Quad

Head-to-head

South Dakota State
U. Maine

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    South Dakota State's yield is 19 pts higher than U. Maine's

    Yield rate
  2. 2

    U. Maine's grants cover 34% of its full price on average, vs. 16% at South Dakota State

    Aid generosity
  3. 3

    U. Maine has 6 pts more Pell recipients than South Dakota State (23% vs. 17%)

    Pell Grant recipients
  4. 4

    South Dakota State grads earn $6.4K more ten years out than U. Maine's ($55,070 vs. $48,653)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  5. 5

    South Dakota State costs about $3.5K less per year on average than U. Maine ($21,508 vs. $24,967, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  6. 6

    U. Maine has 3 pts more first-gen students than South Dakota State (23% vs. 20%)

    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

Hollow dots at the center mean that measure isn't reported.

Who's hardest to get into

U. Maine admits 97%, South Dakota State 98%; South Dakota State's yield is higher, at 34%.

Acceptance rate
South Dakota State98%
U. Maine97%
Quad's selectivity
  • South Dakota StateOpen
  • U. MaineOpen
SAT middle 50%Axis 1000–1600
South Dakota State
1060–1240
U. MaineTest-blind
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • South Dakota StateGPA, school record, rank, and prep program required
  • U. MaineSchool record and prep program required

Who's on each campus

South Dakota State and U. Maine are about the same size; U. Maine has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
South Dakota State9.2K
U. Maine8.5K
Pell Grant share
South Dakota State17%
U. Maine23%

Majors and faculty

Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse leads at South Dakota State, and Mechanical Engineering at U. Maine.

Students per faculty member
South Dakota State17 to 1
U. Maine15 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • South Dakota StateRegistered Nursing/Registered Nurse18%
  • U. MaineMechanical Engineering6%

What each costs

South Dakota State costs about $3.5K less a year than U. Maine on average; U. Maine's grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
South Dakota State$21.5K
U. Maine$25K
Aid generosity
South Dakota State16%
U. Maine34%

What each pays off

South Dakota State's former students earn more, a median $55.1K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 50% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
South Dakota State$55.1K
U. Maine$48.7K
Graduation rate
South Dakota State58%
U. Maine56%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; both got less selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • South Dakota StateGrowing+42%
  • U. MaineGrowing+22%
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