Dakota Wesleyan University
Mitchell, SD · Private · Town (remote) · DWU
Private institution in Mitchell, SD · 661 undergraduates · 73% acceptance rate · $53,728 median earnings 10 years after entry.
Stats
College Scorecard figures, each with where this school sits nationally among institutions that report the same measure. A dash means the school does not report it.
Cost
- Average net price
- $19,3001,017th cheapest of 1,969 reporting
- In-state tuition & fees
- $32,8901,404th cheapest of 2,024 reporting
- Out-of-state tuition & fees
- $32,8901,339th cheapest of 2,024 reporting
- Cost of attendance
- $42,4731,268th cheapest of 1,969 reporting
- Median graduate debt
- $27,0001,593rd lowest of 1,865 reporting
Outcomes
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $53,728868th highest of 1,954 reporting
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $49,432569th highest of 1,950 reporting
- Graduation rate (4-year)
- 46.4%1,288th highest of 2,014 reporting
- Full-time retention
- 69.4%1,264th highest of 1,837 reporting
Admissions
- Acceptance rate
- 72.8%682nd most selective of 1,596 reporting
- Average SAT
- —
- Median ACT
- 22604th highest of 952 reporting
Campus
- Undergraduates
- 6611,585th largest of 2,144 reporting
- Student-faculty ratio
- 12.0:1782nd smallest of 2,141 reporting
- Pell Grant share
- 26.3%1,390th highest of 2,122 reporting
Nearest large-hub airport: 252 mi (MSP)
On 1 of our 111 lists
Every published ranking this school appears on, with its rank there.
Best-paying fields of study
Median earnings one and two years after graduating, by field. Showing 12 of 52 reported programs.
| Field | Level | 1 yr | 2 yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingHealth Professions | bachelors | $59,124 | $57,603 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesBusiness | bachelors | $41,937 | — |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsHomeland Security & Law Enforcement | bachelors | $40,095 | $39,369 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBusiness | bachelors | $38,289 | $35,416 |
| Human Services, GeneralPublic Administration | bachelors | $35,988 | $34,526 |
| Health and Physical Education/FitnessParks, Recreation & Fitness | bachelors | $32,029 | $33,993 |
| Biology, GeneralBiological Sciences | bachelors | $30,771 | $28,019 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsHealth Professions | bachelors | — | — |
| Behavioral SciencesMultidisciplinary Studies | bachelors | — | — |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular BiologyBiological Sciences | bachelors | — | — |
| Biological and Physical SciencesMultidisciplinary Studies | bachelors | — | — |
| ChemistryPhysical Sciences | bachelors | — | — |
Campus facts
Athletics — 9 sports
NAIA Division I · NAIA
Athletic scholarships allowed · Athletic aid $1,871,465 (M $1,145,790 · W $725,675)
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Football
- Golf
- Soccer
- Softball
- Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
- Volleyball
- Wrestling
Self-reported EADA participants (2024-2025). Athletic aid is institution-level, not per sport.
Similar-size colleges
Nearest undergraduate enrollment to Dakota Wesleyan University’s 661 (College Scorecard UGDS, compiled 2026-10-24). Size only — not a judgment of similarity or quality.
In SD
- Mount Marty UniversityYankton, SD · 702 undergrads
- Sinte Gleska UniversityMission, SD · 579 undergrads
- National American University-Rapid CityRapid City, SD · 832 undergrads
- Sisseton Wahpeton CollegeSisseton, SD · 209 undergrads
- Oglala Lakota CollegeKyle, SD · 1,156 undergrads
- California Intercontinental UniversitySioux Falls, SD · 141 undergrads
Elsewhere
- William Peace UniversityRaleigh, NC · 661 undergrads
- Oklahoma Wesleyan UniversityBartlesville, OK · 663 undergrads
- Bryant & Stratton College-BuffaloBuffalo, NY · 656 undergrads
- Greensboro CollegeGreensboro, NC · 656 undergrads
- Lourdes UniversitySylvania, OH · 668 undergrads
- Pfeiffer UniversityMisenheimer, NC · 654 undergrads
Key links
- Official websitedwu.edu
- College ScorecardFederal source for every figure above (UNITID 219091)
- Compare colleges in SDRe-score with your weights
- The Most Selective Colleges in South DakotaEvery eligible four-year in this state, ranked by published admission rate
- Compare with Mount Marty UniversitySide by side on every Scorecard measure — closest in-state school by enrollment
- Showdown: Dakota Wesleyan University vs Mount Marty UniversityHigher-or-lower on real Scorecard metrics — round 1 is these two
- Sports directoryAll 9 EADA programs at this school
- Build an admissions plan8th–12th grade actions for this college — sports, activities, timeline
- MethodologyWhat these figures do and do not capture
- How to read a school page end to endStats, standings, lists, athletics, news — one profile, many jobs. Know which panel answers which question.
- Sticker price is a trapPublished tuition is a starting rumor. Net price is closer to what families actually pay.
- What acceptance rate actually measuresSelectivity is a competition statistic — not a quality score, and not your personal odds.
- A plan from eighth grade — without fake certaintySchool-anchored milestones, sports scarcity honesty, and EC playbooks — not invented admit odds.