Black Hills State University (BHSU) vs Shawnee State University

Black Hills State University and Shawnee State University, located in opposite corners of the country, offer distinct educational experiences. Black Hills State, nestled in the scenic Black Hills of South Dakota, boasts a higher acceptance rate and a smaller student body, fostering a close-knit community. Shawnee State, situated in the vibrant city of Portsmouth, Ohio, attracts a more diverse student population and offers a wider range of academic programs, including popular majors like nursing and business. While both universities provide quality education, their unique characteristics may appeal to different types of students. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover which institution better aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Black Hills State University	Shawnee State University
Overview
Location	Spearfish, South Dakota	Portsmouth, Ohio
Campus setting	Town: Distant	Town: Fringe
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%	71.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	97.3%	68.9%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $20 Graduate: $35	$30
SAT range	970 - 1150	1018 - 1235
ACT range	18 - 23	18 - 24
Students submitting SAT score	6.0%	5.0%
Students submitting ACT score	79.0%	95.0%
Total number of applicants	1,382	3,011
Total number of admissions given out	1,344	2,075
Admitted students who chose to enroll	452	717
Yield rate	33.6%	34.6%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A
High school GPA	Required	N/A
Recommendation letters	Not required	N/A
High school transcript	Required	N/A
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	N/A

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $22,100 Out of state: $25,200	In state: $23,562 Out of state: $29,604
Average net price	$15,895	$14,532
Tuition	In state: $7,700 Out of state: $10,800	In state: $8,604 Out of state: $14,646
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $3,680 Meal plan: $3,622	Room/dormitory: $6,873 Meal plan: $4,131
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan Other alternative tuition plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	89.0% Average amount $4,736	95.0% Average amount $6,591
Students receiving federal student loan	58.0% Average amount $4,966	51.0% Average amount $4,968
Students taking out private loans	11.0% Average amount $9,709	4.0% Average amount $11,147

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,346 Men 36.8% Women 63.2%	3,025 Men 43.0% Women 57.0%
Graduate students	193 Men 34.2% Women 65.8%	191 Men 30.4% Women 69.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	14.8%
International students	1.5%	2.9%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Town: Fringe
Dormitory capacity	811	878
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Ohio West Virginia Illinois Missouri

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Psychology	Health Professions Business Engineering Technologies Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	17:1	16:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	42.5%	37.0%
Dropout rate	55.3%	50.7%
Transferred out	N/A	10.7%
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	Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $63,041 Year 2: $66,941 Year 3: $67,084 Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $55,512 Year 3: $64,498 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,424 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $60,044 Engineering Technologies/Technicians, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,310 Year 2: $39,009 Year 3: $59,419 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $53,233 Year 2: $52,607 Year 3: $56,811 Dental Support Services and Allied Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $47,341 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $49,142 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $40,864 Year 2: $43,426 Year 3: $46,899 Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $37,752 Year 2: $39,969 Year 3: $40,788 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,784 Year 2: $28,366 Year 3: $40,338 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,778 Year 2: $41,193 Year 3: $36,528

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.