College of Saint Benedict vs NSU-Aberdeen

College of Saint Benedict (CSB) and Northern State University (NSU) stand out as two distinct institutions of higher learning, each offering unique opportunities and experiences to their students. CSB, a private, women's college in St. Joseph, Minnesota, boasts a selective admissions process with an acceptance rate of 75%, while NSU, a public university in Aberdeen, South Dakota, offers a more open admissions policy with an acceptance rate of 95%. While both institutions offer a diverse range of undergraduate programs, CSB is renowned for its strengths in the liberal arts and sciences, while NSU excels in fields such as business, education, and nursing. Explore the detailed comparison table below to delve into further distinctions between these two esteemed universities, including student body demographics, graduation rates, and additional factors that may influence your decision in choosing the ideal academic environment for your educational journey.

	College of Saint Benedict	Northern State University
Overview
Location	Saint Joseph, Minnesota	Aberdeen, South Dakota
Campus setting	Suburb: Midsize	Town: Remote
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	85.0%	68.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation	Catholic

Admission
Acceptance rate	91.8%	79.8%
Application fees		Undergraduate: $20 Graduate: $35
SAT range	1110 - 1220	1020 - 1190
ACT range	20 - 27	18 - 24
Students submitting SAT score	5.0%	5.0%
Students submitting ACT score	53.0%	80.0%
Total number of applicants	1,705	1,229
Total number of admissions given out	1,565	981
Admitted students who chose to enroll	389	337
Yield rate	24.9%	34.4%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$64,600	In state: $23,495 Out of state: $26,597
Average net price	$28,269	$16,821
Tuition	$48,990	In state: $7,616 Out of state: $10,718
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,744 Meal plan: $5,830	Room/dormitory: $4,800 Meal plan: $4,350
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $34,926	89.0% Average amount $5,662
Students receiving federal student loan	70.0% Average amount $5,285	65.0% Average amount $4,850
Students taking out private loans	23.0% Average amount $14,950	10.0% Average amount $9,043

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,542 Men 0.0% Women 100.0%	2,867 Men 40.6% Women 59.4%
Graduate students	15 Men 0.0% Women 100.0%	473 Men 26.6% Women 73.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	13.9%	38.9%
International students	2.8%	2.1%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Midsize	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	1,657	853
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Minnesota Texas Wisconsin Illinois California	South Dakota Minnesota North Dakota Iowa Wisconsin

Academics
Popular study areas	Biological and Biomedical Sciences Health Professions Multidisciplinary Studies Business Communication and Journalism	Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Business Liberal Arts
Students to faculty ratio	11:1	16:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	76.7%	47.6%
Dropout rate	4.2%	25.4%
Transferred out	19.1%	22.9%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,506 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $64,967 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,133 Year 2: $58,673 Year 3: $63,835 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $49,618 Year 2: $51,607 Year 3: $60,918 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,526 Year 2: $41,193 Year 3: $50,148 Nutrition Sciences (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,764 Year 2: $38,906 Year 3: $47,379 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,234 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $41,921 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,557 Year 2: $27,126 Year 3: $40,533 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,176 Year 2: $34,298 Year 3: $38,443 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,663 Year 2: $31,127 Year 3: $37,417 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,025 Year 2: $31,133 Year 3: N/A	Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $49,248 Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $44,021 Year 3: $46,732 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,902 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $46,239 Curriculum and Instruction (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $43,575 Year 3: $45,796 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,996 Year 2: $40,728 Year 3: $45,442 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,033 Year 2: $39,523 Year 3: $39,953 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,526 Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: $39,845 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,862 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: N/A English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $20,824 Year 3: N/A Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $38,740 Year 2: $34,526 Year 3: N/A

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