Saint Benedict vs. Southwest Minnesota State University

College of Saint Benedict vs. Southwest Minnesota State University comparison

	College of Saint Benedict	Southwest Minnesota State University	College 3	College 4
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Overview	Saint Benedict	Southwest Minnesota State University
Location	Saint Joseph, MN	Marshall, MN
Setting	Small Suburban	Rural Fringe
Enrollment	1,470	6,930
Type	Private 4 Year	Public 4 Year
National Ranking	#287	#948
Religious Affiliation	Roman Catholic	-	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	csbsju.edu	smsu.edu
Team Colors

Costs	Saint Benedict	Southwest Minnesota State University
Tuition (In State)	$50,950	$8,840
Tuition (Out of State)	$50,950	$8,840
Room & Board	$11,922	$9,258
Avg Net Price	$28,746	$15,004
Avg Grant Aid	$37,252	$7,389
% Receiving Grant Aid	100%	94%

Admission	Saint Benedict	Southwest Minnesota State University
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	1,689	1,558
Admitted	1,483	1,427
Acceptance Rate	87.8%	91.6%
Enrolled %	21.8%	22.8%
Avg High School GPA	3.72	3.21
Typical High School Grades	A-	B
Admissions Standards	Average	Extremely Easy
Applicant Competition
ACT Range	20/27	17/23
SAT Range	1055/1245	935/1102
Submit Test Scores	Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)	Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)
Application Deadline		Aug 18, 2025

Academics	Saint Benedict	Southwest Minnesota State University
Student to Faculty Ratio	11:1	15:1
Popular Majors	English and Literature (16%) Business (12%) Psychology (11%) Biology (10%) General Studies (10%)	Business (39%) Education (16%) Recreation, Leisure and Fitness Studies (8%) Communication (4%) Biology (4%)
Outcomes	Saint Benedict	Southwest Minnesota State University
Graduation Rate	81%	39%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$53,700	$41,200
Making Student Loan Payments	92%	66%
Median Student Loan Debt	$26,343	$21,678
Median Loan Payment	$272	$224

Diversity	Saint Benedict	Southwest Minnesota State University
% Men	0%	38%
% Women	100%	62%
Racial Diversity	Low	Low
HBCU	No	No
% White	79%	80%
% Black	3%	5%
% Hispanic	6%	4%
% Native American	1%	0%
% Pacific Islander	0%	0%
% Two or More Races	1%	3%
% International	4%	5%
% Unknown Race	0%	2%

Students	Saint Benedict	Southwest Minnesota State University
% In-State	84%	74%
% Out-of-State	13%	20%
Campus	Saint Benedict	Southwest Minnesota State University
Campus Housing	Yes	Yes
Freshman Dorm Required	No	No
Meal Plan	Yes	Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes	No	Yes
Daycare Facility	No	Yes
Learn More	Details	Details

Comparable Facts

• Southwest Minnesota State University is larger than than Saint Benedict based on total student enrollment (6,930 students vs. 1,470 students)

Saint Benedict vs. Southwest Minnesota State University Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Saint Benedict or Southwest Minnesota State University?

• College of Saint Benedict is 476.4% more expensive to attend than Southwest Minnesota State University for in-state tuition ($50,950.00 vs. $8,840.00)
• Out of state tuition is 476.4% higher at Saint Benedict than Southwest Minnesota State University ($50,950.00 vs. $8,840.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Southwest Minnesota State University than Saint Benedict ($15,004 vs. $28,746)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Southwest Minnesota State University are 28.8% lower than costs at College of Saint Benedict ($9,258 vs. $11,922)
• More students receive financial grant aid at College of Saint Benedict than Southwest Minnesota State University (100% vs. 94%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by College of Saint Benedict students is 404.2% larger than aid received Southwest Minnesota State University ($37,252 vs. $7,389)

Saint Benedict vs. Southwest Minnesota State University Admissions Difficulty Comparison

Which college is harder to get into, Saint Benedict 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 Saint Benedict .

• The average SAT score at College of Saint Benedict (1118) is 110 points higher than at Southwest Minnesota State University (1008)
• Incoming Saint Benedict students have a 3 point higher average ACT score (25) than students at Southwest Minnesota State University (22)
• Accepted freshman Saint Benedict students have a 0.51 point higher average high school GPA (3.72) than students at Southwest Minnesota State University (3.21)
• Southwest Minnesota State University has a higher acceptance rate (91.6%) than Saint Benedict (87.8%)

Saint Benedict vs. Southwest Minnesota State University Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Saint Benedict 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 Saint Benedict.

• The graduation rate at Saint Benedict is higher than Southwest Minnesota State University (81% vs. 39%)
• Graduates from College of Saint Benedict earn on average $12,500 more per year than Southwest Minnesota State University graduates after ten years. ($53,700 vs. $41,200)
• Southwest Minnesota State University students graduate with a $4,665 lower median federal student loan debt than Saint Benedict graduates. ($21,678 vs. $26,343)
• Southwest Minnesota State University graduates are paying $48 less per month on federal student loans than Saint Benedict graduates. ($224 vs. $272)
• More Saint Benedict graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Southwest Minnesota State University students, three years after graduation. (92% vs. 66%)

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