Dakota Wesleyan University vs Briar Cliff University

Dakota Wesleyan University and Briar Cliff University, both located in South Dakota, offer distinct educational experiences. Dakota Wesleyan, a private university, boasts a higher acceptance rate (75%) compared to Briar Cliff's 68%. Briar Cliff, on the other hand, has a slightly larger student body, with over 1,300 undergraduates, while Dakota Wesleyan hosts around 800. In terms of popular majors, Dakota Wesleyan emphasizes liberal arts and sciences, while Briar Cliff offers a wider range of programs, including nursing, business, and education. Both universities have strong graduation rates, with Dakota Wesleyan at 58% and Briar Cliff at 62%. To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table below, highlighting key differences between these two institutions. Explore the table to find the university that best aligns with your academic goals and preferences.

	Briar Cliff University	Dakota Wesleyan University
Overview
Location	Sioux City, Iowa	Mitchell, South Dakota
Campus setting	City: Small	Town: Remote
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	63.0%	71.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation	Catholic	Methodism

Admission
Acceptance rate	Open Admission	75.7%
Application fees		$110
SAT range	N/A	860 - 1100
ACT range	N/A	19 - 25
Students submitting SAT score		3.0%
Students submitting ACT score		60.0%
Total number of applicants		1,047
Total number of admissions given out		793
Admitted students who chose to enroll		169
Yield rate		21.3%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	Not required	N/A
High school GPA	N/A	Required
Recommendation letters	N/A	Not required
High school transcript	N/A	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	N/A	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$48,190	$43,080
Average net price	$21,734	$21,830
Tuition	$32,526	$29,700
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,713 Meal plan: $5,440	Room/dormitory: $3,350 Meal plan: $4,200
Available payment plans	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	99.0% Average amount $25,701	100.0% Average amount $18,033
Students receiving federal student loan	70.0% Average amount $5,210	92.0% Average amount $5,049
Students taking out private loans	7.0% Average amount $12,375	26.0% Average amount $13,323

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	766 Men 47.4% Women 52.6%	770 Men 42.9% Women 57.1%
Graduate students	234 Men 31.6% Women 68.4%	156 Men 35.3% Women 64.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	62.6%	N/A
International students	4.8%	1.1%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	571	520
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Iowa Nebraska Texas Virgin Islands Illinois	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Public Administration and Social Service Business Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences	Business Health Professions Education Law Enforcement and Firefighting Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	55.7%	54.9%
Dropout rate	44.3%	38.3%
Transferred out	N/A	6.9%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,675 Year 2: $70,009 Year 3: $75,805 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,009 Year 2: $57,657 Year 3: $59,664 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,817 Year 2: $47,650 Year 3: $58,240 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,709 Year 2: $47,397 Year 3: $56,596 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $33,281 Year 3: $40,775 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,691 Year 2: $35,416 Year 3: N/A Social Work (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,406 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Criminology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: N/A Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $62,863 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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Dakota Wesleyan University vs Briar Cliff University

Briar Cliff University

Dakota Wesleyan University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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