Black Hills State University (BHSU) vs Dickinson State

Black Hills State University and Dickinson State University, both located in the heart of the Northern Plains, offer distinct educational experiences for prospective students. Black Hills State, nestled in the scenic Black Hills of South Dakota, boasts a higher acceptance rate, making it a more accessible option for students from diverse backgrounds. Dickinson State, situated in the vibrant city of Dickinson, North Dakota, attracts students with its strong programs in business, education, and nursing. While both universities offer a range of undergraduate and graduate programs, Black Hills State excels in liberal arts and sciences, while Dickinson State emphasizes professional and technical fields. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more about the unique strengths, student demographics, and graduation rates of these two esteemed institutions, and make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	Black Hills State University	Dickinson State University
Overview
Location	Spearfish, South Dakota	Dickinson, North Dakota
Campus setting	Town: Distant	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	61.0%	65.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	97.3%	99.3%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $20 Graduate: $35	Undergraduate: $35 Graduate: $35
SAT range	970 - 1150	923 - 1063
ACT range	18 - 23	16 - 22
Students submitting SAT score	6.0%	4.0%
Students submitting ACT score	79.0%	63.0%
Total number of applicants	1,382	459
Total number of admissions given out	1,344	456
Admitted students who chose to enroll	452	269
Yield rate	33.6%	59.0%
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: $20,322 Out of state: $22,142
Average net price	$15,895	$15,607
Tuition	In state: $7,700 Out of state: $10,800	In state: $6,474 Out of state: $8,294
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $3,680 Meal plan: $3,622	Room/dormitory: $3,000 Meal plan: $4,500
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	89.0% Average amount $4,736	96.0% Average amount $5,352
Students receiving federal student loan	58.0% Average amount $4,966	53.0% Average amount $4,882
Students taking out private loans	11.0% Average amount $9,709	13.0% Average amount $8,989

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,346 Men 36.8% Women 63.2%	1,337 Men 43.2% Women 56.8%
Graduate students	193 Men 34.2% Women 65.8%	78 Men 52.6% Women 47.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	50.2%
International students	1.5%	3.4%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	811	397
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	North Dakota Montana Wyoming South Dakota California

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Psychology	Business Health Professions Education Agriculture Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
Students to faculty ratio	17:1	13:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	42.5%	36.4%
Dropout rate	55.3%	29.4%
Transferred out	N/A	32.1%
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	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,558 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $55,198 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,445 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $50,127 Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,657 Year 2: $41,789 Year 3: $45,890 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,396 Year 2: $38,597 Year 3: $43,780 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,832 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $43,117 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,405 Year 2: $42,123 Year 3: $42,677 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $40,621 Year 3: $41,233 Agriculture, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,348 Year 2: $37,748 Year 3: N/A Data Processing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $45,696 Year 3: N/A Human Resources Management and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,525 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A

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