South Dakota University vs The University of West Florida (UWF)

Envision yourself pursuing higher education in either the vibrant plains of South Dakota or the sun-kissed shores of Florida. The University of South Dakota (USD) and The University of West Florida (UWF) offer distinct experiences for students seeking academic excellence. USD, nestled in Vermillion, boasts a higher acceptance rate, allowing more students to embark on their educational journey. UWF, located in Pensacola, stands out with its diverse student body, reflecting a rich tapestry of cultures. Both universities offer a wide range of popular majors, from business and nursing to engineering and education. Explore the detailed comparison table to delve into specific data points, including graduation rates, tuition fees, and student-to-faculty ratios, to help you make an informed decision that aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	The University of West Florida	University of South Dakota
Overview
Location	Pensacola, Florida	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	84.0%	77.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	52.8%	87.0%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $30 Graduate: $30	Undergraduate: $20 Graduate: $35
SAT range	1040 - 1230	1050 - 1290
ACT range	21 - 27	19 - 25
Students submitting SAT score	58.0%	3.0%
Students submitting ACT score	67.0%	80.0%
Total number of applicants	8,660	4,272
Total number of admissions given out	4,573	3,717
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,159	1,233
Yield rate	25.3%	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	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $21,528 Out of state: $34,409	In state: $25,657 Out of state: $29,167
Average net price	$10,344	$18,974
Tuition	In state: $4,319 Out of state: $16,587	In state: $7,773 Out of state: $11,283
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,900 Meal plan: $4,590	Room/dormitory: $4,366 Meal plan: $4,234
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	97.0% Average amount $10,774	84.0% Average amount $5,196
Students receiving federal student loan	22.0% Average amount $4,656	60.0% Average amount $5,102
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $10,351	14.0% Average amount $9,890

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	9,319 Men 41.8% Women 58.2%	6,987 Men 35.9% Women 64.1%
Graduate students	3,969 Men 31.7% Women 68.3%	2,477 Men 37.2% Women 62.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	39.4%
International students	2.5%	2.7%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	1,467	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 Liberal Arts Education Business Psychology	Health Professions Education Business Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Liberal Arts
Students to faculty ratio	21:1	14:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	52.0%	60.1%
Dropout rate	38.0%	14.2%
Transferred out	7.0%	24.5%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,119 Year 2: $61,172 Year 3: $71,579 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $53,454 Year 2: $54,322 Year 3: $61,949 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,076 Year 2: $58,454 Year 3: $61,780 Curriculum and Instruction (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $71,854 Year 3: $57,639 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $55,438 Year 2: $52,895 Year 3: $57,401 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $55,827 Year 2: $49,854 Year 3: $57,159 Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,104 Year 2: $52,941 Year 3: $56,478 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,359 Year 2: $50,773 Year 3: $56,183 Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $51,664 Year 2: $49,918 Year 3: $54,030 Mathematics (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,129 Year 2: $50,105 Year 3: $52,616	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.