Gordon vs. Southwest Minnesota State University

Gordon College vs. Southwest Minnesota State University comparison

	Gordon College	Southwest Minnesota State University	College 3	College 4
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Overview	Gordon	Southwest Minnesota State University
Location	Barnesville, GA	Marshall, MN
Setting	Distant Town	Rural Fringe
Enrollment	3,135	6,930
Type	Public 4 Year	Public 4 Year
National Ranking		#948
Religious Affiliation	-	-	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	gdn.edu	smsu.edu
Team Colors

Costs	Gordon	Southwest Minnesota State University
Tuition (In State)	$2,563	$8,840
Tuition (Out of State)	$9,469	$8,840
Room & Board	$9,257	$9,258
Avg Net Price	$8,185	$15,004
Avg Grant Aid	$7,701	$7,389
% Receiving Grant Aid	89%	94%

Admission	Gordon	Southwest Minnesota State University
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	2,021	1,558
Admitted	1,886	1,427
Acceptance Rate	93.3%	91.6%
Enrolled %	45.5%	22.8%
Avg High School GPA	-	3.21
Typical High School Grades	-	B
Admissions Standards	Extremely Easy	Extremely Easy
Applicant Competition
ACT Range	15/19	17/23
SAT Range	870/1080	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	Gordon	Southwest Minnesota State University
Student to Faculty Ratio	21:1	15:1
Popular Majors	Liberal Arts and Humanities (68%) Health Professions (23%) Education (10%)	Business (39%) Education (16%) Recreation, Leisure and Fitness Studies (8%) Communication (4%) Biology (4%)
Outcomes	Gordon	Southwest Minnesota State University
Graduation Rate	-	39%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$34,100	$41,200
Making Student Loan Payments	26%	66%
Median Student Loan Debt	$17,500	$21,678
Median Loan Payment	$180	$224

Diversity	Gordon	Southwest Minnesota State University
% Men	35%	38%
% Women	65%	62%
Racial Diversity	High	Low
HBCU	No	No
% White	50%	80%
% Black	42%	5%
% Hispanic	3%	4%
% Native American	0%	0%
% Pacific Islander	0%	0%
% Two or More Races	3%	3%
% International	0%	5%
% Unknown Race	0%	2%

Students	Gordon	Southwest Minnesota State University
% In-State	98%	74%
% Out-of-State	1%	20%
Campus	Gordon	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 Gordon based on total student enrollment (6,930 students vs. 3,135 students)

Gordon vs. Southwest Minnesota State University Cost Comparison

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

• Southwest Minnesota State University is 244.9% more expensive to attend than Gordon for in-state tuition ($8,840.00 vs. $2,563.00)
• Out of state tuition is 7.1% higher at Gordon than Southwest Minnesota State University ($9,469.00 vs. $8,840.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Gordon College than Southwest Minnesota State University ($8,185 vs. $15,004)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Gordon College are 0% lower than costs at Southwest Minnesota State University ($9,257 vs. $9,258)
• More students receive financial grant aid at Southwest Minnesota State University than Gordon College (94% vs. 89%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Gordon College students is 4.2% larger than aid received Southwest Minnesota State University ($7,701 vs. $7,389)

Gordon vs. Southwest Minnesota State University Admissions Difficulty Comparison

Which college is harder to get into, Gordon 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 Gordon .

• The average SAT score at Southwest Minnesota State University (1008) is 157 points higher than at Gordon (851)
• Incoming Southwest Minnesota State University students have a 4 point higher average ACT score (22) than students at Gordon (18)
• Gordon has a higher acceptance rate (93.3%) than Southwest Minnesota State University (91.6%)

Gordon vs. Southwest Minnesota State University Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Gordon 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 Gordon.

• Graduates from Southwest Minnesota State University earn on average $7,100 more per year than Gordon graduates after ten years. ($41,200 vs. $34,100)
• Gordon College students graduate with a $4,178 lower median federal student loan debt than Southwest Minnesota State University graduates. ($17,500 vs. $21,678)
• Gordon graduates are paying $44 less per month on federal student loans than Southwest Minnesota State University graduates. ($180 vs. $224)
• More Southwest Minnesota State University graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Gordon students, three years after graduation. (66% vs. 26%)

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