Dickinson State University: A Comprehensive Overview

Dickinson State University (DSU) is a public university located in Dickinson, North Dakota, United States. As part of the North Dakota University System, DSU holds a distinctive position in the state's higher education landscape. The university prides itself on providing high-quality, affordable education and adapting its programs to the needs of students and employers in the region.

Historical Overview

Dickinson State University was established as a normal school on June 24, 1918, to address the pressing need for qualified teachers in rural western North Dakota. At that time, fewer than a quarter of the teachers in the region were certified. Initially, the school operated tuition-free within the facilities of Dickinson High School.

Throughout its history, Dickinson State has undergone several name changes, reflecting its evolving role and mission:

Dickinson State Normal School (1918-1931)
Dickinson State Teachers College (1931-1963)
North Dakota State College (1963-1964)
Dickinson State College (1964-1965)
State University of North Dakota at Dickinson (1965-1987)

The university's motto is "Small Community. Big Opportunities."

Academics and Programs

Dickinson State University offers a wide array of academic programs, including more than 75 fields of study, certificates, and associate degrees. The university specializes in business management, teacher education, and nursing. Other significant areas of study include education (both elementary and secondary), natural science, and agriculture.

Read also: Dickinson State Blue Hawks

Student programs are built upon a core of General Education courses, encompassing fine arts, humanities, natural sciences, mathematics, and the social and behavioral sciences. Students are encouraged to complete their general education requirements by the end of their sophomore year.

DSU is a dual mission institution, which means that its programs adapt to the needs of students and employers in the region. Dickinson State University works directly with industries to create relevant programs that prepare students to succeed in the workforce. This commitment is reflected in the university's diverse academic offerings, designed to meet the demands of the modern job market.

Dickinson State University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

Enrollment and Student Life

As of fall 2024, Dickinson State University has a total undergraduate enrollment of 1,339 students. The student-faculty ratio at Dickinson State University is 16:1. This ensures that students receive personalized attention and have the opportunity to engage with their professors. Dickinson State University utilizes a semester-based academic calendar.

Dickinson State University is primarily a commuter campus. The university's setting is city, and the campus size is 132 acres.

Admissions and Financial Aid

Dickinson State University accepts the Common Application and has a test-optional admissions policy.

The school's in-state tuition and fees are $9,418, while out-of-state tuition and fees are also $9,418. Forty-seven percent of first-year students receive need-based financial aid, and the average net price for federal loan recipients is $15,112.

When students apply to DSU, they are automatically considered to receive a Presidential Scholarship Award.

Rankings and Outcomes

In the 2026 edition of Best Colleges, Dickinson State University is ranked No. 41 in Regional Colleges Midwest. It's also ranked No. 6 in Top Public Schools.

The four-year graduation rate is 27%. Six years after graduation, the median salary for graduates is $48,628.

Read also: Dickinson College Admissions

Campus Life and Location

Located in Dickinson, North Dakota, the university is situated just east of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Dickinson lies just east of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, the perfect destination for hiking, biking, camping, and exploring one of the United States' most beautiful natural landscapes, the rugged Badlands.

Athletics

Dickinson State University's athletic teams are known as the Blue Hawks. The university is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The Blue Hawks primarily compete in the Frontier Conference for most of its sports since the 2025-16 academic year; while its men's and women’s wrestling team competes in the Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC).

The Blue Hawks previously competed in the NSAA from 2014-15 to 2024-25; an NAIA Independent within the Association of Independent Institutions (AII) during the 2011-12 school year; and in these defunct conferences: the Dakota Athletic Conference (DAC) from 2000-01 to 2010-11; and the North Dakota College Athletic Conference (NDCAC) from 1931-32 to 1999-2000.

Hank Biesiot is a former football coach and was one of the few active coaches at the college level with 200 or more wins and 30 or more seasons. Biesiot led the Blue Hawks to the NAIA semifinals in 1991. The women's volleyball team won the school's first national championship in 2000. The men's track and field team won NAIA national championships three consecutive years from 2004 to 2006 under coach Pete Stanton.

Controversies and Challenges

Dickinson State attracted negative attention for some of its academic and business practices in 2011 and 2012. In 2011, the university was discovered to have overstated its enrollments by practices such as counting people as students who had merely attended a conference on the campus. This situation resulted in the dismissal of the university president, Richard J.

A North Dakota University System audit report released in February 2012 found that the school had relaxed standards and waived some requirements to increase enrollment of foreign students and had, over a period of several years, awarded degrees to 584 foreign students who had not completed the required coursework. The report was a followup of an earlier meeting between Dickinson officials and the Higher Learning Commission at which the DSU officials "realized they may have an issue with one or more of the HLC's requirements surrounding academic agreements". Most of the university's foreign students came from China, where the university employed recruiting agents who falsely claimed to be university employees and sometimes misrepresented the university's programs.

In 2023, the university eliminated seven degree programs to address ongoing financial challenges. This included firing tenured faculty in those programs. The university's decisions and actions were met with protests from faculty and others. University leaders also reorganized parts of the university and eliminated other positions.

The following year, the university changed its academic policies to increase class sizes and require faculty to teach more students. In response, all seven faculty members in the university's nursing program resigned, protesting that the new policies are unworkable in their program. The university was already under scrutiny by the program's accreditor, the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, and the state's board of nursing did not approve president Eaton's plan for hiring new faculty.

Innovative Educational Delivery

DSU offers students the opportunity to choose how they want to learn: face-to-face in one of three physical locations; online; or through DSUlive. They can study where it's convenient for them and enjoy the benefits of interacting with a professor and classmates, in any modality. The innovative educational delivery options allow students to find a path that is right for them, right now.

Theodore Roosevelt Center and Digital Library

On April 30, 2013, both chambers of the North Dakota Legislative Assembly passed a bill appropriating $12 million to Dickinson State University to award a grant to the Theodore Roosevelt Center for construction of a building to be named the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library. To access these funds, the Theodore Roosevelt Center must first raise $3 million from non-state sources.

Dickinson State University is also home to the Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library which has formed partnerships with the Library of Congress and Harvard University, among other institutions.

Notable Alumni

Solo Sikoa - WWE Professional Wrestler.

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