BaccalaureatePrivate nonprofit

Dakota Wesleyan University

Mitchell, South Dakota·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·Plains·dwu.edu
6-yr Graduation
48%
-1.0pp vs Baccalaureate
Total enrollment
892
peer median 958
Avg net price
$19,300
-$1.1k vs Baccalaureate
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Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

Applied
1,247
1,247 candidates competed
Admitted
915
73.4% acceptance rate
Enrolled
192
21.0% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
48%-1.0pp vs Baccalaureate
4-year graduation
43%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
48%
Full-time retention
75%

Pell equity

0.0pp gap
Pell recipients
47%
Non-Pell
47%

Pell and non-Pell students graduate at nearly identical rates — a notably small equity gap.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 49 Title IV programs, 2 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 47 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
49
Passing
2
4.1% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

49programs
  • Passing2 · 4.1%
  • No Data47 · 95.9%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
0
Safe
2
No data
47

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

2
Business Management Marketing and Related Support Services Other
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+86.5%
$93,024 vs $49,892
Registered Nursing Nursing Administration Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Bachelor Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+112.1%
$76,515 vs $36,067

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

2
Registered Nursing Nursing Administration Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Bachelor Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
33%
$25,000 debt · $76,515 earn
Business Management Marketing and Related Support Services Other
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
22%
$20,500 debt · $93,024 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1916Next review Aug 2027
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1913

Programmatic accreditations · 2

Action history · 4

  1. Oct 2018Renewal of Accreditation
    Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the baccalaureate degree levels
  2. Feb 2018Renewal of Accreditation
    Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the baccalaureate degree levels
  3. Jan 2017Renewal of Accreditation
    Higher Learning Commission
  4. Jan 2017Renewal of Accreditation
    Higher Learning Commission

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$14,366
$30–48k$14,704
$48–75k$17,457
$75–110k$20,297
$110k+$21,215

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price (private)
$19,300
-$1,127vs Baccalaureate median $20,427
Federal loans
77.6%
In-state tuition
$32,890
Out-of-state
$32,890

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 216 students received $1.2M in Pell grants, alongside $4.2M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
216
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$1.2M
$1,184,632 total
Direct Loans
$4.2M
821 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

0k
20
0k
21
0k
22
0k
23
0k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$1.3M
303 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$1.9M
442 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$287K
24 loan awards
Parent PLUS$769K
52 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 269 borrowers who entered repayment, 1 (0.3%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
0.3%
-2.0pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
269
Defaulted
1
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
5.9%
2017
6.0%
2018
5.0%
2019
0.3%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Dakota Wesleyan

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs60
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

229 total completions
01Business
8436.7%
02Health Professions
4821.0%
03Education
4017.5%
04Visual/Performing Arts
156.6%
05Biological Sciences
156.6%
06Security/Protective
93.9%
07Parks/Recreation
62.6%
08Psychology
52.2%
09Liberal Arts
41.7%
10Natural Resources
31.3%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
892
12-mo unduplicated
982
Undergraduate
820
Graduate
162

Gender split

Men
43%424
Women
57%558

Race / ethnicity composition

White
80.2%
Hispanic
9.1%
Two or more
4.4%
Non-resident
2.3%
Black
1.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native
1.5%
Asian
0.6%
Unknown
0.3%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

Athletes
262
160 M · 102 W
Women athletes
38.9%
Athletic aid
$1.7M
Total student aid
Budget
$5.1M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$1.0M
$656K
Recruiting expense
$26K
$27K
Head-coach salaries
$47K
$49K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 9

Soccer
39 M · 25 W
$567K
Football
58 M ·
$827K
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
24 M · 21 W
$256K
Basketball
17 M · 15 W
$782K
Wrestling
14 M · 10 W
$365K
Baseball
23 M ·
$427K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
0.00
0 offenses · 887 students

3-year trend

1.072 yrs ago0.001 yr ago0.00Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
1
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
0
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

No criminal offenses reported.

By location

0total

    VAWA offenses

    0
    Domestic violence
    0
    Dating violence
    0
    Stalking
    0 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

    Hate crimes by bias

    No hate crimes reported.

    Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

    CategoryArrestsReferrals
    Weapons00
    Drugs00
    Liquor036

    Residence-hall fires

    No residence-hall fires reported.

    Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

    Student-faculty ratio

    Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

    Student-to-faculty
    12.0:1
    Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
    45

    Dakota Wesleyan vs Peer comparison

    The peer institutions Dakota Wesleyan selected for federal comparison reporting.

    GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
    This institutionPeer median

    A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

    Carnegie
    SubjectDakota Wesleyan University
    48%892$19,300Baccalaureate
    Drury University-College of Continuing Professional Studies
    21%659$13,375Baccalaureate
    William Jewell College
    68%38.4%959$16,602Baccalaureate
    Hastings College
    49%71.6%956$21,554Baccalaureate
    Kansas Wesleyan University
    49%71.9%1,021$23,369Baccalaureate
    Central Methodist University-College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
    51%56.9%1,041$25,477Baccalaureate
    Peer group median49%64.3%958$20,427

    Frequently asked questions about Dakota Wesleyan University

    Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Dakota Wesleyan.

    What is the graduation rate at Dakota Wesleyan University?

    Dakota Wesleyan University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 48% per the latest IPEDS.

    How many students attend Dakota Wesleyan University?

    Dakota Wesleyan University reports a total enrollment of 892 students per the latest IPEDS.

    What is the average net price at Dakota Wesleyan University?

    The average net price at Dakota Wesleyan University is $19,300 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

    What is the yield rate at Dakota Wesleyan University?

    Dakota Wesleyan University's yield rate is 21.0%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

    Where is Dakota Wesleyan University located?

    Dakota Wesleyan University is located in Mitchell, South Dakota 57301-4398.

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