Black Hills State University (BHSU) vs Shepherd University

Black Hills State University and Shepherd University, both public institutions with rich histories, offer distinct educational experiences. Black Hills State, nestled in the scenic Black Hills of South Dakota, boasts a close-knit community and a strong focus on undergraduate education. Shepherd University, located in the historic town of Shepherdstown, West Virginia, prides itself on its liberal arts curriculum and diverse student body. While both universities share a commitment to academic excellence, they differ in acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Black Hills State University	Shepherd University
Overview
Location	Spearfish, South Dakota	Shepherdstown, West Virginia
Campus setting	Town: Distant	Town: Fringe
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	61.0%	66.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	97.3%	96.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $20 Graduate: $35	Undergraduate: $45 Graduate: $40
SAT range	970 - 1150	960 - 1180
ACT range	18 - 23	19 - 26
Students submitting SAT score	6.0%	47.0%
Students submitting ACT score	79.0%	17.0%
Total number of applicants	1,382	1,338
Total number of admissions given out	1,344	1,290
Admitted students who chose to enroll	452	419
Yield rate	33.6%	32.5%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $22,100 Out of state: $25,200	In state: $23,132 Out of state: $33,572
Average net price	$15,895	$10,360
Tuition	In state: $7,700 Out of state: $10,800	In state: $5,790 Out of state: $15,276
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $3,680 Meal plan: $3,622	Room/dormitory: $5,798 Meal plan: $5,050
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	89.0% Average amount $4,736	87.0% Average amount $7,767
Students receiving federal student loan	58.0% Average amount $4,966	53.0% Average amount $5,075
Students taking out private loans	11.0% Average amount $9,709	7.0% Average amount $12,449

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,346 Men 36.8% Women 63.2%	2,450 Men 39.6% Women 60.4%
Graduate students	193 Men 34.2% Women 65.8%	565 Men 22.1% Women 77.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	27.6%
International students	1.5%	1.4%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Town: Fringe
Dormitory capacity	811	1,052
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	West Virginia Maryland Virginia Pennsylvania District of Columbia

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Psychology	Health Professions Liberal Arts Education Social Sciences Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	17:1	14:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	42.5%	44.1%
Dropout rate	55.3%	43.3%
Transferred out	N/A	10.9%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,943 Year 2: $40,768 Year 3: $42,268 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,857 Year 2: $40,768 Year 3: $40,091 Special Education and Teaching (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,787 Year 2: $41,725 Year 3: $40,061 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $36,708 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $39,098 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,641 Year 2: $36,914 Year 3: $38,083 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,611 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $35,921 Community Organization and Advocacy (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,934 Year 2: $33,138 Year 3: $32,359 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,162 Year 2: $27,295 Year 3: $25,186 Curriculum and Instruction (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $46,294 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $45,515 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,704 Year 2: $61,020 Year 3: $65,982 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $49,620 Year 2: $45,852 Year 3: $53,735 Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,461 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $48,671 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,026 Year 2: $32,391 Year 3: $43,769 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,615 Year 2: $38,670 Year 3: $42,186 Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $35,736 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $40,911 Parks, Recreation and Leisure Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,185 Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $39,264 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,498 Year 2: $31,763 Year 3: $38,847 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,225 Year 2: $35,416 Year 3: $38,312 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,000 Year 2: $23,340 Year 3: $35,390

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