St. Kate's vs. Dakota Wesleyan University

St Catherine University vs. Dakota Wesleyan University comparison

	St Catherine University	Dakota Wesleyan University	College 3	College 4
	Remove	Remove	+Add	+Add
Overview	St. Kate's	Dakota Wesleyan University
Location	Saint Paul, MN	Mitchell, SD
Setting	Large City	Remote Town
Enrollment	3,533	886
Type	Private 4 Year	Private 4 Year
National Ranking	#282
Religious Affiliation	Roman Catholic	United Methodist	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	stkate.edu	dwu.edu
Team Colors

Costs	St. Kate's	Dakota Wesleyan University
Tuition (In State)	$48,864	$31,700
Tuition (Out of State)	$48,864	$31,700
Room & Board	$11,636	$7,600
Avg Net Price	$22,357	$21,901
Avg Grant Aid	$36,206	$20,598
% Receiving Grant Aid	99%	100%

Admission	St. Kate's	Dakota Wesleyan University
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	1,703	1,153
Admitted	1,602	839
Acceptance Rate	94.1%	72.8%
Enrolled %	23.5%	21.9%
Avg High School GPA	3.62	3.36
Typical High School Grades	B+	B+
Admissions Standards	Challenging	Average
Applicant Competition		Low
ACT Range	18/26	18/24
SAT Range	1155/1450	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, 2026

Academics	St. Kate's	Dakota Wesleyan University
Student to Faculty Ratio	10:1	12:1
Popular Majors	Health Professions (51%) Business (10%) Education (6%) Human Services (5%) Social Sciences (5%)	Health Professions (37%) Business (13%) Education (9%) Biology (7%) Recreation, Leisure and Fitness Studies (6%)
Outcomes	St. Kate's	Dakota Wesleyan University
Graduation Rate	65%	43%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$50,100	$38,200
Making Student Loan Payments	65%	71%
Median Student Loan Debt	$28,000	$26,533
Median Loan Payment	$289	$274

Diversity	St. Kate's	Dakota Wesleyan University
% Men	3%	7%
% Women	28%	6%
Racial Diversity	Medium	Very Low
HBCU	No	No
% White	64%	88%
% Black	9%	2%
% Hispanic	7%	3%
% Native American	1%	2%
% Pacific Islander	0%	0%
% Two or More Races	3%	3%
% International	1%	2%
% Unknown Race	4%	0%

Students	St. Kate's	Dakota Wesleyan University
% In-State	83%	61%
% Out-of-State	17%	35%
Campus	St. Kate's	Dakota Wesleyan University
Campus Housing	Yes	Yes
Freshman Dorm Required	No	No
Meal Plan	Yes	Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes	Yes	No
Daycare Facility	Yes	Yes
Learn More	Details	Details

Comparable Facts

• St Catherine University is larger than than Dakota Wesleyan University based on total student enrollment (3,533 students vs. 886 students)

St. Kate's vs. Dakota Wesleyan University Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, St. Kate's or Dakota Wesleyan University?

• St Catherine University is 54.1% more expensive to attend than Dakota Wesleyan University for in-state tuition ($48,864.00 vs. $31,700.00)
• Out of state tuition is 54.1% higher at St. Kate's than Dakota Wesleyan University ($48,864.00 vs. $31,700.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Dakota Wesleyan University than St. Kate's ($21,901 vs. $22,357)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Dakota Wesleyan University are 53.1% lower than costs at St Catherine University ($7,600 vs. $11,636)
• More students receive financial grant aid at Dakota Wesleyan University than St Catherine University (100% vs. 99%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by St Catherine University students is 75.8% larger than aid received Dakota Wesleyan University ($36,206 vs. $20,598)

St. Kate's vs. Dakota Wesleyan University Admissions Difficulty Comparison

Which college is harder to get into, St. Kate's 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 St. Kate's .

• The average SAT score at St Catherine University (1032) is 50 points higher than at Dakota Wesleyan University (982)
• Incoming St. Kate's students have a 1 point higher average ACT score (22) than students at Dakota Wesleyan University (21)
• Accepted freshman St. Kate's students have a 0.26 point higher average high school GPA (3.62) than students at Dakota Wesleyan University (3.36)
• St. Kate's has a higher acceptance rate (94.1%) than Dakota Wesleyan University (72.8%)

St. Kate's vs. Dakota Wesleyan University Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, St. Kate's 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 St. Kate's.

• The graduation rate at St. Kate's is higher than Dakota Wesleyan University (65% vs. 43%)
• Graduates from St Catherine University earn on average $11,900 more per year than Dakota Wesleyan University graduates after ten years. ($50,100 vs. $38,200)
• Dakota Wesleyan University students graduate with a $1,467 lower median federal student loan debt than St. Kate's graduates. ($26,533 vs. $28,000)
• Dakota Wesleyan University graduates are paying $15 less per month on federal student loans than St. Kate's graduates. ($274 vs. $289)
• More Dakota Wesleyan University graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former St. Kate's students, three years after graduation. (71% vs. 65%)

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