South Dakota University vs Idaho State

Nestled in the heart of the Midwest, the University of South Dakota (USD) and Idaho State University (ISU) stand as two distinct academic havens, each offering a unique educational experience. While both institutions share a commitment to academic excellence, they diverge in several key aspects. USD boasts a higher acceptance rate, welcoming a broader range of students, while ISU maintains a slightly smaller student body, fostering a more intimate learning environment. In terms of academic offerings, USD excels in the liberal arts and sciences, while ISU shines in professional fields like nursing and engineering. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details, including graduation rates, student demographics, and popular majors, to determine which university best aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Idaho State University	University of South Dakota
Overview
Location	Pocatello, Idaho	Vermillion, South Dakota
Campus setting	City: Small	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	65.0%	77.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	Open Admission	87.0%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $65	Undergraduate: $20 Graduate: $35
SAT range	N/A	1050 - 1290
ACT range	N/A	19 - 25
Students submitting SAT score		3.0%
Students submitting ACT score		80.0%
Total number of applicants		4,272
Total number of admissions given out		3,717
Admitted students who chose to enroll		1,233
Yield rate		33.2%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)		N/A
High school GPA	N/A	Not required
Recommendation letters	N/A	Not required
High school transcript	N/A	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	N/A	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $23,172 Out of state: $40,626	In state: $25,657 Out of state: $29,167
Average net price	$13,012	$18,974
Tuition	In state: $5,928 Out of state: $23,382	In state: $7,773 Out of state: $11,283
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $2,950 Meal plan: $4,390	Room/dormitory: $4,366 Meal plan: $4,234
Available payment plans	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	86.0% Average amount $8,089	84.0% Average amount $5,196
Students receiving federal student loan	36.0% Average amount $4,829	60.0% Average amount $5,102
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $9,511	14.0% Average amount $9,890

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	9,818 Men 41.1% Women 58.9%	6,987 Men 35.9% Women 64.1%
Graduate students	2,317 Men 39.0% Women 61.0%	2,477 Men 37.2% Women 62.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	8.9%	39.4%
International students	1.8%	2.7%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	1,213	2,154
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Idaho California Utah Washington Wyoming	South Dakota Iowa Nebraska Minnesota Wisconsin

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Business Liberal Arts Education Engineering Technologies	Health Professions Education Business Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Liberal Arts
Students to faculty ratio	13:1	14:1
Institutional accreditation	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	39.1%	60.1%
Dropout rate	36.1%	14.2%
Transferred out	19.7%	24.5%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $107,409 Year 2: $124,909 Year 3: $126,262 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $109,657 Year 2: $103,424 Year 3: $112,338 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $77,213 Year 3: $77,745 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $62,905 Year 2: $61,516 Year 3: $77,011 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $71,957 Year 3: $74,473 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $69,546 Year 2: $71,202 Year 3: $74,340 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,126 Year 2: $55,964 Year 3: $69,853 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $63,021 Year 2: $71,015 Year 3: $64,966 Electromechanical Instrumentation and Maintenance Technologies/Technicians (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $59,309 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $64,676 Environmental Control Technologies/Technicians (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: N/A Year 3: $62,273	Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $110,722 Year 2: $100,951 Year 3: $109,099 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $88,473 Year 2: $97,071 Year 3: $100,634 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $78,587 Year 2: $68,778 Year 3: $81,751 Public Administration (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $70,456 Year 3: $69,478 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,040 Year 2: $62,012 Year 3: $68,456 Medicine (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $58,011 Year 2: $57,860 Year 3: $68,011 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $62,632 Year 3: $64,788 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $65,801 Year 2: $65,170 Year 3: $64,105 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $52,161 Year 2: $62,260 Year 3: $63,921 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $46,986 Year 2: $52,941 Year 3: $61,718

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.

Idaho State

University of Alaska Anchorage