MSU Billings vs South Dakota State University (SDSU)

Montana State University Billings and South Dakota State University, both public institutions with rich histories, offer distinct educational experiences. MSU Billings, nestled in the vibrant city of Billings, Montana, boasts a smaller student body, fostering a close-knit community feel. In contrast, SDSU, located in the charming town of Brookings, South Dakota, has a larger student population, providing a more diverse and bustling campus environment. While both universities offer a wide range of academic programs, MSU Billings excels in nursing, business, and education, while SDSU shines in engineering, agriculture, and health sciences. Explore the detailed comparison table below to delve into further differences, including acceptance rates, graduation rates, student demographics, and more, to help you make an informed decision about your higher education journey.

	Montana State University Billings	South Dakota State University
Overview
Location	Billings, Montana	Brookings, South Dakota
Campus setting	City: Midsize	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	57.0%	80.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	Open Admission	87.4%
Application fees	$40	Undergraduate: $20 Graduate: $35
SAT range	N/A	980 - 1220
ACT range	N/A	19 - 25
Students submitting SAT score		3.0%
Students submitting ACT score		86.0%
Total number of applicants		5,774
Total number of admissions given out		5,048
Admitted students who chose to enroll		2,019
Yield rate		40.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)		N/A
High school GPA	N/A	Required
Recommendation letters	N/A	Not required
High school transcript	N/A	Required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	N/A	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $20,258 Out of state: $33,588	In state: $24,304 Out of state: $27,814
Average net price	$12,626	$17,859
Tuition	In state: $4,485 Out of state: $17,678	In state: $7,773 Out of state: $11,283
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,096 Meal plan: $3,860	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)	85.0% Average amount $5,151	81.0% Average amount $4,747
Students receiving federal student loan	42.0% Average amount $4,398	60.0% Average amount $5,063
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $10,623	17.0% Average amount $9,956

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,728 Men 35.8% Women 64.2%	9,847 Men 45.2% Women 54.8%
Graduate students	386 Men 23.6% Women 76.4%	1,618 Men 37.3% Women 62.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	11.6%	N/A
International students	1.6%	5.1%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	480	4,488
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Montana Washington California Wyoming Idaho	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Education Liberal Arts Business Automotive Technology	Health Professions Engineering Family and Consumer Sciences Education Agriculture
Students to faculty ratio	15:1	17:1
Institutional accreditation	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	28.1%	59.5%
Dropout rate	41.6%	38.9%
Transferred out	25.2%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $58,668 Year 2: $58,402 Year 3: $56,921 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,844 Year 2: $39,369 Year 3: $45,907 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,616 Year 2: $32,284 Year 3: $35,732 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,524 Year 2: $29,250 Year 3: $34,494 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,992 Year 2: $43,993 Year 3: $33,515 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $31,890 Year 3: $33,438 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,495 Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: N/A Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $37,775 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $48,100 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Health and Medical Administrative Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $38,289 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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MSU Billings vs South Dakota State University (SDSU)

Montana State University Billings

South Dakota State University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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