NSU-Aberdeen vs Idaho State

Northern State University and Idaho State University, both public institutions with rich histories, offer distinct educational experiences. Northern State, located in Aberdeen, South Dakota, is a smaller university with an acceptance rate of 98% and a focus on undergraduate education. Idaho State, situated in Pocatello, Idaho, is larger and more comprehensive, with an acceptance rate of 86% and a wider range of academic programs, including graduate degrees. While both universities offer a variety of popular majors, such as business, education, and nursing, Northern State is known for its strong teacher preparation program, while Idaho State excels in engineering and health sciences. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more about the differences in student body demographics, graduation rates, and other key factors that can help you make an informed decision about which university aligns best with your academic goals and preferences.

	Idaho State University	Northern State University
Overview
Location	Pocatello, Idaho	Aberdeen, South Dakota
Campus setting	City: Small	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	65.0%	68.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	Open Admission	79.8%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $65	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		1,229
Total number of admissions given out		981
Admitted students who chose to enroll		337
Yield rate		34.4%
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: $23,172 Out of state: $40,626	In state: $23,495 Out of state: $26,597
Average net price	$13,012	$16,821
Tuition	In state: $5,928 Out of state: $23,382	In state: $7,616 Out of state: $10,718
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $2,950 Meal plan: $4,390	Room/dormitory: $4,800 Meal plan: $4,350
Available payment plans	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	86.0% Average amount $8,089	89.0% Average amount $5,662
Students receiving federal student loan	36.0% Average amount $4,829	65.0% Average amount $4,850
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $9,511	10.0% Average amount $9,043

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	9,818 Men 41.1% Women 58.9%	2,867 Men 40.6% Women 59.4%
Graduate students	2,317 Men 39.0% Women 61.0%	473 Men 26.6% Women 73.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	8.9%	38.9%
International students	1.8%	2.1%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	1,213	853
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Idaho California Utah Washington Wyoming	South Dakota Minnesota North Dakota Iowa Wisconsin

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Business Liberal Arts Education Engineering Technologies	Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Business Liberal Arts
Students to faculty ratio	13:1	16:1
Institutional accreditation	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	39.1%	47.6%
Dropout rate	36.1%	25.4%
Transferred out	19.7%	22.9%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $107,409 Year 2: $124,909 Year 3: $126,262 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $109,657 Year 2: $103,424 Year 3: $112,338 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $77,213 Year 3: $77,745 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $62,905 Year 2: $61,516 Year 3: $77,011 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $71,957 Year 3: $74,473 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $69,546 Year 2: $71,202 Year 3: $74,340 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,126 Year 2: $55,964 Year 3: $69,853 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $63,021 Year 2: $71,015 Year 3: $64,966 Electromechanical Instrumentation and Maintenance Technologies/Technicians (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $59,309 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $64,676 Environmental Control Technologies/Technicians (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: N/A Year 3: $62,273	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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