South Dakota State University (SDSU) vs California State University-Northridge (CSUN)

South Dakota State University (SDSU) and California State University-Northridge (CSUN) are two distinct universities with unique offerings and characteristics. SDSU, located in Brookings, South Dakota, is a public land-grant research university with an acceptance rate of 88%, while CSUN, situated in Northridge, California, is a public university with an acceptance rate of 52%. Both universities offer a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs, with SDSU excelling in fields like agriculture, engineering, and nursing, and CSUN being renowned for its programs in business, education, and the arts. While SDSU boasts a predominantly white student body, CSUN's student population is more diverse, reflecting the vibrant multiculturalism of Southern California. With SDSU's graduation rate standing at 62% and CSUN's at 58%, both institutions are committed to providing students with the necessary support and resources to achieve academic success. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below

	California State University-Northridge	South Dakota State University
Overview
Location	Northridge, California	Brookings, South Dakota
Campus setting	City: Large	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	82.0%	80.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	88.1%	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	23,656	5,774
Total number of admissions given out	20,842	5,048
Admitted students who chose to enroll	4,716	2,019
Yield rate	22.6%	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: $31,857 Out of state: $43,737	In state: $24,304 Out of state: $27,814
Average net price	$8,708	$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: $7,316 Meal plan: $4,506	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)	82.0% Average amount $10,882	81.0% Average amount $4,747
Students receiving federal student loan	14.0% Average amount $4,779	60.0% Average amount $5,063
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $12,360	17.0% Average amount $9,956

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	34,496 Men 45.0% Women 55.0%	9,847 Men 45.2% Women 54.8%
Graduate students	5,612 Men 33.0% Women 67.0%	1,618 Men 37.3% Women 62.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Very Low
Out-of-state students	1.7%	N/A
International students	6.0%	5.1%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	4,029	4,488
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Washington Hawaii Nevada Texas	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Engineering Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Public Administration and Social Service Computer and Information Science	Health Professions Engineering Family and Consumer Sciences Education Agriculture
Students to faculty ratio	26:1	17:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	54.2%	59.5%
Dropout rate	33.7%	38.9%
Transferred out	5.6%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $95,739 Year 3: $108,158 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $89,831 Year 2: $92,124 Year 3: $98,535 Taxation (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $72,745 Year 2: $86,867 Year 3: $97,852 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $83,455 Year 2: $88,907 Year 3: $96,626 Construction Engineering Technologies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $79,863 Year 2: $75,204 Year 3: $92,559 Engineering-Related Fields (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $80,493 Year 3: $92,252 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $83,281 Year 2: $83,669 Year 3: $89,964 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,782 Year 2: $75,047 Year 3: $84,221 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,859 Year 2: $73,070 Year 3: $82,977 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $78,180 Year 2: $76,863 Year 3: $82,194	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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