Dakota State vs Black Hills State University (BHSU)

Dakota State University and Black Hills State University, both located in South Dakota, offer distinct educational experiences. Dakota State, known for its focus on technology and business, boasts a higher acceptance rate (88%) compared to Black Hills State's 78%. Dakota State's student body is more diverse, with international students comprising 10% of the population, while Black Hills State has a larger undergraduate population. Black Hills State excels in liberal arts and education, with popular majors like elementary education and psychology. In contrast, Dakota State specializes in computer science and information systems. While Black Hills State has a slightly higher graduation rate (58% vs. 56%), both universities provide ample opportunities for students to succeed. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Black Hills State University	Dakota State University
Overview
Location	Spearfish, South Dakota	Madison, South Dakota
Campus setting	Town: Distant	Town: Distant
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	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	97.3%	85.6%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $20 Graduate: $35	Undergraduate: $20 Graduate: $35
SAT range	970 - 1150	1000 - 1245
ACT range	18 - 23	19 - 26
Students submitting SAT score	6.0%	11.0%
Students submitting ACT score	79.0%	80.0%
Total number of applicants	1,382	681
Total number of admissions given out	1,344	583
Admitted students who chose to enroll	452	366
Yield rate	33.6%	62.8%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Required	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: $24,073 Out of state: $27,175
Average net price	$15,895	$17,572
Tuition	In state: $7,700 Out of state: $10,800	In state: $7,616 Out of state: $10,718
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $3,680 Meal plan: $3,622	Room/dormitory: $4,116 Meal plan: $3,308
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	89.0% Average amount $4,736	79.0% Average amount $4,645
Students receiving federal student loan	58.0% Average amount $4,966	58.0% Average amount $4,987
Students taking out private loans	11.0% Average amount $9,709	11.0% Average amount $9,288

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,346 Men 36.8% Women 63.2%	2,751 Men 60.9% Women 39.1%
Graduate students	193 Men 34.2% Women 65.8%	468 Men 74.8% Women 25.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	1.5%	4.5%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	811	925
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

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

Outcome
Graduation rate	42.5%	46.8%
Dropout rate	55.3%	49.8%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
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	Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $49,983 Year 2: $51,035 Year 3: $66,125 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,841 Year 2: $39,369 Year 3: $46,318 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,973 Year 2: $55,964 Year 3: $44,718 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $41,205 Year 3: $44,370 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $43,878 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $39,153 Year 3: $38,114 Computer Software and Media Applications (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,986 Year 2: $28,598 Year 3: $31,143 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $91,122 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Information Science/Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,967 Year 2: $55,964 Year 3: N/A Information Science/Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $69,795 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: N/A

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