Fort Hays State University (FHSU) vs South Dakota University

Fort Hays State University and the University of South Dakota, both public institutions with rich histories, offer distinct educational experiences. Fort Hays State, located in Hays, Kansas, is known for its strong teacher education and nursing programs, while the University of South Dakota, situated in Vermillion, South Dakota, excels in health sciences and business. With different acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates, these universities cater to diverse student populations. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Fort Hays State University	University of South Dakota
Overview
Location	Hays, Kansas	Vermillion, South Dakota
Campus setting	Town: Remote	Town: Distant
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	73.0%	77.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	90.3%	87.0%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $30 Graduate: $40	Undergraduate: $20 Graduate: $35
SAT range	N/A	1050 - 1290
ACT range	N/A	19 - 25
Students submitting SAT score		3.0%
Students submitting ACT score		80.0%
Total number of applicants	1,997	4,272
Total number of admissions given out	1,804	3,717
Admitted students who chose to enroll	955	1,233
Yield rate	52.9%	33.2%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $19,364 Out of state: $29,804	In state: $25,657 Out of state: $29,167
Average net price	$13,788	$18,974
Tuition	In state: $4,140 Out of state: $14,580	In state: $7,773 Out of state: $11,283
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,047 Meal plan: $4,326	Room/dormitory: $4,366 Meal plan: $4,234
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	91.0% Average amount $5,027	84.0% Average amount $5,196
Students receiving federal student loan	50.0% Average amount $5,059	60.0% Average amount $5,102
Students taking out private loans	3.0% Average amount $9,055	14.0% Average amount $9,890

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	11,402 Men 39.1% Women 60.9%	6,987 Men 35.9% Women 64.1%
Graduate students	2,700 Men 29.7% Women 70.3%	2,477 Men 37.2% Women 62.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	39.4%
International students	1.7%	2.7%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	1,731	2,154
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	South Dakota Iowa Nebraska Minnesota Wisconsin

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Education Health Professions Liberal Arts Social Sciences	Health Professions Education Business Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Liberal Arts
Students to faculty ratio	15:1	14:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	50.5%	60.1%
Dropout rate	31.2%	14.2%
Transferred out	15.0%	24.5%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $85,036 Year 2: $82,440 Year 3: $99,232 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,228 Year 2: $55,286 Year 3: $67,227 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,873 Year 2: $57,461 Year 3: $61,895 Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $58,104 Year 2: $57,995 Year 3: $60,659 Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $48,849 Year 3: $59,909 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $54,167 Year 2: $51,392 Year 3: $57,191 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $51,360 Year 2: $55,512 Year 3: $53,880 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $51,829 Year 3: $52,488 Information Science/Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,081 Year 2: $47,846 Year 3: $49,888 Educational/Instructional Media Design (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $50,407 Year 2: $48,432 Year 3: $49,592	Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $110,722 Year 2: $100,951 Year 3: $109,099 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $88,473 Year 2: $97,071 Year 3: $100,634 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $78,587 Year 2: $68,778 Year 3: $81,751 Public Administration (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $70,456 Year 3: $69,478 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,040 Year 2: $62,012 Year 3: $68,456 Medicine (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $58,011 Year 2: $57,860 Year 3: $68,011 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $62,632 Year 3: $64,788 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $65,801 Year 2: $65,170 Year 3: $64,105 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $52,161 Year 2: $62,260 Year 3: $63,921 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $46,986 Year 2: $52,941 Year 3: $61,718

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