Black Hills State University Data & Information Overview
Get the facts about Black Hills State University. Learn how it ranks, what majors it offers, how diverse it is, and much more. All you need to do to learn more about a stat is click on its tile, and you'll be taken to another page that analyzes that data more closely. Also, you can use the links below to scroll to any section of this page.- Rankings
- Admission and Acceptance
- Faculty
- Retention and Graduation Rates
- Diversity
- Cost
- Student Debt
- Average Earnings
- Location
- Majors
- Online Learning
How Well Is Black Hills State University Ranked?
2022 Rankings
In its yearly rankings, College Factual analyzes over 2,000 colleges and universities to determine which ones are the best in a variety of categories, such as overall value, quality, diversity, which schools are the best for each major, and much more.
Black Hills State University was awarded 49 badges in the 2022 rankings. The highest ranked major at the school is outdoor education.
Overall Quality
According to College Factual's 2022 analysis, BHSU is ranked #1,762 out of 2,576 schools in the nation that were analyzed for overall quality.
BHSU also holds the #12 spot on the Best Colleges in South Dakota ranking.
See all of the rankings for Black Hills State University.
Is It Hard to Get Into BHSU?
Acceptance Rate
The acceptance rate at Black Hills State University is 87%, which is higher than many other schools to which you may be applying. But don't think getting into BHSU is a sure thing. The admissions staff is still going to review your application to see if you are a good fit for the school.
Average Test Scores
About 2% of students accepted to BHSU submitted their SAT scores. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing scores ranged between 458 and 628. Math scores were between 435 and 588.
Learn more about Black Hills State University admissions.
Black Hills State University Faculty
Student to Faculty Ratio
The student to faculty ratio at Black Hills State University is about average at 16 to 1. This ratio is often used to gauge how many students might be in an average class and how much time professors will have to spend with their students on an individual level. The national average for this metric is 15 to 1.
Percent of Full-Time Faculty
When estimating how much access students will have to their teachers, some people like to look at what percentage of faculty members are full time. This is because part-time teachers may not have as much time to spend on campus as their full-time counterparts.
The full-time faculty percentage at Black Hills State University is 59%. This is higher than the national average of 47%.
Retention and Graduation Rates at Black Hills State University
Freshmen Retention Rate
The freshmen retention rate is a sign of how many full-time students like a college or university well enough to come back for their sophomore year. At Black Hills State University this rate is 62%, which is a bit lower than the national average of 68%.
Graduation Rate
The on-time graduation rate is the percent of first-time, full time students who obtain their bachelor's degree in four years or less. This rate is 16% for first-time, full-time students at BHSU, which is lower than the national rate of 33.3%.
Find out more about the retention and graduation rates at Black Hills State University.
Black Hills State University Undergraduate Student Diversity
During the 2017-2018 academic year, there were 3,684 undergraduates at BHSU with 1,945 being full-time and 1,739 being part-time.
How Much Does Black Hills State University Cost?
The overall average net price of BHSU is $16,641. The affordability of the school largely depends on your financial need since net price varies by income group. See the table below for the net price for different income groups.Net Price by Income Group for BHSU
| $0-30 K | $30K-48K | $48-75 | $75-110K | $110K + |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $14,142 | $14,206 | $16,745 | $18,739 | $18,769 |
The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid.Note that the net price is typically less than the published for a school. For more information on the sticker price of BHSU, see our tuition and fees and room and board pages.
Student Loan Debt
While almost two-thirds of students nationwide take out loans to pay for college, the percentage may be quite different for the school you plan on attending. At BHSU, approximately 71% of students took out student loans averaging $7,063 a year. That adds up to $28,252 over four years for those students.
The student loan default rate at BHSU is 8.2%. Although this is lower than the national default rate of 10.1%, you'll still want to keep this in mind when taking out student loans.
Get more details about paying for Black Hills State University.
How Much Money Do BHSU Graduates Make?
Although some majors pay more than others, students who graduate from BHSU with a bachelor's degree go on to jobs where they make an average salary of $35,900 in their early years. Unfortunately, this is 10% less that the average college graduate's salary of $39,802 per year. However, graduates in your major field may make more.
See which majors at Black Hills State University make the most money.
Location of Black Hills State University
Black Hills State University is a public institution located in Spearfish, South Dakota. The charming, small-town atmosphere of Spearfish draws many to the area.Get more details about the location of Black Hills State University.
Contact details for BHSU are given below.
| Contact Details | |
|---|---|
| Address: | 1200 University St, Spearfish, SD 57799-9500 |
| Phone: | 800-255-2478 |
| Website: | www.bhsu.edu/ |
| Facebook: | http://www.facebook.com/BlackHillsState |
| Twitter: | http://www.twitter.com/BlackHillsState |
Black Hills State University Majors
During the most recent year for which we have data, students from 39 majors graduated from Black Hills State University. Of these students, 448 received undergraduate degrees and 67 graduated with a master's or doctor's degree. The following table lists the most popular undergraduate majors along with the average salary graduates from those majors make.| Most Popular Majors | Bachelor’s Degrees | Average Salary of Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| Business Administration & Management | 83 | $35,100 |
| Teacher Education Grade Specific | 59 | $38,600 |
| Health & Physical Education | 33 | $28,100 |
| Community Organization & Advocacy | 30 | $29,000 |
| General Psychology | 24 | $25,500 |
| Communication & Media Studies | 23 | NA |
| General English Literature | 16 | NA |
| General Biology | 16 | NA |
| Liberal Arts General Studies | 14 | NA |
| Teacher Education Subject Specific | 12 | $37,700 |
Online Learning at BHSU
Online courses area a great option for busy, working students as well as for those who have scheduling conflicts and want to study on their own time. As time goes by, expect to see more and more online learning options become available.
In 2018-2019, 2,249 students took at least one online class at Black Hills State University. This is an increase from the 2,017 students who took online classes the previous year.
| Year | Took at Least One Online Class | Took All Classes Online |
|---|---|---|
| 2018-2019 | 2,249 | 1,281 |
| 2017-2018 | 2,017 | 1,106 |
| 2016-2017 | 2,099 | 1,076 |
| 2015-2016 | 1,872 | 971 |
| 2013-2014 | 1,769 | 907 |
Learn more about online learning at Black Hills State University.
Find Out More About Black Hills State University
Notes and References
Footnotes
*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.
References
- National Center for Education Statistics
- College Scorecard
- Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System
- Image Credit: By Virginia State Parks staff under License
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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