Dakota State vs South Dakota State University (SDSU)

Dakota State University and South Dakota State University, both esteemed institutions in South Dakota, offer distinct educational experiences. Dakota State, nestled in Madison, boasts a close-knit community with a focus on technology and business, reflected in its high acceptance rate and popular majors in computer science and information systems. South Dakota State, located in Brookings, stands out for its agricultural and engineering programs, attracting a diverse student body and maintaining a higher graduation rate. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to delve into further details, such as tuition fees, faculty-to-student ratios, and campus life, to determine which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Dakota State University	South Dakota State University
Overview
Location	Madison, South Dakota	Brookings, South 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	72.0%	80.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	85.6%	87.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $20 Graduate: $35	Undergraduate: $20 Graduate: $35
SAT range	1000 - 1245	980 - 1220
ACT range	19 - 26	19 - 25
Students submitting SAT score	11.0%	3.0%
Students submitting ACT score	80.0%	86.0%
Total number of applicants	681	5,774
Total number of admissions given out	583	5,048
Admitted students who chose to enroll	366	2,019
Yield rate	62.8%	40.0%
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)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $24,073 Out of state: $27,175	In state: $24,304 Out of state: $27,814
Average net price	$17,572	$17,859
Tuition	In state: $7,616 Out of state: $10,718	In state: $7,773 Out of state: $11,283
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,116 Meal plan: $3,308	Room/dormitory: $4,054 Meal plan: $4,082
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	79.0% Average amount $4,645	81.0% Average amount $4,747
Students receiving federal student loan	58.0% Average amount $4,987	60.0% Average amount $5,063
Students taking out private loans	11.0% Average amount $9,288	17.0% Average amount $9,956

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,751 Men 60.9% Women 39.1%	9,847 Men 45.2% Women 54.8%
Graduate students	468 Men 74.8% Women 25.2%	1,618 Men 37.3% Women 62.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	4.5%	5.1%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	925	4,488
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	Computer and Information Science Education Business Liberal Arts Health Professions	Health Professions Engineering Family and Consumer Sciences Education Agriculture
Students to faculty ratio	18:1	17:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	46.8%	59.5%
Dropout rate	49.8%	38.9%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $110,688 Year 2: $117,014 Year 3: $126,250 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $92,277 Year 3: $114,802 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $53,967 Year 2: $74,845 Year 3: $81,032 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,229 Year 2: $61,322 Year 3: $70,114 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,268 Year 2: $59,124 Year 3: $62,932 Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,985 Year 2: $56,234 Year 3: $61,104 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,372 Year 2: $57,860 Year 3: $60,463 Construction Engineering Technologies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,551 Year 2: $56,776 Year 3: $59,988 Plant Sciences (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,213 Year 2: $55,151 Year 3: $55,715 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $43,798 Year 3: $54,439

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