Dakota Wesleyan University vs South Dakota State University (SDSU)

Dakota Wesleyan University and South Dakota State University, both located in South Dakota, offer distinct educational experiences. Dakota Wesleyan, a private institution, boasts a smaller student body and a higher acceptance rate compared to South Dakota State, a public research university. While Dakota Wesleyan excels in liberal arts and education programs, South Dakota State is renowned for its agriculture, engineering, and nursing programs. Explore the detailed comparison table to delve into further differences, including graduation rates, student demographics, and available majors, to determine which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.
Dakota Wesleyan University logo

Dakota Wesleyan University

South Dakota State University logo

South Dakota State University

Overview

Location Mitchell, South Dakota Brookings, South Dakota
Campus setting Town: Remote Town: Remote
College type 4 year 4 year
Control/business model Private (Non Profit) Public
Calendar system Semester Semester
Degrees offered Undergraduate and Graduate Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate 71.0% 80.0%
Common app member Yes No
Religious affiliation Methodism

Admission

Acceptance rate 75.7% 87.4%
Application fees $110
Undergraduate: $20

Graduate: $35
SAT range 860 - 1100 980 - 1220
ACT range 19 - 25 19 - 25
Students submitting SAT score 3.0% 3.0%
Students submitting ACT score 60.0% 86.0%
Total number of applicants 1,047 5,774
Total number of admissions given out 793 5,048
Admitted students who chose to enroll 169 2,019
Yield rate 21.3% 40.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT) N/A N/A
High school GPA Required Required
Recommendation letters Not required Not required
High school transcript Not required Required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) Required Required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price $43,080
In state: $24,304

Out of state: $27,814
Average net price $21,830 $17,859
Tuition $29,700
In state: $7,773

Out of state: $11,283
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $3,350

Meal plan: $4,200
Room/dormitory: $4,054

Meal plan: $4,082
Available payment plans
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

100.0%
Average amount $18,033
81.0%
Average amount $4,747
Students receiving federal student loan 92.0%
Average amount $5,049
60.0%
Average amount $5,063
Students taking out private loans 26.0%
Average amount $13,323
17.0%
Average amount $9,956

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 770
Men 42.9% Women 57.1%
9,847
Men 45.2% Women 54.8%
Graduate students 156
Men 35.3% Women 64.7%
1,618
Men 37.3% Women 62.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Very Low
Very Low
Out-of-state students N/A N/A
International students 1.1% 5.1%
Campus local/setting Town: Remote Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity 520 4,488
First year students are required to live on campus? No No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from N/A N/A

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Business
  • Health Professions
  • Education
  • Law Enforcement and Firefighting
  • Biological and Biomedical Sciences
  • Health Professions
  • Engineering
  • Family and Consumer Sciences
  • Education
  • Agriculture
Students to faculty ratio 12:1 17:1
Institutional accreditation Higher Learning Commission Higher Learning Commission

Outcome

Graduation rate 54.9% 59.5%
Dropout rate 38.3% 38.9%
Transferred out 6.9% N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $60,155
  • Year 2: $57,603
  • Year 3: $64,357
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $55,512
  • Year 3: $55,254
Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $39,369
  • Year 3: $42,345
Human Services, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $34,526
  • Year 3: $39,391
Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $37,568
  • Year 3: N/A
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $42,123
  • Year 3: N/A
Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $28,019
  • Year 3: N/A
Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $29,046
  • Year 2: $33,993
  • Year 3: N/A
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $35,416
  • Year 3: N/A
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $61,623
  • Year 2: $63,005
  • Year 3: N/A
Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $110,688
  • Year 2: $117,014
  • Year 3: $126,250
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $92,277
  • Year 3: $114,802
Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $53,967
  • Year 2: $74,845
  • Year 3: $81,032
Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $60,229
  • Year 2: $61,322
  • Year 3: $70,114
Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $58,268
  • Year 2: $59,124
  • Year 3: $62,932
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $54,985
  • Year 2: $56,234
  • Year 3: $61,104
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $58,372
  • Year 2: $57,860
  • Year 3: $60,463
Construction Engineering Technologies (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $57,551
  • Year 2: $56,776
  • Year 3: $59,988
Plant Sciences (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $50,213
  • Year 2: $55,151
  • Year 3: $55,715
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $43,798
  • Year 3: $54,439

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.
Dakota Wesleyan University Dakota Wesleyan University vs Idaho State University Idaho State University
Dakota Wesleyan University Dakota Wesleyan University vs University of Idaho University of Idaho
Dakota Wesleyan University Dakota Wesleyan University vs Brigham Young University-Idaho Brigham Young University-Idaho
Dakota Wesleyan University Dakota Wesleyan University vs Briar Cliff University Briar Cliff University
Dakota Wesleyan University Dakota Wesleyan University vs Dordt University Dordt University
Dakota Wesleyan University Dakota Wesleyan University vs Northwestern College Northwestern College
Dakota Wesleyan University Dakota Wesleyan University vs Martin Luther College Martin Luther College
Dakota Wesleyan University Dakota Wesleyan University vs Montana State University Billings Montana State University Billings
Dakota Wesleyan University Dakota Wesleyan University vs The University of Montana The University of Montana
Dakota Wesleyan University Dakota Wesleyan University vs Montana State University-Northern Montana State University-Northern
Dakota Wesleyan University Dakota Wesleyan University vs Rocky Mountain College Rocky Mountain College
Dakota Wesleyan University Dakota Wesleyan University vs The University of Montana-Western The University of Montana-Western
Dakota Wesleyan University Dakota Wesleyan University vs Union College Union College
Dakota Wesleyan University Dakota Wesleyan University vs Dickinson State University Dickinson State University
Dakota Wesleyan University Dakota Wesleyan University vs University of Mary University of Mary
Dakota Wesleyan University Dakota Wesleyan University vs Mayville State University Mayville State University
Dakota Wesleyan University Dakota Wesleyan University vs Minot State University Minot State University
Dakota Wesleyan University Dakota Wesleyan University vs University of North Dakota University of North Dakota
Dakota Wesleyan University Dakota Wesleyan University vs Valley City State University Valley City State University
Dakota Wesleyan University Dakota Wesleyan University vs Augustana University Augustana University
Dakota Wesleyan University Dakota Wesleyan University vs Black Hills State University Black Hills State University
Dakota Wesleyan University Dakota Wesleyan University vs Dakota State University Dakota State University
Dakota Wesleyan University Dakota Wesleyan University vs Northern State University Northern State University
Dakota Wesleyan University Dakota Wesleyan University vs South Dakota School of Mines and Technology South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
Dakota Wesleyan University Dakota Wesleyan University vs South Dakota State University South Dakota State University
Dakota Wesleyan University Dakota Wesleyan University vs University of South Dakota University of South Dakota
Dakota Wesleyan University Dakota Wesleyan University vs Eastern Washington University Eastern Washington University
Dakota Wesleyan University Dakota Wesleyan University vs Washington State University Washington State University
Dakota Wesleyan University Dakota Wesleyan University vs Messenger College Messenger College
South Dakota State University SDSU vs California State University-Stanislaus California State University-Stanislaus
South Dakota State University SDSU vs California State University-Chico California State University-Chico
South Dakota State University SDSU vs California State University-East Bay California State University-East Bay
South Dakota State University SDSU vs California State University-Northridge California State University-Northridge
South Dakota State University SDSU vs Idaho State University Idaho State University
South Dakota State University SDSU vs University of Idaho University of Idaho
South Dakota State University SDSU vs Indiana State University Indiana State University
South Dakota State University SDSU vs Emporia State University Emporia State University
South Dakota State University SDSU vs University of Maine University of Maine
South Dakota State University SDSU vs University of Minnesota-Duluth University of Minnesota-Duluth
South Dakota State University SDSU vs Montana State University Montana State University
South Dakota State University SDSU vs The University of Montana The University of Montana
South Dakota State University SDSU vs North Carolina A & T State University North Carolina A & T State University
South Dakota State University SDSU vs University of Mary University of Mary
South Dakota State University SDSU vs University of North Dakota University of North Dakota
South Dakota State University SDSU vs Oregon State University Oregon State University
South Dakota State University SDSU vs Southern Oregon University Southern Oregon University
South Dakota State University SDSU vs Sam Houston State University Sam Houston State University
South Dakota State University SDSU vs Texas State University Texas State University
South Dakota State University SDSU vs University of Vermont University of Vermont
South Dakota State University SDSU vs Eastern Washington University Eastern Washington University
South Dakota State University SDSU vs Western Washington University Western Washington University
South Dakota State University SDSU vs California State University-San Marcos California State University-San Marcos
South Dakota State University SDSU vs California State University-Monterey Bay California State University-Monterey Bay