Houghton College vs. Dakota Wesleyan University

Houghton College vs. Dakota Wesleyan University comparison

	Houghton College	Dakota Wesleyan University	College 3	College 4
	Remove	Remove	+Add	+Add
Overview	Houghton College	Dakota Wesleyan University
Location	Houghton, NY	Mitchell, SD
Setting	Remote Rural	Remote Town
Enrollment	1,014	886
Type	Private 4 Year	Private 4 Year
National Ranking	#447
Religious Affiliation	Wesleyan	United Methodist	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	houghton.edu	dwu.edu
Team Colors

Costs	Houghton College	Dakota Wesleyan University
Tuition (In State)	$16,690	$31,700
Tuition (Out of State)	$16,690	$31,700
Room & Board	$10,810	$7,600
Avg Net Price	$22,358	$21,901
Avg Grant Aid	$7,149	$20,598
% Receiving Grant Aid	100%	100%

Admission	Houghton College	Dakota Wesleyan University
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	1,068	1,153
Admitted	990	839
Acceptance Rate	92.7%	72.8%
Enrolled %	23.7%	21.9%
Avg High School GPA	3.25	3.36
Typical High School Grades	B	B+
Admissions Standards	Difficult	Average
Applicant Competition		Low
ACT Range	23/28	18/24
SAT Range	1180/1390	950/1420
Submit Test Scores	Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)	Not considered for admission, even if submitted (Test Blind)
Application Deadline		Aug 27, 2025

Academics	Houghton College	Dakota Wesleyan University
Student to Faculty Ratio	13:1	12:1
Popular Majors	Business (23%) Education (15%) Visual and Performing Arts (7%) Biology (7%) Psychology (7%)	Health Professions (37%) Business (13%) Education (9%) Biology (7%) Recreation, Leisure and Fitness Studies (6%)
Outcomes	Houghton College	Dakota Wesleyan University
Graduation Rate	68%	43%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$44,300	$38,200
Making Student Loan Payments	77%	71%
Median Student Loan Debt	$25,500	$26,533
Median Loan Payment	$263	$274

Diversity	Houghton College	Dakota Wesleyan University
% Men	1%	7%
% Women	3%	6%
Racial Diversity	Low	Very Low
HBCU	No	No
% White	78%	88%
% Black	3%	2%
% Hispanic	2%	3%
% Native American	0%	2%
% Pacific Islander	0%	0%
% Two or More Races	4%	3%
% International	11%	2%
% Unknown Race	1%	0%

Students	Houghton College	Dakota Wesleyan University
% In-State	57%	61%
% Out-of-State	43%	35%
Campus	Houghton College	Dakota Wesleyan University
Campus Housing	Yes	Yes
Freshman Dorm Required	No	No
Meal Plan	Yes	Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes	No	No
Daycare Facility	No	Yes
Learn More	Details	Details

Comparable Facts

• Houghton College is larger than than Dakota Wesleyan University based on total student enrollment (1,014 students vs. 886 students)

Houghton College vs. Dakota Wesleyan University Cost Comparison

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

• Dakota Wesleyan University is 89.9% more expensive to attend than Houghton College for in-state tuition ($31,700.00 vs. $16,690.00)
• Out of state tuition is 89.9% higher at Dakota Wesleyan University than Houghton College ($31,700.00 vs. $16,690.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Dakota Wesleyan University than Houghton College ($21,901 vs. $22,358)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Dakota Wesleyan University are 42.2% lower than costs at Houghton College ($7,600 vs. $10,810)
• The same percent of students receive financial grant aid at Houghton College as Dakota Wesleyan University (100% vs. 100%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Dakota Wesleyan University students is 188.1% larger than aid received Houghton College ($20,598 vs. $7,149)

Houghton College vs. Dakota Wesleyan University Admissions Difficulty Comparison

Which college is harder to get into, Houghton College 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 Houghton College .

• The average SAT score at Houghton College (1110) is 128 points higher than at Dakota Wesleyan University (982)
• Incoming Houghton College students have a 4 point higher average ACT score (25) than students at Dakota Wesleyan University (21)
• Accepted freshman Dakota Wesleyan University students have a 0.11 point higher average high school GPA (3.36) than students at Houghton College (3.25)
• Houghton College has a higher acceptance rate (92.7%) than Dakota Wesleyan University (72.8%)

Houghton College vs. Dakota Wesleyan University Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Houghton College 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 Houghton College.

• The graduation rate at Houghton College is higher than Dakota Wesleyan University (68% vs. 43%)
• Graduates from Houghton College earn on average $6,100 more per year than Dakota Wesleyan University graduates after ten years. ($44,300 vs. $38,200)
• Houghton College students graduate with a $1,033 lower median federal student loan debt than Dakota Wesleyan University graduates. ($25,500 vs. $26,533)
• Houghton College graduates are paying $11 less per month on federal student loans than Dakota Wesleyan University graduates. ($263 vs. $274)
• More Houghton College graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Dakota Wesleyan University students, three years after graduation. (77% vs. 71%)

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