South Dakota University vs Western Washington University (WWU)

Nestled in the heart of the Midwest, the University of South Dakota (USD) stands as a beacon of academic excellence, while on the picturesque shores of the Pacific Northwest, Western Washington University (WWU) beckons students with its natural beauty and vibrant campus life. Both universities offer a wealth of opportunities, but they also have distinct characteristics that set them apart. From acceptance rates and popular majors to student body demographics and graduation rates, this comprehensive comparison will help you understand the unique strengths and offerings of USD and WWU, empowering you to make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	University of South Dakota	Western Washington University
Overview
Location	Vermillion, South Dakota	Bellingham, Washington
Campus setting	Town: Distant	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Quarter
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	77.0%	81.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	87.0%	96.1%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $20 Graduate: $35	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $100
SAT range	1050 - 1290	1090 - 1310
ACT range	19 - 25	22 - 29
Students submitting SAT score	3.0%	16.0%
Students submitting ACT score	80.0%	3.0%
Total number of applicants	4,272	10,580
Total number of admissions given out	3,717	10,167
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,233	2,874
Yield rate	33.2%	28.3%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $25,657 Out of state: $29,167	In state: $26,634 Out of state: $43,861
Average net price	$18,974	$11,388
Tuition	In state: $7,773 Out of state: $11,283	In state: $7,572 Out of state: $24,799
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,366 Meal plan: $4,234	$13,079
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	84.0% Average amount $5,196	82.0% Average amount $7,112
Students receiving federal student loan	60.0% Average amount $5,102	29.0% Average amount $4,929
Students taking out private loans	14.0% Average amount $9,890	3.0% Average amount $15,435

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	6,987 Men 35.9% Women 64.1%	14,019 Men 42.6% Women 57.4%
Graduate students	2,477 Men 37.2% Women 62.8%	1,106 Men 36.4% Women 63.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	39.4%	N/A
International students	2.7%	1.0%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	2,154	3,985
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	South Dakota Iowa Nebraska Minnesota Wisconsin	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Education Business Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Liberal Arts	Education Psychology Business Multidisciplinary Studies Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
Students to faculty ratio	14:1	17:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Outcome
Graduation rate	60.1%	67.7%
Dropout rate	14.2%	30.6%
Transferred out	24.5%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $69,837 Year 2: $81,333 Year 3: $92,019 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $71,492 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $78,577 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $60,314 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $76,877 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,624 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $71,599 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,592 Year 2: $60,920 Year 3: $64,540 Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $60,325 Year 3: $64,302 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,243 Year 2: $49,572 Year 3: $60,999 Chemistry (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,788 Year 2: $37,748 Year 3: $58,090 Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,818 Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: $57,268 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,065 Year 2: $45,696 Year 3: $57,167

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