Adams State vs South Dakota State University (SDSU)

Adams State University and South Dakota State University, both public institutions with rich histories, offer distinct educational experiences. Adams State, nestled in the scenic San Luis Valley of Colorado, boasts a close-knit community and a focus on undergraduate education. South Dakota State, located in the vibrant city of Brookings, South Dakota, 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 detailed comparison table below to discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Adams State University	South Dakota State University
Overview
Location	Alamosa, Colorado	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	59.0%	80.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	99.8%	87.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $30 Graduate: $30	Undergraduate: $20 Graduate: $35
SAT range	920 - 1140	980 - 1220
ACT range	18 - 23	19 - 25
Students submitting SAT score	25.0%	3.0%
Students submitting ACT score	10.0%	86.0%
Total number of applicants	1,717	5,774
Total number of admissions given out	1,714	5,048
Admitted students who chose to enroll	318	2,019
Yield rate	18.6%	40.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Required	Required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $26,474 Out of state: $34,727	In state: $24,304 Out of state: $27,814
Average net price	$14,492	$17,859
Tuition	In state: $5,976 Out of state: $14,229	In state: $7,773 Out of state: $11,283
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $3,967 Meal plan: $5,200	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)	94.0% Average amount $9,130	81.0% Average amount $4,747
Students receiving federal student loan	69.0% Average amount $5,315	60.0% Average amount $5,063
Students taking out private loans	7.0% Average amount $11,675	17.0% Average amount $9,956

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,835 Men 52.8% Women 47.2%	9,847 Men 45.2% Women 54.8%
Graduate students	1,303 Men 29.1% Women 70.9%	1,618 Men 37.3% Women 62.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Very Low
Out-of-state students	42.2%	N/A
International students	0.7%	5.1%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	1,200	4,488
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Colorado New Mexico California Arizona Texas	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Liberal Arts Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Psychology History	Health Professions Engineering Family and Consumer Sciences Education Agriculture
Students to faculty ratio	11:1	17:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	28.7%	59.5%
Dropout rate	49.8%	38.9%
Transferred out	17.9%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,245 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $63,845 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $43,727 Year 2: $44,126 Year 3: $47,513 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $43,360 Year 2: $44,861 Year 3: $46,910 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,088 Year 2: $34,603 Year 3: $39,930 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,120 Year 2: $30,771 Year 3: $33,756 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,377 Year 2: $28,019 Year 3: $32,724 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $53,667 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: N/A English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $28,019 Year 3: N/A Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,806 Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: N/A Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,414 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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Adams State vs South Dakota State University (SDSU)

Adams State University

South Dakota State University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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