USD commencement programs are a great source for names of people who have received honorary degrees from the University of South Dakota. These programs can be viewed in the Archives and Special Collections.
| 1985 | Dietrich, Ernst | Doctor of Humane Letters |
| 1985 | Floyd, Joseph L. | Doctor of Humane Letters |
| 1985 | Patterson, Samuel C | Doctor of Humane Letters |
| 1986-Summer | Bridgeford, Ethel | Doctor of Humane Letters |
| 1986-Summer | Shepersky, A Duane | Honorary Master of Arts |
| 1987 | Solberg, Winton U. | Doctor of Humane Letters |
| 1987-Summer | Spies, Joseph | Doctor of Humane Letters |
| 1988-Summer | Cunningham, Marjorie Julian | Doctor of Humane Letters |
| 1989 | Yellow Robe, Rosebud | Doctor of Humane Letters |
| 1989 | Gregg, John B. | Doctor of Science |
| 1989 | Legvold, Robert | Doctor of Laws |
| 1990 | Harris, John W. | Doctor of Humane Letters |
| 1991 | Kent, Earle L. | Doctor of Humane Letters |
| 1991 | O'Brien, Pat | Doctor of Laws |
| 1991 | Schwartz, A. Truman | Doctor of Science |
| 1993 | Manfred, Frederick F. | Doctor of Letters and Literature |
| 1993 | Schaaf, Derek J. Vander | Doctor of Laws |
| 1993-Summer | Young, Phillip T. | Doctor of Humane Letters |
| 1993-Summer | O'Brien, Daniel H. | Doctor of Letters and Literature |
| 1994 | Colwell, Richard | Doctor of Humane Letters |
| 1994 | Vidal, Gore | Doctor of Letters and Literature |
| 1995 | Thompson, Charles M. | Doctor of Laws |
| 1995 | Waitt, Theodore W. | Doctor of Science |
| 1995-Summer | Rawlins, Marjorie T. | Doctor of Humane Letters |
| 1995-Winter | Pascucci, Vito | |
| 1995-winter | Hillenbrand, William G. | |
| 1996 | Bode, Ken A. | Doctor of Laws |
| 1996-Summer | Lin, Yung-Shi | Doctor of Humane Letters |
| 1997-Summer | Cutler, Richard A. | Doctor of Humane Letters |
| 1997-Summer | Houtz, Jim Howard | Doctor of Laws |
| 1998 | Morgan, Susan Jane | Doctor of Humane Letters |
| 1998 | Odeen, Philip A. | Doctor of Humane Letters |
| 1998-Summer | Two Hawk, Sr., Webster | Doctor of Laws |
| 2001-Summer | Wagner, Robert T. | Doctor of Humane Letters |
| 2002 | Lohre, John | Doctor of Humane Letters |
| 2002 | Swanson, Robert K. | Doctor of Humane Letters |
| 2002-Summer | Ziolkowski, Ruth | Doctor of Humane Letters |
| 2004 | Doyle, James Michael | |
| 2006 | Weaver, James Lloyd | Doctor of Humane Letters |
| 2006 | Williams, Robert Neff | Doctor of Letters and Literature |
| 2006-Summer | Aman, Thomas E. | Doctor of Humane Letters |
| 2007 | Sanford, T. Denny | Doctor of Humane Letters |
| 2008 | McGovern, George | Doctor of Public Service |
| 2008-Winter | Trimble, Charles E. | Doctor of Humane Letters |
| 2009 | Myers, Mary Lynn | Doctor of Public Service |
| 2009 | Myers, Shephen R. | Doctor of Public Service |
| 2010 | Dexter, Pete | Doctor of Letters and Literature |
| 2011 | Boritt, Gabor | Doctor of Humane Letters |
| 2014 | Seigenthaler, John | Doctor of Humane Letters |
| 2015 | Gallagher, Thomas D. | Doctor of Humane Letters |
| 2016 | Neuharth, Jan | Doctor of Humane Letters |
| 2017 | Hill, Pamela Smith | Doctor of Humane Letters |
| 2018 | Abbott, James W. | Doctor of Public Service |
| 2018 | Jewett, Harvey C. | Doctor of Public Service |
| 2019 | Meierhenry, Judith | Doctor of Laws |
| 2020 | none listed in program | |
| 2021 | none listed in program | |
| 2022 | none listed in program | |
| 2023 | none listed in program | |
| 2024 | Johnson, Tim | Doctor of Public Service |
| 2024 | Johnson, Barb | Doctor of Public Service |
Honorary degrees before 1985 are not shown in the list above.
