Dakota State vs. Dakota Wesleyan University

Dakota State University vs. Dakota Wesleyan University comparison

	Dakota State University	Dakota Wesleyan University	College 3	College 4
	Remove	Remove	+Add	+Add
Overview	Dakota State	Dakota Wesleyan University
Location	Madison, SD	Mitchell, SD
Setting	Distant Town	Remote Town
Enrollment	3,241	887
Type	Public 4 Year	Private 4 Year
National Ranking	#808
Religious Affiliation	-	United Methodist	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	dsu.edu	dwu.edu
Team Colors

Costs	Dakota State	Dakota Wesleyan University
Tuition (In State)	$7,616	$30,700
Tuition (Out of State)	$10,718	$30,700
Room & Board	$8,018	$7,450
Avg Net Price	$17,977	$19,825
Avg Grant Aid	$5,467	$21,097
% Receiving Grant Aid	92%	100%

Admission	Dakota State	Dakota Wesleyan University
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	882	1,209
Admitted	696	904
Acceptance Rate	78.9%	74.8%
Enrolled %	53.4%	18.6%
Avg High School GPA	3.33	3.36
Typical High School Grades	B+	B+
Admissions Standards	Average	Average
Applicant Competition
ACT Range	19/27	18/24
SAT Range	940/1240	950/1420
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		Aug 27, 2025

Academics	Dakota State	Dakota Wesleyan University
Student to Faculty Ratio	18:1	12:1
Popular Majors	Computer and Information Sciences (28%) Business (25%) Education (22%) Health Professions (14%) Recreation, Leisure and Fitness Studies (3%)	Health Professions (37%) Business (13%) Education (9%) Biology (7%) Recreation, Leisure and Fitness Studies (6%)
Outcomes	Dakota State	Dakota Wesleyan University
Graduation Rate	34%	43%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$42,200	$38,200
Making Student Loan Payments	67%	71%
Median Student Loan Debt	$23,500	$26,533
Median Loan Payment	$242	$274

Diversity	Dakota State	Dakota Wesleyan University
% Men	64%	46%
% Women	36%	54%
Racial Diversity	Very Low	Very Low
HBCU	No	No
% White	84%	88%
% Black	4%	2%
% Hispanic	4%	3%
% Native American	1%	2%
% Pacific Islander	0%	0%
% Two or More Races	3%	3%
% International	1%	2%
% Unknown Race	1%	0%

Students	Dakota State	Dakota Wesleyan University
% In-State	58%	61%
% Out-of-State	39%	35%
Campus	Dakota State	Dakota Wesleyan University
Campus Housing	Yes	Yes
Freshman Dorm Required	No	No
Meal Plan	Yes	Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes	Yes	No
Daycare Facility	No	Yes
Learn More	Details	Details

Comparable Facts

• Dakota State University is larger than than Dakota Wesleyan University based on total student enrollment (3,241 students vs. 887 students)

Dakota State vs. Dakota Wesleyan University Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Dakota State or Dakota Wesleyan University?

• Dakota Wesleyan University is 303.1% more expensive to attend than Dakota State for in-state tuition ($30,700.00 vs. $7,616.00)
• Out of state tuition is 186.4% higher at Dakota Wesleyan University than Dakota State University ($30,700.00 vs. $10,718.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Dakota State University than Dakota Wesleyan University ($17,977 vs. $19,825)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Dakota Wesleyan University are 7.6% lower than costs at Dakota State University ($7,450 vs. $8,018)
• More students receive financial grant aid at Dakota Wesleyan University than Dakota State University (100% vs. 92%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Dakota Wesleyan University students is 285.9% larger than aid received Dakota State University ($21,097 vs. $5,467)

Dakota State vs. Dakota Wesleyan University Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

• The average SAT score at Dakota State University (1047) is 65 points higher than at Dakota Wesleyan University (982)
• Incoming Dakota State students have a 2 point higher average ACT score (23) than students at Dakota Wesleyan University (21)
• Accepted freshman Dakota Wesleyan University students have a 0.03 point higher average high school GPA (3.36) than students at Dakota State (3.33)
• Dakota State has a higher acceptance rate (78.9%) than Dakota Wesleyan University (74.8%)

Dakota State vs. Dakota Wesleyan University Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Dakota State or Dakota Wesleyan University? 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 Wesleyan University and Dakota State.

• The graduation rate at Dakota Wesleyan University is higher than Dakota State University (43% vs. 34%)
• Graduates from Dakota State University earn on average $4,000 more per year than Dakota Wesleyan University graduates after ten years. ($42,200 vs. $38,200)
• Dakota State University students graduate with a $3,033 lower median federal student loan debt than Dakota Wesleyan University graduates. ($23,500 vs. $26,533)
• Dakota State graduates are paying $32 less per month on federal student loans than Dakota Wesleyan University graduates. ($242 vs. $274)
• More Dakota Wesleyan University graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Dakota State students, three years after graduation. (71% vs. 67%)

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