Quad

Head-to-head

U. South Dakota
U. Maine

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    U. Maine's grants cover 34% of its full price on average, vs. 19% at U. South Dakota

    Aid generosity
  2. 2

    U. South Dakota is more diverse (index 0.41 vs. 0.31)

    Diversity index
  3. 3

    U. South Dakota costs about $4.5K less per year on average than U. Maine ($20,435 vs. $24,967, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  4. 4

    U. Maine has 1.6× as many undergrads as U. South Dakota

    Undergrads
  5. 5

    U. Maine has 5 pts more Pell recipients than U. South Dakota (23% vs. 19%)

    Pell Grant recipients
  6. 6

    U. South Dakota's yield is 4 pts higher than U. Maine's

    Yield 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

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

Who's hardest to get into

U. Maine admits 97%, U. South Dakota 99%; U. South Dakota's yield is higher, at 19%.

Acceptance rate
U. South Dakota99%
U. Maine97%
Quad's selectivity
  • U. South DakotaOpen
  • U. MaineOpen
SAT middle 50%Axis 1000–1600
U. South Dakota
1125–1315
U. MaineTest-blind
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • U. South DakotaSchool record and prep program required38%
  • U. MaineSchool record and prep program required

Who's on each campus

U. Maine has 1.6× as many undergrads as U. South Dakota and has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
U. South Dakota5.4K
U. Maine8.5K
Pell Grant share
U. South Dakota19%
U. Maine23%

Majors and faculty

Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse leads at U. South Dakota, and Mechanical Engineering at U. Maine; U. Maine has 15 students per faculty member to U. South Dakota's 16.

Students per faculty member
U. South Dakota16 to 1
U. Maine15 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • U. South DakotaRegistered Nursing/Registered Nurse9%
  • U. MaineMechanical Engineering6%

What each costs

U. South Dakota costs about $4.5K less a year than U. Maine on average; U. Maine's grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
U. South Dakota$20.4K
U. Maine$25K
Aid generosity
U. South Dakota19%
U. Maine34%

What each pays off

U. South Dakota's former students earn more, a median $51.9K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 50% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
U. South Dakota$51.9K
U. Maine$48.7K
Graduation rate
U. South Dakota55%
U. Maine56%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; both got less selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • U. South DakotaGrowing+68%
  • 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:University of South Dakota (Fall 2025), Fall 2025;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;University of South Dakota Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2027 applicants;University of South Dakota Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024;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;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023About 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