Quad

Head-to-head

U. South Dakota
U. Wyoming

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    U. Wyoming's grants cover 29% of its full price on average, vs. 19% at U. South Dakota

    Aid generosity
  2. 2

    U. Wyoming graduates 8 pts more of its students than U. South Dakota (62% vs. 55%)

    Graduation rate
  3. 3

    U. South Dakota's SAT midpoint is 65 points higher than U. Wyoming's

    SAT midpoint
  4. 4

    U. Wyoming is a bit larger (7,944 vs. 5,439)

    Undergrads
  5. 5

    U. Wyoming grads earn $5K more ten years out than U. South Dakota's ($56,880 vs. $51,926)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  6. 6

    U. Wyoming's yield is 5 pts higher than U. South Dakota'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

Who's hardest to get into

U. Wyoming admits 97%, U. South Dakota 99%; U. Wyoming's yield is higher, at 24%.

Acceptance rate
U. South Dakota99%
U. Wyoming97%
Quad's selectivity
  • U. South DakotaOpen
  • U. WyomingOpen
SAT middle 50%Axis 900–1600
U. South Dakota
1125–1315
U. Wyoming
1040–1280
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • U. South DakotaSchool record and prep program required38%
  • U. WyomingRigor and GPA very important43%

Who's on each campus

U. Wyoming is a bit larger than U. South Dakota (7,944 vs. 5,439 undergrads) and has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
U. South Dakota5.4K
U. Wyoming7.9K
Pell Grant share
U. South Dakota19%
U. Wyoming23%

Majors and faculty

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

Students per faculty member
U. South Dakota16 to 1
U. Wyoming13 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • U. South DakotaRegistered Nursing/Registered Nurse9%
  • U. WyomingExperimental Psychology8%

What each costs

U. South Dakota costs about $2.4K less a year than U. Wyoming on average; U. Wyoming's grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
U. South Dakota$20.4K
U. Wyoming$22.9K
Aid generosity
U. South Dakota19%
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
U. South Dakota$51.9K
U. Wyoming$56.9K
Graduation rate
U. South Dakota55%
U. Wyoming62%

How each has changed

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

Applications, 10-year change
  • U. South DakotaGrowing+68%
  • 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: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;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