BSC-Bismarck vs South Dakota State University (SDSU)

Bismarck State College and South Dakota State University, while both offering quality education, present distinct differences that may influence your academic journey. Bismarck State College, a two-year institution, boasts an open admissions policy, welcoming almost all applicants, while South Dakota State University, a four-year research university, maintains a more selective admissions process. In terms of student demographics, Bismarck State College caters to a predominantly local population, with over 90% of its students coming from North Dakota, while South Dakota State University attracts a more diverse student body, with only 60% of its students hailing from South Dakota. Explore the detailed comparison table to uncover further distinctions in acceptance rates, popular majors, graduation rates, and more, helping you make an informed decision about your higher education path.

	Bismarck State College	South Dakota State University
Overview
Location	Bismarck, North Dakota	Brookings, South Dakota
Campus setting	City: Small	Town: Remote
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate		80.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

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

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $16,883 Out of state: $18,887	In state: $24,304 Out of state: $27,814
Average net price	$10,249	$17,859
Tuition	In state: $4,007 Out of state: $6,011	In state: $7,773 Out of state: $11,283
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $3,649 Meal plan: $3,808	Room/dormitory: $4,054 Meal plan: $4,082
Available payment plans		Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	61.0% Average amount $3,903	81.0% Average amount $4,747
Students receiving federal student loan	43.0% Average amount $4,890	60.0% Average amount $5,063
Students taking out private loans	8.0% Average amount $8,086	17.0% Average amount $9,956

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,549 Men 52.5% Women 47.5%	9,847 Men 45.2% Women 54.8%
Graduate students	N/A	1,618 Men 37.3% Women 62.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	5.2%	N/A
International students	0.4%	5.1%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	425	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 Minnesota South Dakota Montana Iowa	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Engineering Technologies Health Professions Business Construction Trades Liberal Arts	Health Professions Engineering Family and Consumer Sciences Education Agriculture
Students to faculty ratio	14:1	17:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	52.6%	59.5%
Dropout rate	26.1%	38.9%
Transferred out	13.7%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $94,930 Year 2: $104,749 Year 3: $113,181 Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $64,379 Year 2: $83,669 Year 3: $94,725 Electrical Engineering Technologies/Technicians (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $81,394 Year 2: $76,773 Year 3: $87,805 Electromechanical Instrumentation and Maintenance Technologies/Technicians (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $76,908 Year 2: $74,576 Year 3: $79,845 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $54,207 Year 2: $55,964 Year 3: $57,868 Electrical and Power Transmission Installers (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $54,093 Year 2: $48,600 Year 3: $57,431 Agricultural Business and Management (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $45,724 Year 2: $48,823 Year 3: $43,880 Business/Commerce, General (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $38,353 Year 2: $33,687 Year 3: $37,018 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $30,254 Year 2: $28,500 Year 3: $36,803 Business Operations Support and Assistant Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $31,670 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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BSC-Bismarck vs South Dakota State University (SDSU)

Bismarck State College

South Dakota State University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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