Saint Cloud State University (SCSU) vs Dakota State

Saint Cloud State University and Dakota State University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Saint Cloud State, nestled in the vibrant city of Saint Cloud, Minnesota, boasts a diverse student body and a wide range of academic programs, while Dakota State, located in the charming town of Madison, South Dakota, specializes in STEM fields and boasts a high acceptance rate. With Saint Cloud State's acceptance rate at 86% and Dakota State's at 98%, both universities welcome students from various backgrounds. Explore the comparison table below to delve into further details about these universities, including popular majors, student demographics, graduation rates, and more, to help you make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	Dakota State University	Saint Cloud State University
Overview
Location	Madison, South Dakota	Saint Cloud, Minnesota
Campus setting	Town: Distant	City: Small
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	72.0%	62.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	85.6%	94.3%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $20 Graduate: $35	$40
SAT range	1000 - 1245	N/A
ACT range	19 - 26	18 - 24
Students submitting SAT score	11.0%
Students submitting ACT score	80.0%	39.0%
Total number of applicants	681	4,228
Total number of admissions given out	583	3,988
Admitted students who chose to enroll	366	837
Yield rate	62.8%	21.0%
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	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $24,073 Out of state: $27,175	In state: $22,317 Out of state: $31,157
Average net price	$17,572	$13,615
Tuition	In state: $7,616 Out of state: $10,718	In state: $7,839 Out of state: $16,679
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,116 Meal plan: $3,308	Room/dormitory: $6,036 Meal plan: $3,311
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	79.0% Average amount $4,645	83.0% Average amount $6,233
Students receiving federal student loan	58.0% Average amount $4,987	48.0% Average amount $5,504
Students taking out private loans	11.0% Average amount $9,288	12.0% Average amount $10,683

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,751 Men 60.9% Women 39.1%	8,956 Men 45.7% Women 54.3%
Graduate students	468 Men 74.8% Women 25.2%	1,818 Men 36.9% Women 63.1%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	4.5%	10.2%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	925	1,642
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Computer and Information Science Education Business Liberal Arts Health Professions	Education Health Professions Business Engineering Liberal Arts
Students to faculty ratio	18:1	16:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	46.8%	47.2%
Dropout rate	49.8%	16.2%
Transferred out	N/A	34.9%
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	Educational Administration and Supervision (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $80,556 Year 3: $94,800 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $79,020 Year 2: $75,204 Year 3: $92,834 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,563 Year 2: $70,009 Year 3: $81,117 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $72,734 Year 2: $59,253 Year 3: $78,506 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,589 Year 2: $63,377 Year 3: $74,072 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,404 Year 2: $66,377 Year 3: $68,544 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $58,522 Year 3: $66,211 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $48,623 Year 2: $55,964 Year 3: $63,637 Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,397 Year 2: $62,154 Year 3: $62,291 Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,276 Year 2: $51,273 Year 3: $57,748

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