Saint Cloud State University (SCSU) vs Black Hills State University (BHSU)

Saint Cloud State University and Black Hills State University, both public institutions with rich histories, offer distinct educational experiences. Saint Cloud State, located in Minnesota, boasts a higher acceptance rate, making it a more accessible option for students. Black Hills State, situated in South Dakota, has a smaller student body, fostering a close-knit community. While Saint Cloud State excels in programs like business, education, and nursing, Black Hills State shines in fields such as natural resources, health sciences, and teacher education. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about these universities' acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, graduation rates, and other crucial factors that will help you make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	Black Hills State University	Saint Cloud State University
Overview
Location	Spearfish, South Dakota	Saint Cloud, Minnesota
Campus setting	Town: Distant	City: Small
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%	62.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	97.3%	94.3%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $20 Graduate: $35	$40
SAT range	970 - 1150	N/A
ACT range	18 - 23	18 - 24
Students submitting SAT score	6.0%
Students submitting ACT score	79.0%	39.0%
Total number of applicants	1,382	4,228
Total number of admissions given out	1,344	3,988
Admitted students who chose to enroll	452	837
Yield rate	33.6%	21.0%
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	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $22,100 Out of state: $25,200	In state: $22,317 Out of state: $31,157
Average net price	$15,895	$13,615
Tuition	In state: $7,700 Out of state: $10,800	In state: $7,839 Out of state: $16,679
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $3,680 Meal plan: $3,622	Room/dormitory: $6,036 Meal plan: $3,311
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	89.0% Average amount $4,736	83.0% Average amount $6,233
Students receiving federal student loan	58.0% Average amount $4,966	48.0% Average amount $5,504
Students taking out private loans	11.0% Average amount $9,709	12.0% Average amount $10,683

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,346 Men 36.8% Women 63.2%	8,956 Men 45.7% Women 54.3%
Graduate students	193 Men 34.2% Women 65.8%	1,818 Men 36.9% Women 63.1%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	1.5%	10.2%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	811	1,642
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 Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Psychology	Education Health Professions Business Engineering Liberal Arts
Students to faculty ratio	17:1	16:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	42.5%	47.2%
Dropout rate	55.3%	16.2%
Transferred out	N/A	34.9%
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	Educational Administration and Supervision (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $80,556 Year 3: $94,800 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $79,020 Year 2: $75,204 Year 3: $92,834 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,563 Year 2: $70,009 Year 3: $81,117 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $72,734 Year 2: $59,253 Year 3: $78,506 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,589 Year 2: $63,377 Year 3: $74,072 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,404 Year 2: $66,377 Year 3: $68,544 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $58,522 Year 3: $66,211 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $48,623 Year 2: $55,964 Year 3: $63,637 Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,397 Year 2: $62,154 Year 3: $62,291 Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,276 Year 2: $51,273 Year 3: $57,748

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