Yes. Though enrollment at South Dakota’s public universities decreased 0.8% in the past year, the number of enrolled students for 2026-27 is higher than it was the year before the COVID-19 outbreak. Overall, public universities encountered a post-COVID boom that has surpassed its student count in 2019 (34,520). The Board of Regents announced Sept. 10 that enrollment has decreased overall at three of its public universities and increased at the other three, with a total enrollment of 35,797. The University of South Dakota in Vermillion dropped 3.5% to 10,040 students; South Dakota State in Brookings dropped 1.96% to 11,901; and South Dakota Mines in Rapid City fell 2% to 2,489. Meanwhile, enrollment at Dakota State University in Madison grew 3.46% to 3,975; Northern State in Aberdeen increased by about 4% to 3,890; and Black Hills State in Spearfish increased 2.25% to 3,502. ℹ️ This fact brief responds to claims such as this one . Sources Sioux Falls Argus Leader, South Dakota public universities weather enrollment challenges South Dakota Board of Regents, Strong enrollment across the system About fact briefs Fact briefs are bite-sized, well-sourced explanations that offer clear "yes" or "no" answers to questions, confusions and unsupported claims circulating online. They rely on publicly available data and documents, often from the original source. Fact briefs are written and published by South Dakota News Watch as part of the Gigafact network. Submit a question for us to answer on the tipline . Share your thoughts on this story South Dakota News Watch is an independent nonprofit. Read, donate and subscribe for free at sdnewswatch.org . Contact freelance reporter Michael Klinski: michael.klinski@sdnewswatch.org. Fact briefs