Northern State University
Public College in Aberdeen, SD. Six-year graduation rate 56%. Median 10-year earnings $47,618.
Students who entered Northern State University land at a median of $47,618 a decade later, close to what most four-year schools deliver. Six-year completion sits at 56%, near the national average for undergraduate institutions. Median debt at graduation is $22,320, roughly typical for an undergraduate degree.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Admissions
Admission is not the constraint here: 93% of applicants are accepted. Only 1,086 students applied, so treat these rates as directional — small pools swing sharply between cycles. 35% of those admitted enroll, which is unremarkable in either direction. 2% of enrolled first-years submitted an SAT score. The bands below describe the middle half of that group, not of the class.
Test score bands (middle 50% of submitters)
These bands describe the enrolled first-years who submitted a score, not the entering class. Where most students apply test-optional the submitters are a self-selected, higher-scoring group.
| Test | 25th–75th percentile | Submitted |
|---|---|---|
| SAT Evidence-Based Reading | 490–590 | 7 (2%) |
| SAT Math | 490–570 | |
| ACT Composite | 18–24 | 264 (74%) |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at Northern State University →Academics
Six-year completion sits at 56%, meaning about two in five students who enroll leave without finishing. Retention of 77% means a meaningful slice of each entering class does not return. Retention and graduation track closely, so most of the attrition shows up in the first year rather than after it. Transfer-out runs to 24% — common enough at this school that the completion rate is measuring a smaller group than the entering class. A 19:1 ratio is unremarkable; expect a mix of lecture halls and seminars.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 1,239 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Average net price after grant aid is $15,990 a year — mid-range for a four-year institution. Net price varies modestly by income — $10,762 at $0–30k against $17,933 at $110k+ — so the average is a fair guide for most families. About 82% get grants averaging $7,224, so plan on the possibility of paying closer to full price. About 52% borrow federally, roughly the national pattern.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 304 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $10,762 |
| $30–48k | $12,087 |
| $48–75k | $15,293 |
| $75–110k | $18,372 |
| $110k+ | $17,933 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 648 of these 1,239 students, totalling $3,651,623 — an average of $5,635 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Brown County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)