BLC vs. Dakota State

Bethany Lutheran College vs. Dakota State University comparison

	Bethany Lutheran College	Dakota State University	College 3	College 4
	Remove	Remove	+Add	+Add
Overview	BLC	Dakota State
Location	Mankato, MN	Madison, SD
Setting	Remote Town	Distant Town
Enrollment	830	3,241
Type	Private 4 Year	Public 4 Year
National Ranking		#808
Religious Affiliation	Other (none of the above)	-	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	blc.edu	dsu.edu
Team Colors

Costs	BLC	Dakota State
Tuition (In State)	$28,330	$7,616
Tuition (Out of State)	$28,330	$10,718
Room & Board	$8,270	$8,018
Avg Net Price	$18,525	$17,977
Avg Grant Aid	$20,705	$5,467
% Receiving Grant Aid	100%	92%

Admission	BLC	Dakota State
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	665	882
Admitted	389	696
Acceptance Rate	58.5%	78.9%
Enrolled %	45.2%	53.4%
Avg High School GPA	3.51	3.33
Typical High School Grades	B+	B+
Admissions Standards	Average	Average
Applicant Competition	Low
ACT Range	20/25	19/27
SAT Range	990/1290	940/1240
Submit Test Scores	Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)	Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)
Application Deadline	Jul 1, 2025

Academics	BLC	Dakota State
Student to Faculty Ratio	12:1	18:1
Popular Majors	Visual and Performing Arts (18%) Business (14%) Biology (13%) Communication (13%) Psychology (10%)	Computer and Information Sciences (28%) Business (25%) Education (22%) Health Professions (14%) Recreation, Leisure and Fitness Studies (3%)
Outcomes	BLC	Dakota State
Graduation Rate	53%	34%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$37,300	$42,200
Making Student Loan Payments	80%	67%
Median Student Loan Debt	$23,250	$23,500
Median Loan Payment	$240	$242

Diversity	BLC	Dakota State
% Men	48%	64%
% Women	52%	36%
Racial Diversity	Very Low	Very Low
HBCU	No	No
% White	88%	84%
% Black	3%	4%
% Hispanic	3%	4%
% Native American	0%	1%
% Pacific Islander	0%	0%
% Two or More Races	1%	3%
% International	3%	1%
% Unknown Race	1%	1%

Students	BLC	Dakota State
% In-State	59%	58%
% Out-of-State	23%	39%
Campus	BLC	Dakota State
Campus Housing	Yes	Yes
Freshman Dorm Required	No	No
Meal Plan	Yes	Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes	No	Yes
Daycare Facility	No	No
Learn More	Details	Details

Comparable Facts

• Dakota State University is larger than than BLC based on total student enrollment (3,241 students vs. 830 students)

BLC vs. Dakota State Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, BLC or Dakota State?

• Bethany Lutheran College is 272% more expensive to attend than Dakota State for in-state tuition ($28,330.00 vs. $7,616.00)
• Out of state tuition is 164.3% higher at BLC than Dakota State University ($28,330.00 vs. $10,718.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Dakota State University than BLC ($17,977 vs. $18,525)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Dakota State University are 3.1% lower than costs at Bethany Lutheran College ($8,018 vs. $8,270)
• More students receive financial grant aid at Bethany Lutheran College than Dakota State University (100% vs. 92%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Bethany Lutheran College students is 278.7% larger than aid received Dakota State University ($20,705 vs. $5,467)

BLC vs. Dakota State Admissions Difficulty Comparison

Which college is harder to get into, BLC or Dakota State? Average SAT and ACT scores plus acceptance rates offer good insight into the difficulty of admission between Dakota State or BLC .

• The average SAT score at Bethany Lutheran College (1074) is 27 points higher than at Dakota State (1047)
• Incoming BLC students have at the same average ACT score (23) as students at Dakota State (23)
• Accepted freshman BLC students have a 0.18 point higher average high school GPA (3.51) than students at Dakota State (3.33)
• Dakota State has a higher acceptance rate (78.9%) than BLC (58.5%)

BLC vs. Dakota State Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, BLC or Dakota State? Graduation rate, salary and amount of student loan debt are indicators of a college which offers better outcomes for its graduates. Compare the following outcomes facts between Dakota State and BLC.

• The graduation rate at BLC is higher than Dakota State University (53% vs. 34%)
• Graduates from Dakota State University earn on average $4,900 more per year than BLC graduates after ten years. ($42,200 vs. $37,300)
• Bethany Lutheran College students graduate with a $250 lower median federal student loan debt than Dakota State graduates. ($23,250 vs. $23,500)
• BLC graduates are paying $2 less per month on federal student loans than Dakota State graduates. ($240 vs. $242)
• More BLC graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Dakota State students, three years after graduation. (80% vs. 67%)

Sources: U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov IPEDS and College Scorecard https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/