Dakota Wesleyan University vs University of North Dakota (UND)

Dakota Wesleyan University and University of North Dakota, two distinct institutions of higher learning in South Dakota and North Dakota, respectively, offer unique educational experiences to prospective students. Dakota Wesleyan, a private university with a smaller student body, boasts a higher acceptance rate and a focus on undergraduate education. In contrast, the University of North Dakota, a public research university, offers a wider range of graduate programs and a larger, more diverse student population. While both universities offer strong academic programs, their distinct characteristics may appeal to different types of students. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover the key differences between these two institutions, including acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates, to determine which university best aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.
Dakota Wesleyan University logo

Dakota Wesleyan University

University of North Dakota logo

University of North Dakota

Overview

Location Mitchell, South Dakota Grand Forks, North Dakota
Campus setting Town: Remote City: Small
College type 4 year 4 year
Control/business model Private (Non Profit) Public
Calendar system Semester Semester
Degrees offered Undergraduate and Graduate Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate 71.0% 77.0%
Common app member Yes Yes
Religious affiliation Methodism

Admission

Acceptance rate 75.7% 89.0%
Application fees $110
Undergraduate: $35

Graduate: $35
SAT range 860 - 1100 1110 - 1290
ACT range 19 - 25 20 - 26
Students submitting SAT score 3.0% 6.0%
Students submitting ACT score 60.0% 59.0%
Total number of applicants 1,047 5,962
Total number of admissions given out 793 5,308
Admitted students who chose to enroll 169 1,755
Yield rate 21.3% 33.1%
Test scores (SAT/ACT) N/A N/A
High school GPA Required Required
Recommendation letters Not required Not required
High school transcript Not required Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) Required Required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price $43,080
In state: $24,764

Out of state: $29,205
Average net price $21,830 $17,425
Tuition $29,700
In state: $8,882

Out of state: $13,323
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $3,350

Meal plan: $4,200
Room/dormitory: $4,770

Meal plan: $5,152
Available payment plans
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

100.0%
Average amount $18,033
83.0%
Average amount $5,576
Students receiving federal student loan 92.0%
Average amount $5,049
55.0%
Average amount $5,142
Students taking out private loans 26.0%
Average amount $13,323
24.0%
Average amount $15,124

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 770
Men 42.9% Women 57.1%
9,718
Men 56.6% Women 43.4%
Graduate students 156
Men 35.3% Women 64.7%
4,054
Men 36.4% Women 63.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Very Low
Very Low
Out-of-state students N/A 60.5%
International students 1.1% 6.8%
Campus local/setting Town: Remote City: Small
Dormitory capacity 520 4,588
First year students are required to live on campus? No No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from N/A North Dakota Minnesota California Wisconsin Illinois

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Business
  • Health Professions
  • Education
  • Law Enforcement and Firefighting
  • Biological and Biomedical Sciences
  • Health Professions
  • Education
  • Engineering
  • Business
  • Public Administration and Social Service
Students to faculty ratio 12:1 17:1
Institutional accreditation Higher Learning Commission Higher Learning Commission

Outcome

Graduation rate 54.9% 61.8%
Dropout rate 38.3% 9.4%
Transferred out 6.9% 26.4%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
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
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $102,600
  • Year 2: $107,376
  • Year 3: $116,029
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $108,048
  • Year 2: $101,645
  • Year 3: $112,295
Petroleum Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $84,111
  • Year 2: $72,762
  • Year 3: $94,157
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $77,951
  • Year 2: $76,460
  • Year 3: $80,971
Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $62,457
  • Year 2: $66,325
  • Year 3: $79,432
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $76,521
  • Year 2: $76,460
  • Year 3: $78,447
Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $61,317
  • Year 2: $63,005
  • Year 3: $75,504
Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $66,166
  • Year 2: $64,608
  • Year 3: $73,223
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: $67,089
  • Year 2: $67,660
  • Year 3: $70,144
Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $56,206
  • Year 2: $55,547
  • Year 3: $69,655

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