South Dakota State University (SDSU) vs Chico State

South Dakota State University (SDSU) and California State University-Chico (CSUC) are two distinct universities with unique offerings. SDSU, located in Brookings, South Dakota, is a public land-grant research university with an acceptance rate of 88% and a graduation rate of 62%. CSUC, situated in Chico, California, is also a public university with an acceptance rate of 79% and a graduation rate of 58%. While both universities offer a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs, SDSU is known for its strong programs in agriculture, engineering, and nursing, while CSUC excels in business, communication, and education. Explore the comparison table below to delve into further details about these universities, including student body demographics, popular majors, costs, and more, to determine which institution aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	California State University-Chico	South Dakota State University
Overview
Location	Chico, California	Brookings, South Dakota
Campus setting	City: Midsize	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	81.0%	80.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	85.5%	87.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $70	Undergraduate: $20 Graduate: $35
SAT range	N/A	980 - 1220
ACT range	N/A	19 - 25
Students submitting SAT score		3.0%
Students submitting ACT score		86.0%
Total number of applicants	19,990	5,774
Total number of admissions given out	17,086	5,048
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,929	2,019
Yield rate	11.3%	40.0%
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: $23,984 Out of state: $35,864	In state: $24,304 Out of state: $27,814
Average net price	$13,749	$17,859
Tuition	In state: $5,742 Out of state: $17,622	In state: $7,773 Out of state: $11,283
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,609 Meal plan: $3,881	Room/dormitory: $4,054 Meal plan: $4,082
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	63.0% Average amount $8,691	81.0% Average amount $4,747
Students receiving federal student loan	29.0% Average amount $4,637	60.0% Average amount $5,063
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $11,369	17.0% Average amount $9,956

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	14,462 Men 45.5% Women 54.5%	9,847 Men 45.2% Women 54.8%
Graduate students	1,240 Men 33.6% Women 66.4%	1,618 Men 37.3% Women 62.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Very Low
Out-of-state students	1.3%	N/A
International students	2.9%	5.1%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	2,323	4,488
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Oregon Washington Arizona Colorado	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Liberal Arts Health Professions Public Administration and Social Service Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Engineering Technologies	Health Professions Engineering Family and Consumer Sciences Education Agriculture
Students to faculty ratio	22:1	17:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	65.4%	59.5%
Dropout rate	27.4%	38.9%
Transferred out	4.8%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $94,107 Year 2: $95,797 Year 3: $96,478 Construction Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $78,190 Year 2: $83,091 Year 3: $93,961 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $72,808 Year 2: $74,241 Year 3: $91,563 Electrical Engineering Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $71,244 Year 2: $70,176 Year 3: $79,499 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,761 Year 2: $69,617 Year 3: $79,308 Engineering, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,803 Year 2: $66,355 Year 3: $76,389 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,879 Year 2: $59,350 Year 3: $74,258 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,880 Year 2: $66,222 Year 3: $74,116 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $67,298 Year 2: $68,499 Year 3: $69,321 Engineering-Related Fields (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,812 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $68,680	Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $110,688 Year 2: $117,014 Year 3: $126,250 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $92,277 Year 3: $114,802 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $53,967 Year 2: $74,845 Year 3: $81,032 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,229 Year 2: $61,322 Year 3: $70,114 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,268 Year 2: $59,124 Year 3: $62,932 Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,985 Year 2: $56,234 Year 3: $61,104 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,372 Year 2: $57,860 Year 3: $60,463 Construction Engineering Technologies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,551 Year 2: $56,776 Year 3: $59,988 Plant Sciences (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,213 Year 2: $55,151 Year 3: $55,715 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $43,798 Year 3: $54,439

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