University of Sioux Falls vs South Dakota State University (SDSU)

When it comes to higher education in South Dakota, University of Sioux Falls (USF) and South Dakota State University (SDSU) stand out as two prominent choices. USF, a private institution, offers a personalized learning experience with a focus on liberal arts and professional programs. SDSU, on the other hand, is a public research university known for its strong STEM and agriculture programs. Both universities have their own unique strengths and characteristics, making it essential for prospective students to understand the key differences between them. This side-by-side comparison will delve into acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, graduation rates, and more, helping you make an informed decision about which university aligns best with your academic goals and preferences.

	South Dakota State University	University of Sioux Falls
Overview
Location	Brookings, South Dakota	Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Campus setting	Town: Remote	City: 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	80.0%	74.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation		Baptist

Admission
Acceptance rate	87.4%	76.7%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $20 Graduate: $35
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	2,407
Total number of admissions given out	5,048	1,845
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,019	309
Yield rate	40.0%	16.7%
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	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $24,304 Out of state: $27,814	$34,600
Average net price	$17,859	$21,333
Tuition	In state: $7,773 Out of state: $11,283	$19,550
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,054 Meal plan: $4,082	Room/dormitory: $4,170 Meal plan: $4,070
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	81.0% Average amount $4,747	100.0% Average amount $10,702
Students receiving federal student loan	60.0% Average amount $5,063	77.0% Average amount $5,202
Students taking out private loans	17.0% Average amount $9,956	18.0% Average amount $11,977

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	9,847 Men 45.2% Women 54.8%	1,337 Men 36.1% Women 63.9%
Graduate students	1,618 Men 37.3% Women 62.7%	288 Men 40.3% Women 59.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	5.1%	0.7%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	4,488	759
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Engineering Family and Consumer Sciences Education Agriculture	Education Business Health Professions Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Social Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	17:1	17:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	59.5%	57.7%
Dropout rate	38.9%	42.3%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
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	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,303 Year 2: $60,771 Year 3: $59,548 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,096 Year 2: $58,173 Year 3: $57,431 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $57,567 Year 2: $48,432 Year 3: $53,470 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $48,432 Year 3: $47,563 Human Resources Management and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,481 Year 2: $44,021 Year 3: $46,859 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,830 Year 2: $36,221 Year 3: $39,240 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,066 Year 2: $31,670 Year 3: $37,854 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,814 Year 2: $37,208 Year 3: $36,131 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,022 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $39,392 Year 2: $39,729 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.