Dakota Wesleyan University vs Dakota State

Dakota Wesleyan University and Dakota State University, both located in South Dakota, offer distinct educational experiences. Dakota Wesleyan, a private institution, boasts a higher acceptance rate (75%) compared to Dakota State's 68%. Dakota State, a public university, enrolls a larger student body, with over 3,000 undergraduates, while Dakota Wesleyan has a smaller, close-knit community of around 800 undergraduates. Both universities offer a range of undergraduate programs, with Dakota Wesleyan excelling in liberal arts and sciences, while Dakota State specializes in STEM fields and professional programs. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about the differences in tuition, graduation rates, student demographics, and popular majors, helping you make an informed decision about which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and career goals.

	Dakota State University	Dakota Wesleyan University
Overview
Location	Madison, 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	72.0%	71.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation		Methodism

Admission
Acceptance rate	85.6%	75.7%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $20 Graduate: $35	$110
SAT range	1000 - 1245	860 - 1100
ACT range	19 - 26	19 - 25
Students submitting SAT score	11.0%	3.0%
Students submitting ACT score	80.0%	60.0%
Total number of applicants	681	1,047
Total number of admissions given out	583	793
Admitted students who chose to enroll	366	169
Yield rate	62.8%	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)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $24,073 Out of state: $27,175	$43,080
Average net price	$17,572	$21,830
Tuition	In state: $7,616 Out of state: $10,718	$29,700
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,116 Meal plan: $3,308	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)	79.0% Average amount $4,645	100.0% Average amount $18,033
Students receiving federal student loan	58.0% Average amount $4,987	92.0% Average amount $5,049
Students taking out private loans	11.0% Average amount $9,288	26.0% Average amount $13,323

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,751 Men 60.9% Women 39.1%	770 Men 42.9% Women 57.1%
Graduate students	468 Men 74.8% Women 25.2%	156 Men 35.3% Women 64.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	4.5%	1.1%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	925	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	Computer and Information Science Education Business Liberal Arts Health Professions	Business Health Professions Education Law Enforcement and Firefighting Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	18:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	46.8%	54.9%
Dropout rate	49.8%	38.3%
Transferred out	N/A	6.9%
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	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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