Briar Cliff University vs. Southwest Minnesota State University

Briar Cliff University vs. Southwest Minnesota State University comparison

	Briar Cliff University	Southwest Minnesota State University	College 3	College 4
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Overview	Briar Cliff University	Southwest Minnesota State University
Location	Sioux City, IA	Marshall, MN
Setting	Small City	Rural Fringe
Enrollment	927	6,930
Type	Private 4 Year	Public 4 Year
National Ranking		#948
Religious Affiliation	Roman Catholic	-	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	briarcliff.edu	smsu.edu
Team Colors

Costs	Briar Cliff University	Southwest Minnesota State University
Tuition (In State)	$33,180	$8,840
Tuition (Out of State)	$33,180	$8,840
Room & Board	$9,910	$9,258
Avg Net Price	$21,620	$15,004
Avg Grant Aid	$26,614	$7,389
% Receiving Grant Aid	99%	94%

Admission	Briar Cliff University	Southwest Minnesota State University
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	-	1,558
Admitted	-	1,427
Acceptance Rate	Open	91.6%
Enrolled %	Open	22.8%
Avg High School GPA	3.21	3.21
Typical High School Grades	B	B
Admissions Standards	Unavailable	Extremely Easy
Applicant Competition
ACT Range		17/23
SAT Range		935/1102
Submit Test Scores		Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)
Application Deadline		Aug 18, 2025

Academics	Briar Cliff University	Southwest Minnesota State University
Student to Faculty Ratio	12:1	15:1
Popular Majors	Business (35%) Health Professions (14%) Education (10%) Biology (8%) Visual and Performing Arts (5%)	Business (39%) Education (16%) Recreation, Leisure and Fitness Studies (8%) Communication (4%) Biology (4%)
Outcomes	Briar Cliff University	Southwest Minnesota State University
Graduation Rate	45%	39%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$42,500	$41,200
Making Student Loan Payments	66%	66%
Median Student Loan Debt	$24,500	$21,678
Median Loan Payment	$253	$224

Diversity	Briar Cliff University	Southwest Minnesota State University
% Men	44%	38%
% Women	56%	62%
Racial Diversity	Low	Low
HBCU	No	No
% White	73%	80%
% Black	7%	5%
% Hispanic	11%	4%
% Native American	1%	0%
% Pacific Islander	1%	0%
% Two or More Races	2%	3%
% International	4%	5%
% Unknown Race	0%	2%

Students	Briar Cliff University	Southwest Minnesota State University
% In-State	30%	74%
% Out-of-State	58%	20%
Campus	Briar Cliff University	Southwest Minnesota State University
Campus Housing	Yes	Yes
Freshman Dorm Required	No	No
Meal Plan	Yes	Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes	Yes	Yes
Daycare Facility	No	Yes
Learn More	Details	Details

Comparable Facts

• Southwest Minnesota State University is larger than than Briar Cliff University based on total student enrollment (6,930 students vs. 927 students)

Briar Cliff University vs. Southwest Minnesota State University Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Briar Cliff University or Southwest Minnesota State University?

• Briar Cliff University is 275.3% more expensive to attend than Southwest Minnesota State University for in-state tuition ($33,180.00 vs. $8,840.00)
• Out of state tuition is 275.3% higher at Briar Cliff University than Southwest Minnesota State University ($33,180.00 vs. $8,840.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Southwest Minnesota State University than Briar Cliff University ($15,004 vs. $21,620)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Southwest Minnesota State University are 7% lower than costs at Briar Cliff University ($9,258 vs. $9,910)
• More students receive financial grant aid at Briar Cliff University than Southwest Minnesota State University (99% vs. 94%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Briar Cliff University students is 260.2% larger than aid received Southwest Minnesota State University ($26,614 vs. $7,389)

Which college is harder to get into, Briar Cliff University or Southwest Minnesota State University? Average SAT and ACT scores plus acceptance rates offer good insight into the difficulty of admission between Southwest Minnesota State University or Briar Cliff University .

• Accepted freshman Briar Cliff University students have at the same average high school GPA (3.21) as students at Southwest Minnesota State University (3.21)

Briar Cliff University vs. Southwest Minnesota State University Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Briar Cliff University or Southwest Minnesota State University? Graduation rate, salary and amount of student loan debt are indicators of a college which offers better outcomes for its graduates. Compare the following outcomes facts between Southwest Minnesota State University and Briar Cliff University.

• The graduation rate at Briar Cliff University is higher than Southwest Minnesota State University (45% vs. 39%)
• Graduates from Briar Cliff University earn on average $1,300 more per year than Southwest Minnesota State University graduates after ten years. ($42,500 vs. $41,200)
• Southwest Minnesota State University students graduate with a $2,822 lower median federal student loan debt than Briar Cliff University graduates. ($21,678 vs. $24,500)
• Southwest Minnesota State University graduates are paying $29 less per month on federal student loans than Briar Cliff University graduates. ($224 vs. $253)
• More Southwest Minnesota State University graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Briar Cliff University students, three years after graduation. (66% vs. 66%)

Sources: U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov IPEDS and College Scorecard https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/