Peer Institutions: Where does SDSU rank?

Katrina Sargent

Katrina Sargent

President Chicoine has a strategic plan to improve SDSU and expand it in various areas.

Part of his strategic planning framework includes a list of peer institutions. These schools were selected based on various criteria for SDSU to model itself after.

Colorado State University, Kansas State University, Montana State University-Bozeman, New Mexico State University, North Dakota State University, Oklahoma State University, Southern Illinois

University, University of Idaho, University of Montana-Missoula, University of North Dakota, University of Wyoming and Utah State University are the 12 chosen institutions.

The average student population at the peer universities is 17,155 compared to SDSU’s 11,303.

Kansas State University has the highest population of the peer institutions, with 23,050. These figures come from the Common Data Sets from all the universities. According to their Web site, Common Data Set Initiative is run by publishers and the educational community to make it easier for students to transition into higher education and reduce the burden of reporting for data providers.

The reports include information such as student population and composition, admittance requirements, tuition costs, scholarships awarded, faculty and student life.

As far as tuition is concerned, in-state, full-time students pay 36 percent less than the average of the peer universities.

Prices for room and board at other universities ranged from $3,950 at Kansas State University to $7,707 at the University of Wyoming. SDSU is in the middle with room and board available for $5,029.

SDSU has the highest additional fee charged to students, but the second lowest level of tuition. In total, SDSU currently costs approximately $2,382 for tuition and fees. Other schools ranged from $2,592 at Kansas State University to $6,130 at University of North Dakota.

When room and board are factored in, SDSU is the third least expensive to attend, at just over $10,000 per year.

Approximately $4.8 million is given to students in institutional scholarships at SDSU. This is equal to around $430 per student enrolled. According to the CDS, institutional scholarships and grants are defined as “endowed scholarships, annual gifts and tuition funded grants for which the institution determines the recipient.”

This is compared to an average of $205 for Montana State University-Bozeman, $280 per student at North Dakota State University, $323 at Oklahoma State University and $356 at Colorado State University.

SDSU’s student-teacher ratio of 18 to one is the same as three other schools: Colorado State University, North Dakota State University and Utah State University. New Mexico State University, Oklahoma State University, the University of Montana-Missoula and the University of North Dakota all recorded a 19 to one ratio. The University of Wyoming had the lowest student-teacher ratio with 14 students to every teacher.

For more information about the strategic plan and to view the CDS information for SDSU and the selected peer institutions, visit http://www3.sdstate.edu/Administration/FinanceandBusiness/OfficeofInstitutionalResearch/CommonDataSetsCDS/ or http://www3.sdstate.edu/Administration/PresidentsOffice.