Dakota Wesleyan University vs Black Hills State University (BHSU)

Dakota Wesleyan University and Black Hills State University, both esteemed institutions in South Dakota, offer distinct educational experiences. Dakota Wesleyan, a private university, boasts a higher acceptance rate (75%) compared to Black Hills State's 85%. While Black Hills State accommodates a larger student body, Dakota Wesleyan fosters a more intimate learning environment with smaller class sizes. Both universities offer diverse academic programs, with Dakota Wesleyan excelling in liberal arts and sciences, while Black Hills State emphasizes professional fields like business, education, and nursing. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about these universities' acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, graduation rates, and other key factors, helping you make an informed decision about your higher education journey.

	Black Hills State University	Dakota Wesleyan University
Overview
Location	Spearfish, South Dakota	Mitchell, South Dakota
Campus setting	Town: Distant	Town: Remote
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%	71.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation		Methodism

Admission
Acceptance rate	97.3%	75.7%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $20 Graduate: $35	$110
SAT range	970 - 1150	860 - 1100
ACT range	18 - 23	19 - 25
Students submitting SAT score	6.0%	3.0%
Students submitting ACT score	79.0%	60.0%
Total number of applicants	1,382	1,047
Total number of admissions given out	1,344	793
Admitted students who chose to enroll	452	169
Yield rate	33.6%	21.3%
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	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $22,100 Out of state: $25,200	$43,080
Average net price	$15,895	$21,830
Tuition	In state: $7,700 Out of state: $10,800	$29,700
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $3,680 Meal plan: $3,622	Room/dormitory: $3,350 Meal plan: $4,200
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 $18,033
Students receiving federal student loan	58.0% Average amount $4,966	92.0% Average amount $5,049
Students taking out private loans	11.0% Average amount $9,709	26.0% Average amount $13,323

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,346 Men 36.8% Women 63.2%	770 Men 42.9% Women 57.1%
Graduate students	193 Men 34.2% Women 65.8%	156 Men 35.3% Women 64.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	1.5%	1.1%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	811	520
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	Business Health Professions Education Law Enforcement and Firefighting Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	17:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	42.5%	54.9%
Dropout rate	55.3%	38.3%
Transferred out	N/A	6.9%
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	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,155 Year 2: $57,603 Year 3: $64,357 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $55,512 Year 3: $55,254 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $39,369 Year 3: $42,345 Human Services, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $34,526 Year 3: $39,391 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $37,568 Year 3: N/A Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $42,123 Year 3: N/A Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $28,019 Year 3: N/A Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,046 Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: N/A Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $35,416 Year 3: N/A Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,623 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: N/A

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