Augustana College, founded in 1860, is the largest private college in South Dakota. The college has a reputation for academic excellence and the average ACT of enrolling freshman is 24.4, the highest in South Dakota.

Affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Augustana has an enrollment of 1,800 students. The college offers the B.A. degree in more than 40 areas of study, and the M.A. degree in secondary education and special education and nursing.

Framed by the picturesque North Shore, what was once know modestly as the Duluth State Teachers College has evolved over more than 100 years into the University of Minnesota Duluth, a campus now home to 10,000 students pursuing bachelors, masters and doctorate degrees in 74 majors and nearly 20 graduate programs. UMD consistently ranks among the top midwestern regional universities and was recently the recipient of a "Best Education Buy" rating from Money magazine.

Minnesota State is a four-year comprehensive university in south central Minnesota. The University offers more than 150 programs in six undergraduate colleges. Elementary education, computer science, nursing, law enforcement, business and accounting top the list of the largest programs.

The graduate college offers more than 70 programs of study - the most offered by any school in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system (MNSCU). MSU boasts 14,000 students, 1,300 faculty and staff & more than 85,000 alumni from around the world.

Founded in 1908, the school located at its present site in 1938 and entered the University of Nebraska system in 1968. The campus casually sprawls over 88.5 acres. Over 15,000 students are enrolled and over 25,000 area residents are alums of the university.

The University of Nebraska at Omaha has nine colleges offering undergraduate and graduate programs: College of Arts and Sciences, College of Business Administration, College of Education, College of Engineering, College of Fine Arts, College of Human Resources & Family Sciences, College of Information Science & Technology, College of Public Affairs & Community Service, and College of Continuing Studies.

The University of North Dakota, classified as a "Doctoral/Research University Intensive" institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, is characterized by a solid foundation of the liberal arts, a managable size, high-quality students and faculty, a diverse curriculum, a widely recognized program of graduate education and research, law and medical schools praised for quality and innovation, rich cultural resources, and an outstanding record of alumni support.

With more than 11,000 students, UND is a comprehensive university that offers more than 150 programs of study. It is moderately sized, and students have praised it consistently for offering a wide range of opportunities and a vigorous, exciting enviroment, with individual attention from professors. UND students come from nearly every state in the union and from more than 50 other nations.

With a 130-year tradition of excellence and opportunity, SCSU is an affordable university where students benefit from nationally-accredited, top-ranked academic programs and cutting-edge technology.

While it started as a state normal school and remains one of the top 10 producers of teachers in the nation, nationally recognized programs such as Business, Mass Communications and Applied Psychology provides career preparation for many of today's SCSU graduates. With about 15,000 students from Minnesota, nearly all 50 states and 55 foreign countries, SCSU is the second largest and most highly accredited undergraduate university in Minnesota, offering 125 majors, minors and pre-professional programs. SCSU is one of the few universities in the Upper Midwest with programs in such diverse fields as aviation, meteorology and geographic information systems.

The University of South Dakota, the state's flagship university, is a growing, thriving university committed to excellence in education, research, and service. Accredited by the North Central Association of College and Schools since 1913, the University is a comprehensive, doctorate granting institution with a liberal arts undergraduate emphasis.

Founded in 1862 by the Dakota Territorial Legislature, USD is the state's oldest university. USD is an institution that recognizes the value of its past, even as it extends and expands its high quality programs and services to meet the challenges of tomorrow.