University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) vs South Dakota State University (SDSU)

Envision yourself pursuing higher education in the vibrant city of Colorado Springs or the charming college town of Brookings. University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) and South Dakota State University (SDSU) offer distinct experiences for students seeking a transformative college journey. UCCS boasts a higher acceptance rate, allowing more students to embark on their academic pursuits. SDSU, on the other hand, takes pride in its strong graduation rate, ensuring that students successfully complete their studies. While both universities offer a diverse range of majors, UCCS excels in fields like business, engineering, and nursing, while SDSU shines in areas such as agriculture, education, and engineering. Explore the detailed comparison table to delve into further details about these institutions, including student body demographics, tuition fees, and campus life, to make an informed decision that aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	South Dakota State University	University of Colorado Colorado Springs
Overview
Location	Brookings, South Dakota	Colorado Springs, Colorado
Campus setting	Town: Remote	City: Large
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%	67.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	87.4%	95.3%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $20 Graduate: $35	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $60
SAT range	980 - 1220	N/A
ACT range	19 - 25	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	3.0%
Students submitting ACT score	86.0%
Total number of applicants	5,774	11,900
Total number of admissions given out	5,048	11,337
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,019	1,409
Yield rate	40.0%	12.4%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $24,304 Out of state: $27,814	In state: $26,306 Out of state: $38,762
Average net price	$17,859	$15,547
Tuition	In state: $7,773 Out of state: $11,283	In state: $7,296 Out of state: $19,752
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,054 Meal plan: $4,082	$11,458
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	81.0% Average amount $4,747	71.0% Average amount $6,940
Students receiving federal student loan	60.0% Average amount $5,063	34.0% Average amount $5,047
Students taking out private loans	17.0% Average amount $9,956	7.0% Average amount $15,415

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	9,847 Men 45.2% Women 54.8%	10,002 Men 45.8% Women 54.2%
Graduate students	1,618 Men 37.3% Women 62.7%	2,029 Men 40.0% Women 60.0%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	22.0%
International students	5.1%	1.3%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	4,488	1,719
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Colorado Texas California Illinois Minnesota

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Engineering Family and Consumer Sciences Education Agriculture	Business Health Professions Education Engineering Communication and Journalism
Students to faculty ratio	17:1	16:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	59.5%	44.1%
Dropout rate	38.9%	16.8%
Transferred out	N/A	35.6%
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	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $96,442 Year 2: $92,358 Year 3: $103,568 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,849 Year 2: $67,240 Year 3: $77,111 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,511 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $76,950 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $67,374 Year 2: $71,015 Year 3: $74,444 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,567 Year 2: $56,544 Year 3: $64,874 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,473 Year 2: $59,441 Year 3: $63,152 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $42,437 Year 2: $45,048 Year 3: $53,324 Public Administration (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $50,674 Year 2: $44,170 Year 3: $49,511 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,542 Year 2: $40,089 Year 3: $48,299 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,745 Year 2: $40,521 Year 3: $47,859

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