University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK) vs South Dakota State University (SDSU)

Nestled in the heart of the Midwest, University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK) and South Dakota State University (SDSU) stand as two prominent institutions of higher learning, each offering a unique educational experience. While both universities share a commitment to academic excellence, they differ in several key aspects. UNK boasts a higher acceptance rate, making it a more accessible option for students, while SDSU has a slightly higher graduation rate, indicating a strong focus on student success. In terms of student demographics, UNK has a larger undergraduate population, while SDSU has a more diverse student body. When it comes to academics, UNK offers a wider range of undergraduate programs, including popular majors like business, education, and nursing, while SDSU excels in STEM fields, with engineering and agriculture being among its most sought-after programs. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve deeper into these differences and discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	South Dakota State University	University of Nebraska at Kearney
Overview
Location	Brookings, South Dakota	Kearney, Nebraska
Campus setting	Town: Remote	Town: Distant
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%	76.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	87.4%	90.3%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $20 Graduate: $35	Undergraduate: $45 Graduate: $45
SAT range	980 - 1220	938 - 1133
ACT range	19 - 25	18 - 25
Students submitting SAT score	3.0%	4.0%
Students submitting ACT score	86.0%	86.0%
Total number of applicants	5,774	6,076
Total number of admissions given out	5,048	5,488
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,019	958
Yield rate	40.0%	17.5%
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	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $24,304 Out of state: $27,814	In state: $24,300 Out of state: $30,552
Average net price	$17,859	$16,433
Tuition	In state: $7,773 Out of state: $11,283	In state: $6,292 Out of state: $12,498
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,054 Meal plan: $4,082	Room/dormitory: $5,436 Meal plan: $5,192
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	81.0% Average amount $4,747	85.0% Average amount $7,441
Students receiving federal student loan	60.0% Average amount $5,063	45.0% Average amount $4,821
Students taking out private loans	17.0% Average amount $9,956	5.0% Average amount $9,368

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	9,847 Men 45.2% Women 54.8%	4,427 Men 37.7% Women 62.3%
Graduate students	1,618 Men 37.3% Women 62.7%	1,848 Men 30.2% Women 69.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	9.9%
International students	5.1%	4.2%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	4,488	2,072
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Nebraska Colorado Kansas Iowa Wyoming

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Engineering Family and Consumer Sciences Education Agriculture	Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences Business Health Professions Liberal Arts
Students to faculty ratio	17:1	13:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	59.5%	58.0%
Dropout rate	38.9%	11.4%
Transferred out	N/A	28.0%
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	Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,208 Year 2: $58,479 Year 3: $63,133 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $48,641 Year 3: $54,125 Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $49,040 Year 2: $52,607 Year 3: $53,723 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $51,490 Year 2: $48,302 Year 3: $53,277 Biology, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $54,246 Year 2: $48,432 Year 3: $52,603 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,894 Year 2: $45,618 Year 3: $52,491 Fine and Studio Arts (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $53,665 Year 2: $48,432 Year 3: $51,898 Agricultural Business and Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,654 Year 2: $38,829 Year 3: $51,703 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $49,159 Year 2: $49,464 Year 3: $51,277 Curriculum and Instruction (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $48,157 Year 2: $45,500 Year 3: $49,659

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