Quad

Head-to-head

South Dakota State
U. Wyoming

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    U. Wyoming is more diverse (index 0.41 vs. 0.29)

    Diversity index
  2. 2

    U. Wyoming's grants cover 29% of its full price on average, vs. 16% at South Dakota State

    Aid generosity
  3. 3

    South Dakota State's yield is 10 pts higher than U. Wyoming's

    Yield rate
  4. 4

    U. Wyoming has 8 pts more first-gen students than South Dakota State (28% vs. 20%)

    First-generation students
  5. 5

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

    Pell Grant recipients
  6. 6

    U. Wyoming graduates 4 pts more of its students than South Dakota State (62% vs. 58%)

    Graduation rate

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

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

Acceptance rate
South Dakota State98%
U. Wyoming97%
Quad's selectivity
  • South Dakota StateOpen
  • U. WyomingOpen
SAT middle 50%Axis 900–1600
South Dakota State
1060–1240
U. Wyoming
1040–1280
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • South Dakota StateGPA, school record, rank, and prep program required
  • U. WyomingGPA, school record, and prep program required43%

Who's on each campus

South Dakota State is a bit larger than U. Wyoming (9,198 vs. 7,944 undergrads); U. Wyoming has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
South Dakota State9.2K
U. Wyoming7.9K
Pell Grant share
South Dakota State17%
U. Wyoming23%

Majors and faculty

Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse leads at South Dakota State, and Experimental Psychology at U. Wyoming.

Students per faculty member
South Dakota State17 to 1
U. Wyoming13 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • South Dakota StateRegistered Nursing/Registered Nurse18%
  • U. WyomingExperimental Psychology8%

What each costs

South Dakota State costs about $1.3K less a year than U. Wyoming on average; U. Wyoming's grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
South Dakota State$21.5K
U. Wyoming$22.9K
Aid generosity
South Dakota State16%
U. Wyoming29%

What each pays off

U. Wyoming's former students earn more, a median $56.9K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 50% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
South Dakota State$55.1K
U. Wyoming$56.9K
Graduation rate
South Dakota State58%
U. Wyoming62%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; South Dakota State got less selective while U. Wyoming held steady.

Applications, 10-year change
  • South Dakota StateGrowing+42%
  • U. WyomingGrowing+48%
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 2018;University of Wyoming (Fall 2025), Fall 2025;University of Wyoming Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024About 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