South Dakota has 3 CSWE-accredited Bachelor of Social Work programs, the authoritative count from the CSWE Directory of Accredited Programs. The longest-accredited is University of South Dakota, which has held CSWE accreditation since 1974. None of the 3 record an online option, all are campus-based. 1 at a Carnegie R2 (high research) university.
Each program below is scored on the same five-factor model used in our national ranking, so the order reflects accreditation longevity, delivery and schedule flexibility, program breadth, and the institution's Carnegie research tier, all applied identically nationwide.
South Dakota BSW programs at a glance
3
CSWE-accredited BSW programs
1974
Oldest, University of South Dakota, accredited since
0
Offer an online option
1
At an R1 or R2 research university
South Dakota's 3 programs span CSWE accreditation from 1974 to 2006, and the highest-scoring on our five-factor model is University of South Dakota at 7.8 out of 10, a Carnegie R2 research university. The newest, Oglala Lakota College, earned accreditation in 2006. Among the South Dakota programs we have verified tuition for, published in-state tuition runs from $2,016 to $20,340 a year. A child, family, and school social worker in South Dakota earns a median of $51,100 a year, 14% below the national median of $59,550 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
All 3 CSWE-Accredited BSW Programs in South Dakota
Every one of these BSW programs in South Dakota holds current CSWE accreditation. Status, dates, campus locations and online options come from the CSWE Directory of Accredited Programs, and each card cites its own sources inline. Tuition is shown for reference only and is not factored into the score.
- #1
University of South Dakota
Vermillion, SD · CSWE-Accredited since 1974 · On-Campus
7.8
On-Campus Carnegie R2 Full & part-time 1 campus 1 certificate Accred. since 1974Why it ranks in South Dakota
University of South Dakota teaches the BSW in Vermillion, one of the CSWE-accredited BSW programs in South Dakota. The undergraduate program is based at the Center for Health Education in Vermillion, while the master's operates from the Sioux Falls campus. It sits inside USD's School of Health Sciences, which also houses the state's only comprehensive health sciences school and medical school and an interprofessional education center. Field instructors must hold a degree at or above the student's level and carry at least two years of post-graduate social work experience, and they owe each student a minimum of one hour a week of direct, education-focused supervision. Placements come from an array of partner agencies the department works with. In-state tuition runs $7,773 a year against $11,283 for nonresidents, in line with the South Dakota median of $7,773.
Annual tuition (not factored)
In-state $7,773 · Out-of-state $11,283 / year
Locations
Vermillion, SD (1974-Present)
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 10.0
- Delivery (22%) 4.0
- Prestige (15%) 7.5
- Schedule (12%) 10.0
- Breadth (11%) 5.0
- #2
University of Sioux Falls
Sioux Falls, SD · CSWE-Accredited since 1974 · On-Campus
7.5
On-Campus Full & part-time 1 campus Accred. since 1974Why it ranks in South Dakota
Based in Sioux Falls, University of Sioux Falls is a private university offering a BSW in South Dakota. Field instruction is blocked into one semester of at least 400 hours and serves as the capstone. Because it is not spread across the year, students can place at a distance, and past placements have reached Cameroon, South Africa, Mexico, Denver, Minneapolis and Rochester, alongside local probation offices, hospices and domestic violence shelters. This is a private Christian university, and the program asks students to practice spiritual inquiry and service rooted in Christian faith alongside the NASW Code of Ethics. Faculty are presented as servant leaders working across a range of social work fields. Published tuition is $20,340 a year at one rate for residents and nonresidents, above the South Dakota median of $7,773.
Annual tuition (not factored)
$20,340 / year (private, one rate for all students)
Locations
Sioux Falls, SD (1974-present)
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 10.0
- Delivery (22%) 4.0
- Prestige (15%) 5.0
- Schedule (12%) 10.0
- Breadth (11%) 6.0
- #3
Oglala Lakota College
Pine Ridge, SD · CSWE-Accredited since 2006 · On-Campus
5.2
On-Campus Full-time 3 campuses Accred. since 2006Why it ranks in South Dakota
Based in Pine Ridge, Oglala Lakota College is a public university offering a BSW in South Dakota. The published plan of study runs 12 credits a semester across five years, threading Lakota language, Lakota studies electives and Lakota history through the social work sequence. That sequence opens with SOWK 203, offered only in the spring semester, so students are told to clear most of the college core before junior year. Field practicum runs as a two-course sequence, SOWK 406 and SOWK 416, in the fall and spring of the final year. Organizations the department lists as partners include Oglala Sioux Tribe Child Protective Services, the Oglala Lakota Children's Justice Center, Indian Health Service, the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Great Plains Tribal Chairmen's Health Board. In-state tuition runs $2,016 a year against $2,016 for nonresidents, below the South Dakota median of $7,773.
Annual tuition (not factored)
In-state $2,016 · Out-of-state $2,016 / year
Locations
Pine Ridge, SD (2006-present); Kyle, SD (2006-present); Rapid City, SD (2006-present)
Five-factor score breakdown
- Longevity (40%) 5.2
- Delivery (22%) 6.0
- Prestige (15%) 5.0
- Schedule (12%) 6.0
- Breadth (11%) 3.0
The Social Work Industry in South Dakota
A Bachelor of Social Work is the entry credential for South Dakota's front-line social-service workforce. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and O*NET, social workers are employed across public human-services and child-welfare agencies, hospitals and health systems, K-12 schools, community mental-health and substance-use programs, aging and disability services, and nonprofit and faith-based organizations. BSW-level roles are generalist and direct-practice: case manager, child and family caseworker, community and behavioral-health worker, and social and human-service assistant. Supervisory, therapeutic, and independent clinical positions generally require a master's. If you plan to pursue graduate education, BestMSWPrograms.org covers the best MSW programs to help you take that next step.
Per the CSWE Directory of Accredited Programs, South Dakota's 3 accredited programs are based across 5 cities, including Vermillion, Sioux Falls, Pine Ridge, Kyle, Rapid City, all campus-based. 1 is hosted at a Carnegie research university (R1 or R2), which adds research and teaching-hospital placements to the local training pipeline. CSWE standards require supervised field education, so programs build placement partnerships with local agencies, hospitals, schools, and nonprofits, which makes the state's campuses a training and hiring pipeline into the surrounding South Dakota social-service economy.
Nationally, the BLS projects social-worker employment will grow 7% from 2024 to 2034, faster than the average for all occupations, with about 67,300 openings projected each year, many from the need to replace workers who leave the occupation. The BLS projects faster-than-average growth for healthcare social workers and for mental health and substance abuse social workers, specialties that hire at both the bachelor's and master's levels.
Child, family, and school social workers, the most common BSW-level specialty, have a location quotient of 1.77 in South Dakota, meaning the occupation is 77% more concentrated than the national average. The state supports roughly 4.5 of these jobs per 1,000 jobs statewide.
In South Dakota, social workers held about 3,200 jobs across the four social work occupations as of May 2025, per the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program. Employment, annual wages, and pay range by specialty:
| Occupation | Employed in SD | Median | Mean | 10th to 90th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Child, family, and school social workers | 2,050 | $51,100 | $53,320 | $39,150 to $67,310 |
| Healthcare social workers | 790 | $57,510 | $59,640 | $43,750 to $78,420 |
| Mental health and substance abuse social workers | 230 | $48,920 | $53,400 | $39,230 to $73,610 |
| Social workers, all other | 130 | $93,760 | $91,250 | $76,520 to $109,010 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025. Wages cover all workers in each occupation; BLS does not break wages out by degree, and BSW-level roles typically fall toward the lower end of each range. Location quotient compares the state's job concentration to the national average (1.0 = the national rate). O*NET reports tasks, skills, and local outlook by occupation.
Sources: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Social Workers; BLS state wage data for South Dakota; O*NET: Child, Family, and School Social Workers; CSWE Directory of Accredited Programs; HRSA health workforce shortage areas.
Social Work Licensure in South Dakota
Licensing data from the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB), the body that develops the social work licensing exams, captured 2026.
South Dakota licenses social workers at the bachelor level, so a CSWE-accredited BSW is the degree requirement for an entry-level license here. That makes program accreditation, the basis of our ranking, a direct licensing prerequisite.
| License | Name | Exam | CSWE BSW required |
|---|---|---|---|
| LSW | Licensed Social Worker | ASWB Bachelors exam | Yes |
The license ladder continues to the master's level (CSW), and the clinical, independent-practice level (CSW-PIP). A CSWE-accredited BSW also qualifies graduates for Advanced Standing admission to a master's program.
How We Ranked These Programs
Every program is scored on the same five-factor model used in the national ranking, with no state-specific adjustments. Four factors are drawn from the CSWE Directory of Accredited Programs; prestige uses the institution's 2025 Carnegie research classification.
- Accreditation longevity (40%): years of continuous CSWE accreditation.
- Delivery flexibility (22%): online option and number of approved campus locations.
- Prestige (15%): 2025 Carnegie research tier (R1, R2, or baseline).
- Schedule flexibility (12%): full-time and part-time plans of study.
- Program breadth (11%): embedded certificates and dual-degree options.
For the full model, see our ranking methodology.