Dakota Wesleyan University vs. Aquinas College

Dakota Wesleyan University vs. Aquinas College comparison

	Dakota Wesleyan University	Aquinas College	College 3	College 4
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Overview	Dakota Wesleyan University	Aquinas College
Location	Mitchell, SD	Nashville, TN
Setting	Remote Town	Large City
Enrollment	887	342
Type	Private 4 Year	Private 4 Year
National Ranking
Religious Affiliation	United Methodist	Roman Catholic	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	dwu.edu	aquinascollege.edu
Team Colors

Costs	Dakota Wesleyan University	Aquinas College
Tuition (In State)	$30,700	$21,350
Tuition (Out of State)	$30,700	$21,350
Room & Board	$7,450	$8,850
Avg Net Price	$19,825	$20,892
Avg Grant Aid	$21,097	$12,820
% Receiving Grant Aid	100%	100%

Admission	Dakota Wesleyan University	Aquinas College
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	1,209	245
Admitted	904	99
Acceptance Rate	74.8%	40.4%
Enrolled %	18.6%	33.3%
Avg High School GPA	3.36	3.55
Typical High School Grades	B+	B+
Admissions Standards	Average	Difficult
Applicant Competition		Low
ACT Range	18/24	21/28
SAT Range	950/1420	1100/1370
Submit Test Scores	Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)	Required
Application Deadline	Aug 27, 2025

Academics	Dakota Wesleyan University	Aquinas College
Student to Faculty Ratio	12:1	0:1
Popular Majors	Health Professions (37%) Business (13%) Education (9%) Biology (7%) Recreation, Leisure and Fitness Studies (6%)	Health Professions (67%) Business (24%) Education (5%) Liberal Arts and Humanities (2%) English and Literature (1%)
Outcomes	Dakota Wesleyan University	Aquinas College
Graduation Rate	43%	38%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$38,200	$48,600
Making Student Loan Payments	71%	56%
Median Student Loan Debt	$26,533	$20,500
Median Loan Payment	$274	$211

Diversity	Dakota Wesleyan University	Aquinas College
% Men	46%	0%
% Women	54%	0%
Racial Diversity	Very Low	Medium
HBCU	No	No
% White	88%	69%
% Black	2%	6%
% Hispanic	3%	4%
% Native American	2%	0%
% Pacific Islander	0%	2%
% Two or More Races	3%	2%
% International	2%	4%
% Unknown Race	0%	9%

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

Comparable Facts

• Dakota Wesleyan University is larger than than Aquinas College based on total student enrollment (887 students vs. 342 students)

Dakota Wesleyan University vs. Aquinas College Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Dakota Wesleyan University or Aquinas College?

• Dakota Wesleyan University is 43.8% more expensive to attend than Aquinas College for in-state tuition ($30,700.00 vs. $21,350.00)
• Out of state tuition is 43.8% higher at Dakota Wesleyan University than Aquinas College ($30,700.00 vs. $21,350.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Dakota Wesleyan University than Aquinas College ($19,825 vs. $20,892)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Dakota Wesleyan University are 18.8% lower than costs at Aquinas College ($7,450 vs. $8,850)
• The same percent of students receive financial grant aid at Dakota Wesleyan University as Aquinas College (100% vs. 100%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Dakota Wesleyan University students is 64.6% larger than aid received Aquinas College ($21,097 vs. $12,820)

Dakota Wesleyan University vs. Aquinas College Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

• The average SAT score at Aquinas College (1115) is 133 points higher than at Dakota Wesleyan University (982)
• Incoming Aquinas College students have a 3 point higher average ACT score (24) than students at Dakota Wesleyan University (21)
• Accepted freshman Aquinas College students have a 0.19 point higher average high school GPA (3.55) than students at Dakota Wesleyan University (3.36)
• Dakota Wesleyan University has a higher acceptance rate (74.8%) than Aquinas College (40.4%)

Dakota Wesleyan University vs. Aquinas College Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Dakota Wesleyan University or Aquinas College? 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 Aquinas College and Dakota Wesleyan University.

• The graduation rate at Dakota Wesleyan University is higher than Aquinas College (43% vs. 38%)
• Graduates from Aquinas College earn on average $10,400 more per year than Dakota Wesleyan University graduates after ten years. ($48,600 vs. $38,200)
• Aquinas College students graduate with a $6,033 lower median federal student loan debt than Dakota Wesleyan University graduates. ($20,500 vs. $26,533)
• Aquinas College graduates are paying $63 less per month on federal student loans than Dakota Wesleyan University graduates. ($211 vs. $274)
• More Dakota Wesleyan University graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Aquinas College students, three years after graduation. (71% vs. 56%)

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