Rocky Mountain College vs NSU-Aberdeen

Rocky Mountain College and Northern State University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Rocky Mountain College, nestled in the picturesque Billings, Montana, boasts a tight-knit community with a focus on personalized attention, while Northern State University, located in the vibrant city of Aberdeen, South Dakota, prides itself on its comprehensive academic programs and strong regional ties. With varying acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates, these universities cater to different student aspirations. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover which institution aligns best with your academic goals and personal preferences, ensuring a fulfilling and successful college journey.
Northern State University logo

Northern State University

Rocky Mountain College logo

Rocky Mountain College

Overview

Location Aberdeen, South Dakota Billings, Montana
Campus setting Town: Remote City: Midsize
College type 4 year 4 year
Control/business model Public Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system Semester Semester
Degrees offered Undergraduate and Graduate Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate 68.0% 60.0%
Common app member No No
Religious affiliation Protestant

Admission

Acceptance rate 79.8% 80.7%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $20

Graduate: $35
Undergraduate: $35

Graduate: $45
SAT range 1020 - 1190 975 - 1180
ACT range 18 - 24 18 - 25
Students submitting SAT score 5.0% 9.0%
Students submitting ACT score 80.0% 57.0%
Total number of applicants 1,229 1,396
Total number of admissions given out 981 1,126
Admitted students who chose to enroll 337 220
Yield rate 34.4% 19.5%
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) Required Not required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price
In state: $23,495

Out of state: $26,597
$44,759
Average net price $16,821 $19,726
Tuition
In state: $7,616

Out of state: $10,718
$30,725
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $4,800

Meal plan: $4,350
Room/dormitory: $4,413

Meal plan: $4,442
Available payment plans
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

89.0%
Average amount $5,662
99.0%
Average amount $22,513
Students receiving federal student loan 65.0%
Average amount $4,850
66.0%
Average amount $5,220
Students taking out private loans 10.0%
Average amount $9,043
9.0%
Average amount $23,696

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 2,867
Men 40.6% Women 59.4%
817
Men 51.0% Women 49.0%
Graduate students 473
Men 26.6% Women 73.4%
241
Men 23.7% Women 76.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Very Low
Very Low
Out-of-state students 38.9% 35.4%
International students 2.1% 4.1%
Campus local/setting Town: Remote City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity 853 571
First year students are required to live on campus? No No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from South Dakota Minnesota North Dakota Iowa Wisconsin Montana California Washington Arizona Idaho

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Education
  • Biological and Biomedical Sciences
  • Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
  • Business
  • Liberal Arts
  • Health Professions
  • Education
  • Biological and Biomedical Sciences
  • Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
  • Business
Students to faculty ratio 16:1 12:1
Institutional accreditation Higher Learning Commission Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Outcome

Graduation rate 47.6% 52.3%
Dropout rate 25.4% 47.7%
Transferred out 22.9% N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $38,289
  • Year 3: $49,248
Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $44,021
  • Year 3: $46,732
Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $45,902
  • Year 2: $42,682
  • Year 3: $46,239
Curriculum and Instruction (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $43,575
  • Year 3: $45,796
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $38,996
  • Year 2: $40,728
  • Year 3: $45,442
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $39,033
  • Year 2: $39,523
  • Year 3: $39,953
Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $32,526
  • Year 2: $35,060
  • Year 3: $39,845
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $39,862
  • Year 2: $38,289
  • Year 3: N/A
English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $20,824
  • Year 3: N/A
Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $38,740
  • Year 2: $34,526
  • Year 3: N/A
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $104,522
  • Year 2: $105,752
  • Year 3: $116,492
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $33,348
  • Year 2: $36,312
  • Year 3: $45,340
Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $59,800
  • Year 2: N/A
  • Year 3: N/A
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $40,017
  • Year 3: N/A
Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $27,494
  • Year 2: N/A
  • Year 3: N/A
Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $21,875
  • Year 2: N/A
  • Year 3: N/A
Air Transportation (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $36,903
  • Year 2: $46,478
  • Year 3: N/A

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.
Northern State University NSU-Aberdeen vs Southern Arkansas University Main Campus Southern Arkansas University Main Campus
Northern State University NSU-Aberdeen vs California State University-Stanislaus California State University-Stanislaus
Northern State University NSU-Aberdeen vs California State University-Chico California State University-Chico
Northern State University NSU-Aberdeen vs California State University-East Bay California State University-East Bay
Northern State University NSU-Aberdeen vs California State University-Northridge California State University-Northridge
Northern State University NSU-Aberdeen vs Colorado State University-Fort Collins Colorado State University-Fort Collins
Northern State University NSU-Aberdeen vs University of Northern Colorado University of Northern Colorado
Northern State University NSU-Aberdeen vs Idaho State University Idaho State University
Northern State University NSU-Aberdeen vs Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
Northern State University NSU-Aberdeen vs University of Minnesota-Crookston University of Minnesota-Crookston
Northern State University NSU-Aberdeen vs Northwest Missouri State University Northwest Missouri State University
Northern State University NSU-Aberdeen vs The University of Montana The University of Montana
Northern State University NSU-Aberdeen vs Chadron State College Chadron State College
Northern State University NSU-Aberdeen vs Wayne State College Wayne State College
Northern State University NSU-Aberdeen vs University of Nevada-Reno University of Nevada-Reno
Northern State University NSU-Aberdeen vs Eastern New Mexico University-Main Campus Eastern New Mexico University-Main Campus
Northern State University NSU-Aberdeen vs SUNY at Fredonia SUNY at Fredonia
Northern State University NSU-Aberdeen vs University of Mary University of Mary
Northern State University NSU-Aberdeen vs Minot State University Minot State University
Northern State University NSU-Aberdeen vs University of North Dakota University of North Dakota
Northern State University NSU-Aberdeen vs South Dakota State University South Dakota State University
Northern State University NSU-Aberdeen vs Brigham Young University Brigham Young University
Northern State University NSU-Aberdeen vs Utah State University Utah State University
Northern State University NSU-Aberdeen vs Castleton University Castleton University
Northern State University NSU-Aberdeen vs Northern Vermont University Northern Vermont University
Northern State University NSU-Aberdeen vs Central Washington University Central Washington University
Northern State University NSU-Aberdeen vs Eastern Washington University Eastern Washington University
Northern State University NSU-Aberdeen vs The Evergreen State College The Evergreen State College
Northern State University NSU-Aberdeen vs Western Washington University Western Washington University
Northern State University NSU-Aberdeen vs Concord University Concord University
Northern State University NSU-Aberdeen vs University of Wyoming University of Wyoming
Rocky Mountain College Rocky Mountain College vs Alaska Pacific University Alaska Pacific University
Rocky Mountain College Rocky Mountain College vs Brigham Young University-Idaho Brigham Young University-Idaho
Rocky Mountain College Rocky Mountain College vs Carroll College Carroll College
Rocky Mountain College Rocky Mountain College vs Montana State University Billings Montana State University Billings
Rocky Mountain College Rocky Mountain College vs Montana State University-Northern Montana State University-Northern
Rocky Mountain College Rocky Mountain College vs Salish Kootenai College Salish Kootenai College
Rocky Mountain College Rocky Mountain College vs SUNY College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill SUNY College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill
Rocky Mountain College Rocky Mountain College vs Dickinson State University Dickinson State University
Rocky Mountain College Rocky Mountain College vs Minot State University Minot State University
Rocky Mountain College Rocky Mountain College vs North Dakota State College of Science North Dakota State College of Science
Rocky Mountain College Rocky Mountain College vs Williston State College Williston State College
Rocky Mountain College Rocky Mountain College vs Sitting Bull College Sitting Bull College
Rocky Mountain College Rocky Mountain College vs Trinity Bible College and Graduate School Trinity Bible College and Graduate School
Rocky Mountain College Rocky Mountain College vs Turtle Mountain Community College Turtle Mountain Community College
Rocky Mountain College Rocky Mountain College vs United Tribes Technical College United Tribes Technical College
Rocky Mountain College Rocky Mountain College vs Valley City State University Valley City State University
Rocky Mountain College Rocky Mountain College vs Black Hills State University Black Hills State University
Rocky Mountain College Rocky Mountain College vs Dakota State University Dakota State University
Rocky Mountain College Rocky Mountain College vs Northern State University Northern State University
Rocky Mountain College Rocky Mountain College vs Oglala Lakota College Oglala Lakota College
Rocky Mountain College Rocky Mountain College vs South Dakota School of Mines and Technology South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
Rocky Mountain College Rocky Mountain College vs Sinte Gleska University Sinte Gleska University
Rocky Mountain College Rocky Mountain College vs Pillar College Pillar College