South Dakota

The Core Curriculum ranking is determined using ACTA’s What Will They Learn?® (WWTL) project. WWTL grades colleges and universities on an “A”–“F” scale based on how many of the following seven core subjects they require in their general education programs: Composition, Literature, (intermediate) Foreign Language, U.S. Government or History, Economics, Mathematics, and Natural Science. To calculate a state’s average, the Core Curriculum ranking converts the WWTL grades to numerical values using the standard college GPA system (A = 4.0, B = 3.0, etc.). Values are weighted by undergraduate enrollment so that schools that serve a larger percentage of students within the state contribute more to the state’s average. Higher state rankings correspond with higher average GPAs.

The Speech Code ranking is based on the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education’s (FIRE) Spotlight Database, which assigns a “red light,” “yellow light,” or “green light” rating to institutions based on the extent to which their policies restrict free speech. To calculate a state’s average, the Speech Code ranking converts FIRE’s ratings to numerical values (1= “red light,” clear and substantially restrictive; 2= “yellow light,” some limited restrictions; 3 = “green light,” no serious restrictions). Values are weighted by undergraduate enrollment so that schools that serve a larger percentage of students within the state contribute more to the state’s average. Institutions in ACTA’s survey that are not rated by FIRE are assigned a null rating so as not to affect a state’s average. Moreover, the Speech Code ranking is reflective of institutions’ written policies, not necessarily their practices. Higher rankings correspond with higher average values.

The 4-Year Graduation Rate ranking uses data drawn from the NCES’ College Navigator website for first-time, full-time freshmen pursuing bachelor’s degrees. The state ranking is created by averaging each school’s graduation rate weighted by undergraduate enrollment.

The state Stop-Out Rate is calculated from the cohort data of the IPEDS Graduation Rates survey by dividing the state’s total number of bachelor’s degree-seeking students in the “No longer enrolled” variable by the state’s total number of students in the “Adjusted cohort (revised cohort minus exclusions)” variable. The adjusted cohort excludes students who have left the institution for reasons unrelated to the schooling (i.e., died or become permanently disabled, drafted into the military, left to serve with a foreign aid service of the Federal Government). Students in the “no longer enrolled” variable are categorized as those who—six years after entering their institution—have not completed a bachelor’s degree, are not still enrolled at their first institution, have not enrolled in another institution, or have not left for any of the reasons which would have removed them from the adjusted cohort.

To calculate the Pell Student Graduation Gap, each state’s six-year graduation rate is calculated by dividing the total number of students who received a bachelor’s degree in six years by the “adjusted cohort,” or the total number of students who began six years ago, as reported to IPEDS. Students who did not graduate for non-academic related reasons (deployed, transferred, or died) were removed. The six-year graduation rate for Pell Grant recipients was calculated the same way, using only students who received the Pell Grant. The Pell Student Graduation Gap is the difference between the state’s six-year graduation rate and the Pell Grant recipients’ six-year graduation rate.