UNK vs. Dakota State

University of Nebraska at Kearney vs. Dakota State University comparison

	University of Nebraska at Kearney	Dakota State University	College 3	College 4
	Remove	Remove	+Add	+Add
Overview	UNK	Dakota State
Location	Kearney, NE	Madison, SD
Setting	Remote Town	Distant Town
Enrollment	6,041	3,241
Type	Public 4 Year	Public 4 Year
National Ranking	#571	#808
Religious Affiliation	-	-	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	unk.edu	dsu.edu
Team Colors

Costs	UNK	Dakota State
Tuition (In State)	$6,220	$7,616
Tuition (Out of State)	$12,036	$10,718
Room & Board	$11,390	$8,018
Avg Net Price	$16,564	$17,977
Avg Grant Aid	$7,282	$5,467
% Receiving Grant Aid	100%	92%

Admission	UNK	Dakota State
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	6,794	882
Admitted	5,842	696
Acceptance Rate	86%	78.9%
Enrolled %	14.8%	53.4%
Avg High School GPA	3.24	3.33
Typical High School Grades	B	B+
Admissions Standards	Easy	Average
Applicant Competition
ACT Range	19/25	19/27
SAT Range	1000/1200	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	UNK	Dakota State
Student to Faculty Ratio	13:1	18:1
Popular Majors	Business (24%) Education (20%) Recreation, Leisure and Fitness Studies (6%) Visual and Performing Arts (5%) Communication (5%)	Computer and Information Sciences (28%) Business (25%) Education (22%) Health Professions (14%) Recreation, Leisure and Fitness Studies (3%)
Outcomes	UNK	Dakota State
Graduation Rate	61%	34%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$43,400	$42,200
Making Student Loan Payments	71%	67%
Median Student Loan Debt	$21,250	$23,500
Median Loan Payment	$219	$242

Diversity	UNK	Dakota State
% Men	34%	64%
% Women	66%	36%
Racial Diversity	Low	Very Low
HBCU	No	No
% White	79%	84%
% Black	2%	4%
% Hispanic	11%	4%
% Native American	0%	1%
% Pacific Islander	0%	0%
% Two or More Races	2%	3%
% International	5%	1%
% Unknown Race	1%	1%

Students	UNK	Dakota State
% In-State	85%	58%
% Out-of-State	11%	39%
Campus	UNK	Dakota State
Campus Housing	Yes	Yes
Freshman Dorm Required	No	No
Meal Plan	Yes	Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes	No	Yes
Daycare Facility	Yes	No
Learn More	Details	Details

Comparable Facts

• University of Nebraska at Kearney is larger than than Dakota State based on total student enrollment (6,041 students vs. 3,241 students)

UNK vs. Dakota State Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, UNK or Dakota State?

• Dakota State University is 22.4% more expensive to attend than UNK for in-state tuition ($7,616.00 vs. $6,220.00)
• Out of state tuition is 12.3% higher at UNK than Dakota State University ($12,036.00 vs. $10,718.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at University of Nebraska at Kearney than Dakota State ($16,564 vs. $17,977)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Dakota State University are 42.1% lower than costs at University of Nebraska at Kearney ($8,018 vs. $11,390)
• More students receive financial grant aid at University of Nebraska at Kearney than Dakota State University (100% vs. 92%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by University of Nebraska at Kearney students is 33.2% larger than aid received Dakota State University ($7,282 vs. $5,467)

UNK vs. Dakota State Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

• The average SAT score at University of Nebraska at Kearney (1049) is 2 points higher than at Dakota State (1047)
• Incoming UNK students have at the same average ACT score (23) as students at Dakota State (23)
• Accepted freshman Dakota State students have a 0.09 point higher average high school GPA (3.33) than students at UNK (3.24)
• UNK has a higher acceptance rate (86%) than Dakota State (78.9%)

UNK vs. Dakota State Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, UNK 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 UNK.

• The graduation rate at UNK is higher than Dakota State University (61% vs. 34%)
• Graduates from University of Nebraska at Kearney earn on average $1,200 more per year than Dakota State graduates after ten years. ($43,400 vs. $42,200)
• University of Nebraska at Kearney students graduate with a $2,250 lower median federal student loan debt than Dakota State graduates. ($21,250 vs. $23,500)
• UNK graduates are paying $23 less per month on federal student loans than Dakota State graduates. ($219 vs. $242)
• More UNK graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Dakota State students, three years after graduation. (71% vs. 67%)

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