NSU-Aberdeen vs CWU-Ellensburg

Northern State University and Central Washington University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Northern State, nestled in the vibrant city of Aberdeen, South Dakota, boasts a tight-knit community with a focus on personalized attention. Central Washington, located in the picturesque town of Ellensburg, Washington, prides itself on its diverse student body and strong academic programs. While both universities share a commitment to excellence, they differ in acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Central Washington University	Northern State University
Overview
Location	Ellensburg, Washington	Aberdeen, South Dakota
Campus setting	Town: Distant	Town: Remote
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Quarter	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	69.0%	68.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	88.4%	79.8%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $75	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	10,767	1,229
Total number of admissions given out	9,523	981
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,371	337
Yield rate	14.4%	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: $22,248 Out of state: $38,776	In state: $23,495 Out of state: $26,597
Average net price	$17,645	$16,821
Tuition	In state: $6,656 Out of state: $23,184	In state: $7,616 Out of state: $10,718
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,645 Meal plan: $7,957	Room/dormitory: $4,800 Meal plan: $4,350
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	80.0% Average amount $7,378	89.0% Average amount $5,662
Students receiving federal student loan	41.0% Average amount $4,834	65.0% Average amount $4,850
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $14,197	10.0% Average amount $9,043

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	9,566 Men 47.0% Women 53.0%	2,867 Men 40.6% Women 59.4%
Graduate students	610 Men 37.4% Women 62.6%	473 Men 26.6% Women 73.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Very Low
Out-of-state students	6.7%	38.9%
International students	2.7%	2.1%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	3,755	853
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Washington California Oregon Hawaii Arkansas	South Dakota Minnesota North Dakota Iowa Wisconsin

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Business Social Sciences Health Professions Visual & Performing Arts	Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Business Liberal Arts
Students to faculty ratio	15:1	16:1
Institutional accreditation	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	53.6%	47.6%
Dropout rate	44.0%	25.4%
Transferred out	N/A	22.9%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Electrical Engineering Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $72,482 Year 3: $86,230 Construction Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $73,538 Year 2: $71,168 Year 3: $82,194 Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,024 Year 2: $65,486 Year 3: $79,944 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $58,531 Year 2: $61,020 Year 3: $77,665 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,052 Year 2: $52,941 Year 3: $69,645 Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,580 Year 2: $56,979 Year 3: $69,564 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $55,151 Year 3: $62,577 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $44,170 Year 3: $61,531 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,008 Year 2: $39,369 Year 3: $58,391 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $47,842 Year 2: $50,606 Year 3: $58,240	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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