South Dakota University vs South Dakota State University (SDSU)

Nestled in the heart of South Dakota, the University of South Dakota (USD) 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, including acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. This side-by-side comparison delves into these differences, providing prospective students with valuable insights to help them make informed decisions about their academic journey. Explore the comprehensive table below to discover which university aligns best with your aspirations and goals, considering factors such as acceptance rates, popular majors, student body diversity, and graduation outcomes.

	South Dakota State University	University of South Dakota
Overview
Location	Brookings, South Dakota	Vermillion, South Dakota
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%	77.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	87.4%	87.0%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $20 Graduate: $35	Undergraduate: $20 Graduate: $35
SAT range	980 - 1220	1050 - 1290
ACT range	19 - 25	19 - 25
Students submitting SAT score	3.0%	3.0%
Students submitting ACT score	86.0%	80.0%
Total number of applicants	5,774	4,272
Total number of admissions given out	5,048	3,717
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,019	1,233
Yield rate	40.0%	33.2%
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: $25,657 Out of state: $29,167
Average net price	$17,859	$18,974
Tuition	In state: $7,773 Out of state: $11,283	In state: $7,773 Out of state: $11,283
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,054 Meal plan: $4,082	Room/dormitory: $4,366 Meal plan: $4,234
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	81.0% Average amount $4,747	84.0% Average amount $5,196
Students receiving federal student loan	60.0% Average amount $5,063	60.0% Average amount $5,102
Students taking out private loans	17.0% Average amount $9,956	14.0% Average amount $9,890

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	9,847 Men 45.2% Women 54.8%	6,987 Men 35.9% Women 64.1%
Graduate students	1,618 Men 37.3% Women 62.7%	2,477 Men 37.2% Women 62.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	39.4%
International students	5.1%	2.7%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	4,488	2,154
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	South Dakota Iowa Nebraska Minnesota Wisconsin

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Engineering Family and Consumer Sciences Education Agriculture	Health Professions Education Business Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Liberal Arts
Students to faculty ratio	17:1	14:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	59.5%	60.1%
Dropout rate	38.9%	14.2%
Transferred out	N/A	24.5%
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	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

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