University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) vs South Dakota State University (SDSU)

Envision yourself immersed in the vibrant college towns of Fairbanks, Alaska, and Brookings, South Dakota, home to the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) and South Dakota State University (SDSU), respectively. While both institutions offer a wealth of opportunities, they possess distinct characteristics that may influence your academic journey. UAF boasts a higher acceptance rate, welcoming a diverse student body from various backgrounds. SDSU, on the other hand, has a slightly lower acceptance rate and a larger student population. Explore the comparison table below to delve into further details, including popular majors, graduation rates, and additional factors that will help you make an informed decision about your educational future.

	South Dakota State University	University of Alaska Fairbanks
Overview
Location	Brookings, South Dakota	Fairbanks, Alaska
Campus setting	Town: Remote	Suburb: Small
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	80.0%	68.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	87.4%	64.7%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $20 Graduate: $35	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $75
SAT range	980 - 1220	1110 - 1360
ACT range	19 - 25	17 - 27
Students submitting SAT score	3.0%	12.0%
Students submitting ACT score	86.0%	16.0%
Total number of applicants	5,774	1,402
Total number of admissions given out	5,048	907
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,019	678
Yield rate	40.0%	74.8%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $24,304 Out of state: $27,814	In state: $25,548 Out of state: $39,684
Average net price	$17,859	$9,379
Tuition	In state: $7,773 Out of state: $11,283	In state: $5,616 Out of state: $19,200
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,054 Meal plan: $4,082	Room/dormitory: $5,150 Meal plan: $5,390
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	81.0% Average amount $4,747	90.0% Average amount $8,808
Students receiving federal student loan	60.0% Average amount $5,063	21.0% Average amount $5,312
Students taking out private loans	17.0% Average amount $9,956	2.0% Average amount $13,596

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	9,847 Men 45.2% Women 54.8%	5,844 Men 38.4% Women 61.6%
Graduate students	1,618 Men 37.3% Women 62.7%	982 Men 38.7% Women 61.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	17.1%
International students	5.1%	2.4%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	Suburb: Small
Dormitory capacity	4,488	1,554
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Alaska Washington California Oregon Florida

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Engineering Family and Consumer Sciences Education Agriculture	Business Education Law Enforcement and Firefighting Health Professions Engineering
Students to faculty ratio	17:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Outcome
Graduation rate	59.5%	38.4%
Dropout rate	38.9%	39.6%
Transferred out	N/A	18.1%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	Petroleum Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $75,889 Year 3: $89,097 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,843 Year 2: $63,997 Year 3: $79,303 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,735 Year 2: $68,219 Year 3: $73,558 Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $63,997 Year 3: $62,935 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,188 Year 2: $43,798 Year 3: $53,812 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,355 Year 2: $30,771 Year 3: $44,672 Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $33,666 Year 2: $44,942 Year 3: $43,923 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $32,119 Year 3: $34,458 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,635 Year 2: $31,314 Year 3: $32,564 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $27,241 Year 2: $26,739 Year 3: $32,435

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University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) vs South Dakota State University (SDSU)

South Dakota State University

University of Alaska Fairbanks

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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