C of I vs NSU-Aberdeen

The College of Idaho and Northern 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 Northern State University, located in the vibrant city of Aberdeen, 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 Northern State University excels in fields such as nursing, education, and business. Explore the detailed comparison table below to delve into further distinctions between these two exceptional universities, including student body demographics, graduation rates, and popular majors, to determine the institution that best aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Northern State University	The College of Idaho
Overview
Location	Aberdeen, South Dakota	Caldwell, Idaho
Campus setting	Town: Remote	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	68.0%	79.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	79.8%	56.3%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $20 Graduate: $35
SAT range	1020 - 1190	1080 - 1246
ACT range	18 - 24	21 - 30
Students submitting SAT score	5.0%	53.0%
Students submitting ACT score	80.0%	18.0%
Total number of applicants	1,229	3,464
Total number of admissions given out	981	1,950
Admitted students who chose to enroll	337	296
Yield rate	34.4%	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)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $23,495 Out of state: $26,597	$44,655
Average net price	$16,821	$23,329
Tuition	In state: $7,616 Out of state: $10,718	$33,000
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,800 Meal plan: $4,350	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 $5,662	100.0% Average amount $22,268
Students receiving federal student loan	65.0% Average amount $4,850	57.0% Average amount $5,251
Students taking out private loans	10.0% Average amount $9,043	11.0% Average amount $11,813

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,867 Men 40.6% Women 59.4%	1,119 Men 49.2% Women 50.8%
Graduate students	473 Men 26.6% Women 73.4%	26 Men 42.3% Women 57.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	38.9%	33.7%
International students	2.1%	18.2%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	Suburb: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	853	758
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	South Dakota Minnesota North Dakota Iowa Wisconsin	Idaho California Washington Oregon Nevada

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Business Liberal Arts	Health Professions Biological and Biomedical Sciences Education Business Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
Students to faculty ratio	16:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Outcome
Graduation rate	47.6%	56.1%
Dropout rate	25.4%	13.1%
Transferred out	22.9%	30.8%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $49,248 Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $44,021 Year 3: $46,732 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,902 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $46,239 Curriculum and Instruction (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $43,575 Year 3: $45,796 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,996 Year 2: $40,728 Year 3: $45,442 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,033 Year 2: $39,523 Year 3: $39,953 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,526 Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: $39,845 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,862 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: N/A English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $20,824 Year 3: N/A Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $38,740 Year 2: $34,526 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.