Quad

Head-to-head

Northern State
Valley City State

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Valley City State's yield is 19 pts higher than Northern State's

    Yield rate
  2. 2

    Northern State's SAT midpoint is 120 points higher than Valley City State's

    SAT midpoint
  3. 3

    Valley City State's grants cover 32% of its full price on average, vs. 26% at Northern State

    Aid generosity
  4. 4

    Valley City State grads earn $5.1K more ten years out than Northern State's ($52,725 vs. $47,618)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  5. 5

    Valley City State has 4 pts more Pell recipients than Northern State (17% vs. 12%)

    Pell Grant recipients
  6. 6

    Northern State has 4 pts more first-gen students than Valley City State (31% vs. 26%)

    First-generation students

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Who's hardest to get into

Northern State admits 93%, Valley City State 99%; Valley City State's yield is higher, at 54%.

Acceptance rate
Northern State93%
Valley City State99%
Quad's selectivity
  • Northern StateOpen
  • Valley City StateOpen
SAT middle 50%Axis 700–1600
Northern State
980–1160
Valley City State
830–1070
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • Northern StateGPA, school record, rank, and prep program required
  • Valley City StateGPA, school record, and prep program required

Who's on each campus

Northern State is a bit larger than Valley City State (1,273 vs. 958 undergrads); Valley City State has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Northern State1.3K
Valley City State958
Pell Grant share
Northern State12%
Valley City State17%

Majors and faculty

Elementary Education and Teaching leads at both; Valley City State has 12 students per faculty member to Northern State's 19.

Students per faculty member
Northern State19 to 1
Valley City State12 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • Northern StateElementary Education and Teaching10%
  • Valley City StateElementary Education and Teaching41%

What each costs

Valley City State costs about $2K less a year than Northern State on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Northern State$17.5K
Valley City State$15.4K
Aid generosity
Northern State26%
Valley City State32%

What each pays off

Valley City State's former students earn more, a median $52.7K ten years after enrolling; both graduate at least 50% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
Northern State$47.6K
Valley City State$52.7K
Graduation rate
Northern State50%
Valley City State53%

How each has changed

Applications fell at both; both got less selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • Northern StateShrinking−21%
  • Valley City StateShrinking−12%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why