Dickinson State vs South Dakota State University (SDSU)

Dickinson State University and South Dakota State University, both public institutions with rich histories, offer distinct educational experiences. Dickinson State, nestled in the scenic Badlands of North Dakota, boasts a close-knit community and a focus on undergraduate education. South Dakota State, located in the vibrant city of Brookings, is known for its strong research programs and diverse academic offerings. While both universities share a commitment to academic excellence, they differ in acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Dickinson State University	South Dakota State University
Overview
Location	Dickinson, North Dakota	Brookings, South Dakota
Campus setting	Town: Remote	Town: Remote
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	65.0%	80.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	99.3%	87.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $35 Graduate: $35	Undergraduate: $20 Graduate: $35
SAT range	923 - 1063	980 - 1220
ACT range	16 - 22	19 - 25
Students submitting SAT score	4.0%	3.0%
Students submitting ACT score	63.0%	86.0%
Total number of applicants	459	5,774
Total number of admissions given out	456	5,048
Admitted students who chose to enroll	269	2,019
Yield rate	59.0%	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	In state: $20,322 Out of state: $22,142	In state: $24,304 Out of state: $27,814
Average net price	$15,607	$17,859
Tuition	In state: $6,474 Out of state: $8,294	In state: $7,773 Out of state: $11,283
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $3,000 Meal plan: $4,500	Room/dormitory: $4,054 Meal plan: $4,082
Available payment plans		Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	96.0% Average amount $5,352	81.0% Average amount $4,747
Students receiving federal student loan	53.0% Average amount $4,882	60.0% Average amount $5,063
Students taking out private loans	13.0% Average amount $8,989	17.0% Average amount $9,956

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,337 Men 43.2% Women 56.8%	9,847 Men 45.2% Women 54.8%
Graduate students	78 Men 52.6% Women 47.4%	1,618 Men 37.3% Women 62.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	50.2%	N/A
International students	3.4%	5.1%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	397	4,488
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	North Dakota Montana Wyoming South Dakota California	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Health Professions Education Agriculture Kinesiology & Leisure Studies	Health Professions Engineering Family and Consumer Sciences Education Agriculture
Students to faculty ratio	13:1	17:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	36.4%	59.5%
Dropout rate	29.4%	38.9%
Transferred out	32.1%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,558 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $55,198 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,445 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $50,127 Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,657 Year 2: $41,789 Year 3: $45,890 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,396 Year 2: $38,597 Year 3: $43,780 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,832 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $43,117 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,405 Year 2: $42,123 Year 3: $42,677 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $40,621 Year 3: $41,233 Agriculture, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,348 Year 2: $37,748 Year 3: N/A Data Processing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $45,696 Year 3: N/A Human Resources Management and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,525 Year 2: N/A 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

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