Nebraska Wesleyan University vs. Dakota State

Nebraska Wesleyan University vs. Dakota State University comparison

	Nebraska Wesleyan University	Dakota State University	College 3	College 4
	Remove	Remove	+Add	+Add
Overview	Nebraska Wesleyan University	Dakota State
Location	Lincoln, NE	Madison, SD
Setting	Large City	Distant Town
Enrollment	1,688	3,241
Type	Private 4 Year	Public 4 Year
National Ranking	#393	#808
Religious Affiliation	United Methodist	-	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	nebrwesleyan.edu	dsu.edu
Team Colors

Costs	Nebraska Wesleyan University	Dakota State
Tuition (In State)	$38,898	$7,616
Tuition (Out of State)	$38,898	$10,718
Room & Board	$11,374	$8,018
Avg Net Price	$25,201	$17,977
Avg Grant Aid	$26,523	$5,467
% Receiving Grant Aid	100%	92%

Admission	Nebraska Wesleyan University	Dakota State
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	2,370	882
Admitted	1,931	696
Acceptance Rate	81.5%	78.9%
Enrolled %	18.5%	53.4%
Avg High School GPA	3.7	3.33
Typical High School Grades	A-	B+
Admissions Standards	Challenging	Average
Applicant Competition
ACT Range	22/29	19/27
SAT Range	1010/1240	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	Aug 15, 2025

Academics	Nebraska Wesleyan University	Dakota State
Student to Faculty Ratio	11:1	18:1
Popular Majors	Business (21%) Health Professions (10%) Education (9%) Biology (9%) Recreation, Leisure and Fitness Studies (8%)	Computer and Information Sciences (28%) Business (25%) Education (22%) Health Professions (14%) Recreation, Leisure and Fitness Studies (3%)
Outcomes	Nebraska Wesleyan University	Dakota State
Graduation Rate	64%	34%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$51,800	$42,200
Making Student Loan Payments	77%	67%
Median Student Loan Debt	$25,000	$23,500
Median Loan Payment	$258	$242

Diversity	Nebraska Wesleyan University	Dakota State
% Men	43%	64%
% Women	57%	36%
Racial Diversity	Very Low	Very Low
HBCU	No	No
% White	85%	84%
% Black	2%	4%
% Hispanic	5%	4%
% Native American	0%	1%
% Pacific Islander	0%	0%
% Two or More Races	2%	3%
% International	1%	1%
% Unknown Race	2%	1%

Students	Nebraska Wesleyan University	Dakota State
% In-State	68%	58%
% Out-of-State	30%	39%
Campus	Nebraska Wesleyan University	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 Nebraska Wesleyan University based on total student enrollment (3,241 students vs. 1,688 students)

Nebraska Wesleyan University vs. Dakota State Cost Comparison

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

• Nebraska Wesleyan University is 410.7% more expensive to attend than Dakota State for in-state tuition ($38,898.00 vs. $7,616.00)
• Out of state tuition is 262.9% higher at Nebraska Wesleyan University than Dakota State University ($38,898.00 vs. $10,718.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Dakota State University than Nebraska Wesleyan University ($17,977 vs. $25,201)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Dakota State University are 41.9% lower than costs at Nebraska Wesleyan University ($8,018 vs. $11,374)
• More students receive financial grant aid at Nebraska Wesleyan University than Dakota State University (100% vs. 92%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Nebraska Wesleyan University students is 385.1% larger than aid received Dakota State University ($26,523 vs. $5,467)

Nebraska Wesleyan University vs. Dakota State Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

• The average SAT score at Nebraska Wesleyan University (1121) is 74 points higher than at Dakota State (1047)
• Incoming Nebraska Wesleyan University students have a 2 point higher average ACT score (25) than students at Dakota State (23)
• Accepted freshman Nebraska Wesleyan University students have a 0.37 point higher average high school GPA (3.7) than students at Dakota State (3.33)
• Nebraska Wesleyan University has a higher acceptance rate (81.5%) than Dakota State (78.9%)

Nebraska Wesleyan University vs. Dakota State Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Nebraska Wesleyan University 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 Nebraska Wesleyan University.

• The graduation rate at Nebraska Wesleyan University is higher than Dakota State University (64% vs. 34%)
• Graduates from Nebraska Wesleyan University earn on average $9,600 more per year than Dakota State graduates after ten years. ($51,800 vs. $42,200)
• Dakota State University students graduate with a $1,500 lower median federal student loan debt than Nebraska Wesleyan University graduates. ($23,500 vs. $25,000)
• Dakota State graduates are paying $16 less per month on federal student loans than Nebraska Wesleyan University graduates. ($242 vs. $258)
• More Nebraska Wesleyan University graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Dakota State students, three years after graduation. (77% vs. 67%)

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