Black Hills State University (BHSU) vs University of Mary (UMary)

Black Hills State University and University of Mary, both located in the beautiful state of South Dakota, offer distinct educational experiences for prospective students. Black Hills State, nestled in the heart of the Black Hills, boasts a higher acceptance rate, making it a more accessible option for students from diverse backgrounds. In contrast, University of Mary, rooted in Catholic tradition, maintains a lower acceptance rate, ensuring a selective and academically rigorous environment. While Black Hills State excels in popular majors like Business, Education, and Health Sciences, University of Mary shines in fields such as Nursing, Business, and Education. Explore the detailed comparison table below to delve into further distinctions between these two institutions, including student body demographics, graduation rates, and additional factors that may influence your decision in choosing the best fit for your academic and personal aspirations.

	Black Hills State University	University of Mary
Overview
Location	Spearfish, South Dakota	Bismarck, North Dakota
Campus setting	Town: Distant	Rural: Fringe
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	61.0%	77.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation		Catholic

Admission
Acceptance rate	97.3%	78.8%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $20 Graduate: $35	Undergraduate: $30 Graduate: $45
SAT range	970 - 1150	N/A
ACT range	18 - 23	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	6.0%
Students submitting ACT score	79.0%
Total number of applicants	1,382	1,532
Total number of admissions given out	1,344	1,207
Admitted students who chose to enroll	452	510
Yield rate	33.6%	42.3%
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	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $22,100 Out of state: $25,200	$35,370
Average net price	$15,895	$19,474
Tuition	In state: $7,700 Out of state: $10,800	$18,340
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $3,680 Meal plan: $3,622	Room/dormitory: $3,690 Meal plan: $4,300
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	89.0% Average amount $4,736	100.0% Average amount $11,954
Students receiving federal student loan	58.0% Average amount $4,966	65.0% Average amount $5,176
Students taking out private loans	11.0% Average amount $9,709	20.0% Average amount $10,222

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,346 Men 36.8% Women 63.2%	2,579 Men 41.5% Women 58.5%
Graduate students	193 Men 34.2% Women 65.8%	1,215 Men 30.4% Women 69.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	64.5%
International students	1.5%	0.1%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Rural: Fringe
Dormitory capacity	811	1,325
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 Minnesota Wisconsin California Montana

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Psychology	Health Professions Business Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	17:1	15:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	42.5%	64.3%
Dropout rate	55.3%	31.5%
Transferred out	N/A	2.5%
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 (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $86,755 Year 2: $94,408 Year 3: $91,441 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $67,785 Year 2: $60,230 Year 3: $65,123 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,166 Year 2: $54,359 Year 3: $62,069 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $63,298 Year 2: $63,997 Year 3: $59,512 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $57,302 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,222 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: N/A Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,750 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $33,281 Year 3: N/A Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $49,621 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,370 Year 2: $56,641 Year 3: N/A

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Black Hills State University (BHSU) vs University of Mary (UMary)

Black Hills State University

University of Mary

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Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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