South Dakota School of Mines and Technology vs Washington State University (WSU)

South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (SDSMT) and Washington State University (WSU) stand as distinct institutions of higher learning, each offering unique opportunities and experiences to their students. SDSMT, a public research university located in Rapid City, South Dakota, is renowned for its strong programs in engineering, science, and technology. WSU, on the other hand, is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Pullman, Washington, and boasts a diverse range of academic programs, including agriculture, business, education, and veterinary medicine. While both universities share a commitment to academic excellence, they differ in terms of acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which university better aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	South Dakota School of Mines and Technology	Washington State University
Overview
Location	Rapid City, South Dakota	Pullman, Washington
Campus setting	City: Small	Town: Distant
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	70.0%	81.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	80.5%	85.8%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $20 Graduate: $35	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $75
SAT range	1155 - 1355	N/A
ACT range	24 - 29	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	26.0%
Students submitting ACT score	84.0%
Total number of applicants	1,445	18,197
Total number of admissions given out	1,163	15,607
Admitted students who chose to enroll	489	4,007
Yield rate	42.0%	25.7%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $29,330 Out of state: $33,750	In state: $28,767 Out of state: $44,083
Average net price	$19,257	$11,877
Tuition	In state: $7,820 Out of state: $12,240	In state: $10,457 Out of state: $25,773
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,060 Meal plan: $4,080	Room/dormitory: $7,400 Meal plan: $4,350
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	83.0% Average amount $5,895	86.0% Average amount $9,993
Students receiving federal student loan	52.0% Average amount $4,907	27.0% Average amount $5,042
Students taking out private loans	13.0% Average amount $12,435	3.0% Average amount $15,454

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,083 Men 76.4% Women 23.6%	24,278 Men 45.9% Women 54.1%
Graduate students	333 Men 76.3% Women 23.7%	5,565 Men 44.7% Women 55.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	63.0%	15.2%
International students	5.3%	5.7%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	1,082	7,043
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	South Dakota Colorado Minnesota Nebraska Wyoming	Washington California Oregon Idaho Hawaii

Academics
Popular study areas	Engineering Computer and Information Science Physical Science Engineering Technologies Biological and Biomedical Sciences	Business Engineering Social Sciences Health Professions Education
Students to faculty ratio	11:1	15:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Outcome
Graduation rate	52.3%	59.5%
Dropout rate	35.2%	38.1%
Transferred out	7.2%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $61,020 Year 3: $75,822 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,634 Year 2: $67,789 Year 3: $71,638 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,408 Year 2: $60,523 Year 3: $64,746 Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,674 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: N/A Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,157 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Mining and Mineral Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $74,953 Year 3: N/A Industrial Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,319 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: N/A Geological/Geophysical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,327 Year 2: $50,856 Year 3: N/A Engineering-Related Fields (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $86,985 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A	Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $135,393 Year 3: $143,888 Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $110,911 Year 2: $123,178 Year 3: $127,531 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $90,080 Year 2: $100,915 Year 3: $120,737 Engineering-Related Fields (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $111,957 Year 2: $112,073 Year 3: $119,910 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $106,275 Year 2: $105,813 Year 3: $117,478 Veterinary Medicine (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $82,971 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $96,760 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $76,468 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $88,746 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $80,693 Year 2: $75,204 Year 3: $81,535 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $73,112 Year 2: $68,808 Year 3: $80,939 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $69,531 Year 2: $72,881 Year 3: $79,650

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South Dakota School of Mines and Technology

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