University of Sioux Falls Announces Tuition Reset

October 5, 2017

The University of Sioux Falls (USF) today announced a meaningful step in addressing the rising cost of college tuition by resetting its undergraduate tuition price by $10,000 to $17,980. The change, which will take effect in the fall of 2018 for all new and returning students, will bring tuition back to levels last seen in 2007-08.                               

The move builds upon USF’s long history of providing generous financial assistance and places the University among the most affordable institutions in the region. And it helps make USF’s high-quality, intensely personal, Christ-centered educational experience accessible to more students of diverse socioeconomic backgrounds—from first generation students to fifth generation students.

“At the core of the USF experience is our belief that our students should be preparing to live fully engaged lives in their professions and in the fabric of their communities,” said USF President Brett Bradfield. “But for too many students, that experience seemed out of reach based on an initial glance at our price tag. And for too many graduates, student loan debt was an obstacle to personal and professional success. What we’re doing today is bold, it’s sensible and it’s time." 

Under the tuition reset, new freshman enrolling in the fall of 2018 can expect to save over $5,000 dollars over four years, when factoring in a standard 3 percent annual tuition increase each year. Current students will see the new tuition price for the next academic year instead of one that likely would have increased at least 3 percent.

Thanks to the reset, the University’s generous student scholarship and financial assistance dollars will go further and out-of-pocket costs will be reduced.

“The cost of higher education is one of the top issues families across the country and in our region are grappling with—they know the value of a college degree but aren’t sure how to make it work within their family budget,” said Aimee Vander Feen, vice president for enrollment management at USF. “Now, we can confidently tell families that, thanks to the tuition reset and our continued commitment to financial assistance, everything USF offers is within reach of their daughter or son.”

In addition to the tuition reset, USF today announced it would freeze room and board costs from last year, adjust financial aid dollars in accordance with the new tuition structure and institute a general University fee of $300 per year. This fee—one of the institution’s few—will also take effect in the fall of 2018 and will support student-related amenities and services. 

“We have done our due diligence and are proud that neither program quality nor range of offerings will be reduced due to the reset,” President Bradfield said.

This announcement comes at an exciting moment in the history of USF, in the first year under President Bradfield’s leadership and as the institution embarks on its 134th year.                                                                                                                                   

In early September, USF welcomed one of its largest-ever incoming freshman classes, just months after a record-high number of graduates received their diplomas from USF in May.

Additional information about the tuition reset can be found at usiouxfalls.edu/tuitionreset.