C of I vs Black Hills State University (BHSU)

The College of Idaho and Black Hills State University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. The College of Idaho, nestled in the scenic town of Caldwell, Idaho, boasts a selective admissions process with an acceptance rate of 68%, while Black Hills State University, located in the vibrant city of Spearfish, South Dakota, welcomes a broader range of students with an acceptance rate of 90%. While both universities offer a diverse range of academic programs, The College of Idaho is renowned for its strong liberal arts and sciences curriculum, while Black Hills State University excels in fields such as business, education, and nursing. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover further distinctions between these two exceptional universities, including student body demographics, graduation rates, and popular majors, and make an informed decision that aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Black Hills State University	The College of Idaho
Overview
Location	Spearfish, South Dakota	Caldwell, Idaho
Campus setting	Town: Distant	Suburb: Midsize
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	4-1-4
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	61.0%	79.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	97.3%	56.3%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $20 Graduate: $35
SAT range	970 - 1150	1080 - 1246
ACT range	18 - 23	21 - 30
Students submitting SAT score	6.0%	53.0%
Students submitting ACT score	79.0%	18.0%
Total number of applicants	1,382	3,464
Total number of admissions given out	1,344	1,950
Admitted students who chose to enroll	452	296
Yield rate	33.6%	15.2%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $22,100 Out of state: $25,200	$44,655
Average net price	$15,895	$23,329
Tuition	In state: $7,700 Out of state: $10,800	$33,000
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $3,680 Meal plan: $3,622	Room/dormitory: $5,050 Meal plan: $6,108
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	89.0% Average amount $4,736	100.0% Average amount $22,268
Students receiving federal student loan	58.0% Average amount $4,966	57.0% Average amount $5,251
Students taking out private loans	11.0% Average amount $9,709	11.0% Average amount $11,813

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,346 Men 36.8% Women 63.2%	1,119 Men 49.2% Women 50.8%
Graduate students	193 Men 34.2% Women 65.8%	26 Men 42.3% Women 57.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	33.7%
International students	1.5%	18.2%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Suburb: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	811	758
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Idaho California Washington Oregon Nevada

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Psychology	Health Professions Biological and Biomedical Sciences Education Business Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
Students to faculty ratio	17:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Outcome
Graduation rate	42.5%	56.1%
Dropout rate	55.3%	13.1%
Transferred out	N/A	30.8%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,943 Year 2: $40,768 Year 3: $42,268 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,857 Year 2: $40,768 Year 3: $40,091 Special Education and Teaching (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,787 Year 2: $41,725 Year 3: $40,061 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $36,708 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $39,098 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,641 Year 2: $36,914 Year 3: $38,083 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,611 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $35,921 Community Organization and Advocacy (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,934 Year 2: $33,138 Year 3: $32,359 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,162 Year 2: $27,295 Year 3: $25,186 Curriculum and Instruction (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $46,294 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $45,515 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,789 Year 2: $31,890 Year 3: $44,099 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $22,578 Year 2: $26,933 Year 3: $32,411 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: N/A Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $23,354 Year 2: $22,192 Year 3: N/A Social Sciences, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $24,035 Year 3: N/A Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,241 Year 2: $23,649 Year 3: N/A History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $26,933 Year 3: N/A

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.