South Dakota · Private nonprofit · Predominantly bachelor's

Dakota Wesleyan University

Mitchell, South Dakota. 661 undergraduate students. 58 programs in the federal Field-of-Study dataset.

ANOMALY ENGINE · NOTABLE SIGNALS

What the data flags at Dakota Wesleyan University

Short-arc shifts (recent 3-year window), peer outliers, earnings trend breaks, completion drops, enrollment cliffs, and debt-to-earnings warnings — surfaced deterministically from the federal record. Multi-decade shifts are reported separately in the Long Arc section, since 25-year tuition drift isn't really an anomaly.

LONG-ARC SHIFT · TRENDING WORSE-12%

150%-time completion

150%-time completion at Dakota Wesleyan University fell 12% between 2021 and 2024 (54.9% → 48.3%).

LONG-ARC SHIFT · TRENDING BETTER-100%

3-year cohort default rate

3-year cohort default rate at Dakota Wesleyan University fell 100% between 2021 and 2024 (0.3% → 0.0%).

COMPLETION DROP · TRENDING WORSE-7pp

150%-time completion

150%-time completion fell 7 pp at Dakota Wesleyan University vs the 2018–2022 baseline (46.4% vs 53.2%).

SECTION 01 · OUTCOMES SNAPSHOT

The numbers, vs. South Dakota

Each tile compares this institution to the South Dakota median for the same metric. Sub-line shows the comparison value, not an interpretation. Sparklines trace the federally available history.

MEDIAN EARNINGS · 10Y
$53,728+9% · 6→10y
South Dakota median $46,709
MEDIAN EARNINGS · 6Y
$49,432
Treasury earnings · 6y post-entry
COMPLETION · 150%
46.4%-5% · '02→'24
South Dakota median 59.6%
MEDIAN FEDERAL DEBT
$19,500+182% · '97→'20
At program completion
UNDERGRAD ENROLLMENT
661+3% · '96→'24
latest IPEDS
RETENTION
69.4%+30% · '04→'24
first-time, full-time
ADMISSION RATE
72.8%-12% · '02→'24
latest cohort
IN-STATE TUITION
$32,890+218% · '00→'24
out-of-state $32,890
SECTION 02 · EARNINGS HORIZONS

How earnings spread, 4 to 10 years after entry

Treasury tax-record earnings for federally aided students who first enrolled at this institution. Each point is a horizon from the most-recent vintage. Single median per horizon (no p25/p75 publishing).

ALL FEDERALLY AIDED STUDENTS · TAX-RECORD EARNINGSVINTAGE 2025-05
Earnings widen with time post-entry. Selection: federal-aid recipients only — not all graduates.Methodology →
SECTION 03 · DEBT-TO-EARNINGS

What loans cost relative to earnings

Annual debt service as a share of median earnings 10 years after entry, computed under federal Direct loan terms (10-year fixed at 6%). The 8% line is the gainful-employment threshold from federal regulation; above 12% has historically been considered “failing” under prior rule cycles.

Institution-wide

4.8%
0%8% · GE20%+

Median federal debt $19,500 amortized over 10 years vs. median earnings $53,728 (10y after entry).

SECTION 04 · LONG ARC

Ten-plus year arc

Federally available history. Coverage varies by metric — IPEDS publishes some series only after 2009 and others only before.

UNDERGRAD · 19962024670
80362619962024
Undergraduate enrollment.IPEDS EF
COMPLETION 150% · 2002202448.3%
60%38%20022024
150%-time completion rate.IPEDS GR
MEDIAN DEBT · 19972020$27,000
$27,000$6,62519972020
Median federal student debt at exit.SCORECARD
RETENTION · 20042024+30%

Dakota Wesleyan University · retention rose

58.0% → 75.1%

IN-STATE TUITION · 20002024+218%

Dakota Wesleyan University · in-state tuition rose

$10,611 → $33,790

OUT-OF-STATE TUITION · 20002024+218%

Dakota Wesleyan University · out-of-state tuition rose

$10,611 → $33,790

MEDIAN DEBT · 19972020+182%

Dakota Wesleyan University · median debt rose

$9,576 → $27,000

COHORT DEFAULT RATE · 20112024-100%

Dakota Wesleyan University · cohort default rate fell

13.3% → 0.0%

PELL SHARE · 20082024-41%

Dakota Wesleyan University · pell share fell

46.2% → 27.1%

EARNINGS_MEDIAN_10YR · 20072020+54%

Dakota Wesleyan University · earnings_median_10yr rose

$34,800 → $53,728

EARNINGS_MEDIAN_8YR · 20052020+58%

Dakota Wesleyan University · earnings_median_8yr rose

$32,800 → $51,754

EARNINGS_MEDIAN_6YR · 20032020+62%

Dakota Wesleyan University · earnings_median_6yr rose

$30,600 → $49,432

SECTION 06 · BY CIP FAMILY

5 programs with earnings, grouped

Programs are grouped by 2-digit CIP family. Programs without reported earnings are hidden to keep the list focused.

HOMELAND SECURITY & PROTECTIVE SERVICES · CIP 43

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION & SOCIAL SERVICES · CIP 44

HEALTH PROFESSIONS · CIP 51

FINANCIAL OUTCOME · ILLUSTRATION

Estimate the financial outcome at Dakota Wesleyan University

Pick a program. Cost from Scorecard net price by family income; earnings from Treasury 5-year-post-completion median, projected forward with a Mincer age-earnings curve. The selection-bias toggle applies the Dale-Krueger shrinkage. Outcomes illustration, not a forecast — see methodology.

Shrinks the earnings premium toward the matched-applicant mean. STEM <15%, business ~40%, arts & education ~60%.

NET PRESENT VALUE
$724,454
Over 40 years, discounted 5.0%
BREAKEVEN
Year 7
First year cumulative discounted earnings cross zero
graduationbreakeven · year 7year 0year 39
Cost per year
$17,457
HS-only baseline · SD
$35,900
Years to complete
4
CIP family
51

Outcomes illustration · not a forecast. Projects observed Scorecard earnings forward with a Mincer age-earnings curve under your assumptions. See methodology for the math.

CAUSAL DISCIPLINE

Dakota Wesleyan University graduates earn $X” — not “Dakota Wesleyan University makes you earn $X”

Median earnings describe what cohorts earned. They do not describe what attending Dakota Wesleyan University caused. Selection effects (who admits, who enrolls, who completes) are real. We publish federal data with strict descriptive phrasing — and link the methodology where you can read about the limitations directly.

Methodology →