UW-La Crosse vs South Dakota State University (SDSU)

Nestled in the heart of the Midwest, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and South Dakota State University 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. UW-La Crosse boasts a higher acceptance rate, welcoming a more diverse student body, while SDSU maintains a slightly higher graduation rate. When it comes to popular majors, UW-La Crosse excels in the fields of Biology, Psychology, and Business, while SDSU shines in Agriculture, Engineering, and Nursing. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve deeper into these differences and discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	South Dakota State University	University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
Overview
Location	Brookings, South Dakota	La Crosse, Wisconsin
Campus setting	Town: Remote	City: Small
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%	84.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	87.4%	73.9%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $20 Graduate: $35	Undergraduate: $25 Graduate: $56
SAT range	980 - 1220	N/A
ACT range	19 - 25	21 - 26
Students submitting SAT score	3.0%
Students submitting ACT score	86.0%	73.0%
Total number of applicants	5,774	7,067
Total number of admissions given out	5,048	5,219
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,019	2,217
Yield rate	40.0%	42.5%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Required	Required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $24,304 Out of state: $27,814	In state: $18,113 Out of state: $26,932
Average net price	$17,859	$12,904
Tuition	In state: $7,773 Out of state: $11,283	In state: $7,585 Out of state: $16,404
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,054 Meal plan: $4,082	Room/dormitory: $4,130 Meal plan: $2,674
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	81.0% Average amount $4,747	61.0% Average amount $3,135
Students receiving federal student loan	60.0% Average amount $5,063	46.0% Average amount $5,055
Students taking out private loans	17.0% Average amount $9,956	10.0% Average amount $9,271

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	9,847 Men 45.2% Women 54.8%	9,400 Men 42.3% Women 57.7%
Graduate students	1,618 Men 37.3% Women 62.7%	937 Men 34.6% Women 65.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	18.8%
International students	5.1%	0.7%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	4,488	3,012
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Wisconsin Minnesota Illinois Iowa Michigan

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Engineering Family and Consumer Sciences Education Agriculture	Education Health Professions Liberal Arts Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Business
Students to faculty ratio	17:1	19:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	59.5%	73.0%
Dropout rate	38.9%	26.2%
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	Biology, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $171,020 Year 3: $177,771 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $101,693 Year 2: $101,308 Year 3: $106,348 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,658 Year 2: $68,592 Year 3: $77,665 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $71,462 Year 2: $69,725 Year 3: $74,215 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,559 Year 2: $56,776 Year 3: $64,691 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,330 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $64,439 Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,576 Year 2: $58,479 Year 3: $62,797 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,028 Year 2: $57,159 Year 3: $60,668 Insurance (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $58,509 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,712 Year 2: $50,387 Year 3: $57,534

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