Union Room 144 or purchase Resident Meal Plans.

International Student Affairs - International students should consult with the International Student Affairs Office concerning special requirements and additional expenses. The Office of International Affairs (OIA) is the comprehensive home for international student and scholar services, international undergraduate admission, study abroad planning, and community connections programs. All services and activities are intended to help enrich the experience of international students here at SDSU and to help expand global engagement for all students, faculty and staff.

Formerly the Office of International Programs, the department was initially established in 1988 and was focused on creating a number of international education and research exchange partnerships. Today, OIA has educational partners on six continents and has expanded its focus to include international student services.

• Study abroad staff advise faculty in planning SDSU-based global educational options and advise students of their study abroad options.
• International student and scholars staff provide guidance and administrative support to hundreds of international students from over 60 countries.
• Staff members also support the International Relations Council and its events and outreach, as well as help connect the campus community with International students and global issues through its Connections programs.

OIA has a variety of partners and affiliates. For more information, refer to www.sdstate.edu/international-affairs.  The office is located in the Briggs Library Suite 119, telephone 605-688-4122 and e-mail.

Library, Hilton M. Briggs - Library services and collections are housed in the Briggs Library, which is named for President Hilton M. Briggs, who served the University from 1958 to 1975. Library collections consist of more than 667,000 bound volumes, 573,000 government documents, 18,000 e-books, 34,000 online journals and other electronic resources.

Briggs Library users have access to book, periodical, archives, map and government documents collections as well as wireless networking, laptop loans and more than 70 public computer workstations providing access to the Internet, to library databases, and to software such as MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint and statistical packages. Briggs Library contains group study/conference rooms for student use, informal lounge areas, and photocopiers and scanners. Special collections of congressional papers, archival, state and local history, and curriculum materials are available for students, faculty, and researchers. In addition, materials from thousands of other libraries worldwide are available through interlibrary loan. The Briggs Library building is also the home of International Affairs and Outreach, the Teaching Learning Center and the Writing Center.

The faculty and staff of Briggs Library are proud of the services they offer to the SDSU community, as well as to distance students and faculty at Sioux Falls, Rapid City, Pierre and other locations throughout South Dakota and the U.S. Each year they teach hundreds of classes on information literacy and the use of library resources. They respond to thousands of information requests annually through personal contacts, via telephone at 605-688-5107, and by means of e-mail, online chat and texting. Look for the “Ask Us” link on the library homepage: www.sdstate.edu/library.