University of Alaska Fairbanks vs. Dakota State

University of Alaska Fairbanks vs. Dakota State University comparison

	University of Alaska Fairbanks	Dakota State University	College 3	College 4
	Remove	Remove	+Add	+Add
Overview	University of Alaska Fairbanks	Dakota State
Location	Fairbanks, AK	Madison, SD
Setting	Small Suburban	Distant Town
Enrollment	6,640	3,508
Type	Public 4 Year	Public 4 Year
National Ranking	#1020	#813
Religious Affiliation	-	-	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	uaf.edu	dsu.edu
Team Colors

Costs	University of Alaska Fairbanks	Dakota State
Tuition (In State)	$6,936	$7,616
Tuition (Out of State)	$20,520	$10,718
Room & Board	$10,450	$8,990
Avg Net Price	$9,985	$19,115
Avg Grant Aid	$10,102	$5,263
% Receiving Grant Aid	84%	87%

Admission	University of Alaska Fairbanks	Dakota State
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	-	988
Admitted	-	967
Acceptance Rate	Open	97.9%
Enrolled %	Open	40.7%
Avg High School GPA	3.4	3.33
Typical High School Grades	B+	B+
Admissions Standards	Challenging	Challenging
Applicant Competition
ACT Range	17/27	20/26
SAT Range	1110/1360	1020/1340
Submit Test Scores		Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)
Application Deadline	Jun 15, 2025

Academics	University of Alaska Fairbanks	Dakota State
Student to Faculty Ratio	12:1	19:1
Popular Majors	Business (12%) Engineering (10%) Health Professions (8%) Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting (8%) Liberal Arts and Humanities (7%)	Computer and Information Sciences (28%) Business (25%) Education (22%) Health Professions (14%) Recreation, Leisure and Fitness Studies (3%)
Outcomes	University of Alaska Fairbanks	Dakota State
Graduation Rate	31%	34%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$42,200	$42,200
Making Student Loan Payments	53%	67%
Median Student Loan Debt	$16,975	$23,500
Median Loan Payment	$175	$242

Diversity	University of Alaska Fairbanks	Dakota State
% Men	6%	12%
% Women	9%	4%
Racial Diversity	Very High	Very Low
HBCU	No	No
% White	42%	84%
% Black	2%	4%
% Hispanic	6%	4%
% Native American	14%	1%
% Pacific Islander	0%	0%
% Two or More Races	4%	3%
% International	1%	1%
% Unknown Race	29%	1%

Students	University of Alaska Fairbanks	Dakota State
% In-State	81%	56%
% Out-of-State	18%	38%
Campus	University of Alaska Fairbanks	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

• University of Alaska Fairbanks is larger than than Dakota State based on total student enrollment (6,640 students vs. 3,508 students)

University of Alaska Fairbanks vs. Dakota State Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, University of Alaska Fairbanks or Dakota State?

• Dakota State University is 9.8% more expensive to attend than University of Alaska Fairbanks for in-state tuition ($7,616.00 vs. $6,936.00)
• Out of state tuition is 91.5% higher at University of Alaska Fairbanks than Dakota State University ($20,520.00 vs. $10,718.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at University of Alaska Fairbanks than Dakota State ($9,985 vs. $19,115)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Dakota State University are 16.2% lower than costs at University of Alaska Fairbanks ($8,990 vs. $10,450)
• More students receive financial grant aid at Dakota State University than University of Alaska Fairbanks (87% vs. 84%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by University of Alaska Fairbanks students is 91.9% larger than aid received Dakota State University ($10,102 vs. $5,263)

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

• The average SAT score at University of Alaska Fairbanks (1058) is 11 points higher than at Dakota State (1047)
• Incoming Dakota State students have a 1 point higher average ACT score (23) than students at University of Alaska Fairbanks (22)
• Accepted freshman University of Alaska Fairbanks students have a 0.07 point higher average high school GPA (3.4) than students at Dakota State (3.33)

University of Alaska Fairbanks vs. Dakota State Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, University of Alaska Fairbanks 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 University of Alaska Fairbanks.

• The graduation rate at Dakota State is higher than University of Alaska Fairbanks (34% vs. 31%)
• Graduates of University of Alaska Fairbanks and Dakota State have equivalent average earnings after ten years ($42,200 vs. $42,200)
• University of Alaska Fairbanks students graduate with a $6,525 lower median federal student loan debt than Dakota State graduates. ($16,975 vs. $23,500)
• University of Alaska Fairbanks graduates are paying $67 less per month on federal student loans than Dakota State graduates. ($175 vs. $242)
• More Dakota State graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former University of Alaska Fairbanks students, three years after graduation. (67% vs. 53%)

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