Black Hills State University vs. NSU

Black Hills State University vs. Northern State University comparison

	Black Hills State University	Northern State University	College 3	College 4
	Remove	Remove	+Add	+Add
Overview	Black Hills State University	NSU
Location	Spearfish, SD	Aberdeen, SD
Setting	Remote Town	Remote Town
Enrollment	3,425	3,344
Type	Public 4 Year	Public 4 Year
National Ranking	#1006	#820
Religious Affiliation	-	-	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	bhsu.edu	northern.edu
Team Colors

Costs	Black Hills State University	NSU
Tuition (In State)	$7,700	$7,616
Tuition (Out of State)	$10,800	$10,718
Room & Board	$7,528	$9,150
Avg Net Price	$16,782	$17,264
Avg Grant Aid	$4,986	$5,715
% Receiving Grant Aid	100%	91%

Admission	Black Hills State University	NSU
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	1,579	1,322
Admitted	1,526	1,033
Acceptance Rate	96.6%	78.1%
Enrolled %	31.5%	28.9%
Avg High School GPA	3.22	3.37
Typical High School Grades	B	B+
Admissions Standards	Extremely Easy	Very Easy
Applicant Competition
ACT Range	18/24	18/24
SAT Range	970/1085	800/1150
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

Academics	Black Hills State University	NSU
Student to Faculty Ratio	18:1	16:1
Popular Majors	Education (21%) Business (18%) Social Sciences (10%) Recreation, Leisure and Fitness Studies (8%) Psychology (6%)	Business (35%) Education (20%) Social Sciences (13%) Recreation, Leisure and Fitness Studies (6%) Biology (4%)
Outcomes	Black Hills State University	NSU
Graduation Rate	28%	42%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$38,800	$37,400
Making Student Loan Payments	62%	63%
Median Student Loan Debt	$25,478	$24,399
Median Loan Payment	$263	$252

Diversity	Black Hills State University	NSU
% Men	37%	37%
% Women	63%	63%
Racial Diversity	Very Low	Very Low
HBCU	No	No
% White	83%	83%
% Black	2%	2%
% Hispanic	5%	4%
% Native American	4%	3%
% Pacific Islander	0%	0%
% Two or More Races	4%	2%
% International	1%	4%
% Unknown Race	1%	0%

Students	Black Hills State University	NSU
% In-State	57%	69%
% Out-of-State	42%	30%
Campus	Black Hills State University	NSU
Campus Housing	Yes	Yes
Freshman Dorm Required	No	No
Meal Plan	Yes	Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes	Yes	Yes
Daycare Facility	Yes	Yes
Learn More	Details	Details

Comparable Facts

• Black Hills State University is larger than than NSU based on total student enrollment (3,425 students vs. 3,344 students)

Black Hills State University vs. NSU Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Black Hills State University or NSU?

• Black Hills State University is 1.1% more expensive to attend than NSU for in-state tuition ($7,700.00 vs. $7,616.00)
• Out of state tuition is 0.8% higher at Black Hills State University than Northern State University ($10,800.00 vs. $10,718.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Black Hills State University than NSU ($16,782 vs. $17,264)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Black Hills State University are 21.5% lower than costs at Northern State University ($7,528 vs. $9,150)
• More students receive financial grant aid at Black Hills State University than Northern State University (100% vs. 91%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Northern State University students is 14.6% larger than aid received Black Hills State University ($5,715 vs. $4,986)

Black Hills State University vs. NSU Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

• The average SAT score at Northern State University (1024) is 36 points higher than at Black Hills State University (988)
• Incoming NSU students have a 1 point higher average ACT score (22) than students at Black Hills State University (21)
• Accepted freshman NSU students have a 0.15 point higher average high school GPA (3.37) than students at Black Hills State University (3.22)
• Black Hills State University has a higher acceptance rate (96.6%) than NSU (78.1%)

Black Hills State University vs. NSU Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Black Hills State University or NSU? 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 NSU and Black Hills State University.

• The graduation rate at NSU is higher than Black Hills State University (42% vs. 28%)
• Graduates from Black Hills State University earn on average $1,400 more per year than NSU graduates after ten years. ($38,800 vs. $37,400)
• Northern State University students graduate with a $1,079 lower median federal student loan debt than Black Hills State University graduates. ($24,399 vs. $25,478)
• NSU graduates are paying $11 less per month on federal student loans than Black Hills State University graduates. ($252 vs. $263)
• More NSU graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Black Hills State University students, three years after graduation. (63% vs. 62%)

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