Rocky Mountain College vs Dakota State

Rocky Mountain College and Dakota State University, two distinct institutions of higher learning, offer unique educational experiences to their students. Rocky Mountain College, nestled in the picturesque Billings, Montana, boasts a higher acceptance rate, allowing more students the opportunity to pursue their academic aspirations. Dakota State University, located in the vibrant city of Madison, South Dakota, stands out with its strong focus on STEM fields, attracting students passionate about science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. While both universities offer a diverse range of undergraduate and graduate programs, their student demographics vary, with Rocky Mountain College having a slightly larger undergraduate population and Dakota State University having a higher percentage of graduate students. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details about these institutions, including their graduation rates, popular majors, and other key factors, to help you make an informed decision about your educational journey.

	Dakota State University	Rocky Mountain College
Overview
Location	Madison, South Dakota	Billings, Montana
Campus setting	Town: Distant	City: Midsize
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	72.0%	60.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation		Protestant

Admission
Acceptance rate	85.6%	80.7%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $20 Graduate: $35	Undergraduate: $35 Graduate: $45
SAT range	1000 - 1245	975 - 1180
ACT range	19 - 26	18 - 25
Students submitting SAT score	11.0%	9.0%
Students submitting ACT score	80.0%	57.0%
Total number of applicants	681	1,396
Total number of admissions given out	583	1,126
Admitted students who chose to enroll	366	220
Yield rate	62.8%	19.5%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $24,073 Out of state: $27,175	$44,759
Average net price	$17,572	$19,726
Tuition	In state: $7,616 Out of state: $10,718	$30,725
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,116 Meal plan: $3,308	Room/dormitory: $4,413 Meal plan: $4,442
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	79.0% Average amount $4,645	99.0% Average amount $22,513
Students receiving federal student loan	58.0% Average amount $4,987	66.0% Average amount $5,220
Students taking out private loans	11.0% Average amount $9,288	9.0% Average amount $23,696

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,751 Men 60.9% Women 39.1%	817 Men 51.0% Women 49.0%
Graduate students	468 Men 74.8% Women 25.2%	241 Men 23.7% Women 76.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	35.4%
International students	4.5%	4.1%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	925	571
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Montana California Washington Arizona Idaho

Academics
Popular study areas	Computer and Information Science Education Business Liberal Arts Health Professions	Health Professions Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Business
Students to faculty ratio	18:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Outcome
Graduation rate	46.8%	52.3%
Dropout rate	49.8%	47.7%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $49,983 Year 2: $51,035 Year 3: $66,125 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,841 Year 2: $39,369 Year 3: $46,318 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,973 Year 2: $55,964 Year 3: $44,718 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $41,205 Year 3: $44,370 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $43,878 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $39,153 Year 3: $38,114 Computer Software and Media Applications (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,986 Year 2: $28,598 Year 3: $31,143 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $91,122 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Information Science/Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,967 Year 2: $55,964 Year 3: N/A Information Science/Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $69,795 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: N/A	Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $104,522 Year 2: $105,752 Year 3: $116,492 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,348 Year 2: $36,312 Year 3: $45,340 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,800 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $40,017 Year 3: N/A Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,494 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $21,875 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Air Transportation (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,903 Year 2: $46,478 Year 3: N/A

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Rocky Mountain College vs Dakota State

Dakota State University

Rocky Mountain College

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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