Black Hills State University (BHSU) vs Colorado Mesa

Black Hills State University and Colorado Mesa University, both located in picturesque Western states, offer distinct educational experiences. Black Hills State, nestled in the heart of the Black Hills of South Dakota, boasts a close-knit community and a strong focus on undergraduate education. Colorado Mesa, situated in the vibrant city of Grand Junction, Colorado, is known for its diverse academic programs and stunning natural surroundings. While both universities share a commitment to academic excellence, they differ in acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which institution aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Black Hills State University	Colorado Mesa University
Overview
Location	Spearfish, South Dakota	Grand Junction, Colorado
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%	72.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	97.3%	80.2%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $20 Graduate: $35	Undergraduate: $30 Graduate: $50
SAT range	970 - 1150	948 - 1200
ACT range	18 - 23	19 - 26
Students submitting SAT score	6.0%	45.0%
Students submitting ACT score	79.0%	13.0%
Total number of applicants	1,382	8,082
Total number of admissions given out	1,344	6,485
Admitted students who chose to enroll	452	1,855
Yield rate	33.6%	28.6%
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: $22,148 Out of state: $35,470
Average net price	$15,895	$15,324
Tuition	In state: $7,700 Out of state: $10,800	In state: $8,020 Out of state: $21,342
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $3,680 Meal plan: $3,622	Room/dormitory: $6,100 Meal plan: $5,165
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	89.0% Average amount $4,736	81.0% Average amount $7,228
Students receiving federal student loan	58.0% Average amount $4,966	42.0% Average amount $4,950
Students taking out private loans	11.0% Average amount $9,709	4.0% Average amount $12,590

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,346 Men 36.8% Women 63.2%	8,712 Men 45.9% Women 54.1%
Graduate students	193 Men 34.2% Women 65.8%	195 Men 34.9% Women 65.1%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	16.8%
International students	1.5%	1.1%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	811	2,661
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Colorado California Texas Washington Utah

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Psychology	Health Professions Business Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Law Enforcement and Firefighting Liberal Arts
Students to faculty ratio	17:1	18:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	42.5%	38.1%
Dropout rate	55.3%	31.0%
Transferred out	N/A	27.0%
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	Construction Engineering Technologies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,879 Year 2: $63,997 Year 3: $67,005 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $57,281 Year 2: $59,485 Year 3: $64,998 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,101 Year 2: $60,746 Year 3: $63,677 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,946 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $59,293 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $58,673 Year 3: $58,361 Electrical and Power Transmission Installers (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $43,240 Year 3: $57,344 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,940 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $52,944 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,215 Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: $52,774 Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $39,153 Year 3: $48,680 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,157 Year 2: $39,504 Year 3: $46,603

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