Black Hills State University (BHSU) vs Valley City State University (VCSU)

Black Hills State University and Valley City State University, both public institutions in the Northern Plains, offer distinct educational experiences. Black Hills State, located in Spearfish, South Dakota, boasts a higher acceptance rate (95%) compared to Valley City State's 86% in Valley City, North Dakota. Black Hills State's student body is more diverse, with a larger international student population. Valley City State, on the other hand, has a higher graduation rate (53%) than Black Hills State's 43%. To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table highlighting key differences between these two universities, including popular majors, tuition costs, and financial aid opportunities. Explore the table to find the institution that best aligns with your academic goals and personal preferences.

	Black Hills State University	Valley City State University
Overview
Location	Spearfish, South Dakota	Valley City, 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%	61.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	97.3%	81.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $20 Graduate: $35	Undergraduate: $35 Graduate: $35
SAT range	970 - 1150	935 - 1190
ACT range	18 - 23	17 - 23
Students submitting SAT score	6.0%	7.0%
Students submitting ACT score	79.0%	68.0%
Total number of applicants	1,382	442
Total number of admissions given out	1,344	360
Admitted students who chose to enroll	452	196
Yield rate	33.6%	54.4%
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: $20,016 Out of state: $24,790
Average net price	$15,895	$13,243
Tuition	In state: $7,700 Out of state: $10,800	In state: $6,364 Out of state: $11,138
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $3,680 Meal plan: $3,622	Room/dormitory: $2,505 Meal plan: $4,414
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	89.0% Average amount $4,736	99.0% Average amount $5,907
Students receiving federal student loan	58.0% Average amount $4,966	66.0% Average amount $4,794
Students taking out private loans	11.0% Average amount $9,709	17.0% Average amount $6,743

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,346 Men 36.8% Women 63.2%	1,523 Men 41.8% Women 58.2%
Graduate students	193 Men 34.2% Women 65.8%	163 Men 32.5% Women 67.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	36.9%
International students	1.5%	1.3%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	811	462
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 Alaska Hawaii Colorado

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

Outcome
Graduation rate	42.5%	53.2%
Dropout rate	55.3%	17.9%
Transferred out	N/A	28.9%
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	Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $50,075 Year 2: $53,775 Year 3: $56,925 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,447 Year 2: $43,000 Year 3: $45,538 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,584 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $43,994 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,217 Year 2: $37,537 Year 3: $43,180 Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,083 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $41,045 Human Services, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: N/A

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Black Hills State University (BHSU) vs Valley City State University (VCSU)

Black Hills State University

Valley City State University

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Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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