NSU-Aberdeen vs Chico State

Northern State University and California State University-Chico, two distinct institutions with unique offerings, stand ready to shape your academic journey. Northern, nestled in the heart of South Dakota, boasts a tight-knit community and a focus on personalized education, while Chico, situated in the vibrant city of Chico, California, offers a diverse student body and a wide range of academic programs. With acceptance rates of 88% and 79%, respectively, both universities welcome students from various backgrounds. While Northern's popular majors include Education, Business, and Nursing, Chico excels in fields like Business, Communication, and Biological Sciences. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details, such as student body demographics, graduation rates, and more, to discover the institution that best aligns with your aspirations and goals.

	California State University-Chico	Northern State University
Overview
Location	Chico, California	Aberdeen, 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	81.0%	68.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	85.5%	79.8%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $70	Undergraduate: $20 Graduate: $35
SAT range	N/A	1020 - 1190
ACT range	N/A	18 - 24
Students submitting SAT score		5.0%
Students submitting ACT score		80.0%
Total number of applicants	19,990	1,229
Total number of admissions given out	17,086	981
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,929	337
Yield rate	11.3%	34.4%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $23,984 Out of state: $35,864	In state: $23,495 Out of state: $26,597
Average net price	$13,749	$16,821
Tuition	In state: $5,742 Out of state: $17,622	In state: $7,616 Out of state: $10,718
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,609 Meal plan: $3,881	Room/dormitory: $4,800 Meal plan: $4,350
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	63.0% Average amount $8,691	89.0% Average amount $5,662
Students receiving federal student loan	29.0% Average amount $4,637	65.0% Average amount $4,850
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $11,369	10.0% Average amount $9,043

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	14,462 Men 45.5% Women 54.5%	2,867 Men 40.6% Women 59.4%
Graduate students	1,240 Men 33.6% Women 66.4%	473 Men 26.6% Women 73.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Very Low
Out-of-state students	1.3%	38.9%
International students	2.9%	2.1%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	2,323	853
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Oregon Washington Arizona Colorado	South Dakota Minnesota North Dakota Iowa Wisconsin

Academics
Popular study areas	Liberal Arts Health Professions Public Administration and Social Service Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Engineering Technologies	Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Business Liberal Arts
Students to faculty ratio	22:1	16:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	65.4%	47.6%
Dropout rate	27.4%	25.4%
Transferred out	4.8%	22.9%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $94,107 Year 2: $95,797 Year 3: $96,478 Construction Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $78,190 Year 2: $83,091 Year 3: $93,961 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $72,808 Year 2: $74,241 Year 3: $91,563 Electrical Engineering Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $71,244 Year 2: $70,176 Year 3: $79,499 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,761 Year 2: $69,617 Year 3: $79,308 Engineering, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,803 Year 2: $66,355 Year 3: $76,389 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,879 Year 2: $59,350 Year 3: $74,258 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,880 Year 2: $66,222 Year 3: $74,116 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $67,298 Year 2: $68,499 Year 3: $69,321 Engineering-Related Fields (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,812 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $68,680	Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $49,248 Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $44,021 Year 3: $46,732 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,902 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $46,239 Curriculum and Instruction (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $43,575 Year 3: $45,796 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,996 Year 2: $40,728 Year 3: $45,442 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,033 Year 2: $39,523 Year 3: $39,953 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,526 Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: $39,845 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,862 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: N/A English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $20,824 Year 3: N/A Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $38,740 Year 2: $34,526 Year 3: N/A

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