Graceland University-Lamoni vs. Southwest Minnesota State University

Graceland University Lamoni vs. Southwest Minnesota State University comparison

	Graceland University Lamoni	Southwest Minnesota State University	College 3	College 4
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Overview	Graceland University-Lamoni	Southwest Minnesota State University
Location	Lamoni, IA	Marshall, MN
Setting	Remote Rural	Rural Fringe
Enrollment	1,195	7,324
Type	Private 4 Year	Public 4 Year
National Ranking	#673	#910
Religious Affiliation	Other (none of the above)	-	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	graceland.edu	smsu.edu
Team Colors

Costs	Graceland University-Lamoni	Southwest Minnesota State University
Tuition (In State)	$32,500	$8,840
Tuition (Out of State)	$32,500	$8,840
Room & Board	$10,540	$10,666
Avg Net Price	$16,632	$14,839
Avg Grant Aid	$30,218	$7,455
% Receiving Grant Aid	100%	91%

Admission	Graceland University-Lamoni	Southwest Minnesota State University
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	2,259	2,630
Admitted	1,880	1,813
Acceptance Rate	83.2%	68.9%
Enrolled %	12.8%	20.3%
Avg High School GPA	3.22	3.21
Typical High School Grades	B	B
Admissions Standards	Very Easy	Extremely Easy
Applicant Competition		Low
ACT Range	16/24	17/23
SAT Range	880/1120	935/1102
Submit Test Scores	Not considered for admission, even if submitted (Test Blind)	Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)
Application Deadline		Aug 18, 2026

Academics	Graceland University-Lamoni	Southwest Minnesota State University
Student to Faculty Ratio	14:1	16:1
Popular Majors	Education (27%) Health Professions (21%) Business (19%) Visual and Performing Arts (6%) Liberal Arts and Humanities (6%)	Business (39%) Education (16%) Recreation, Leisure and Fitness Studies (8%) Communication (4%) Biology (4%)
Outcomes	Graceland University-Lamoni	Southwest Minnesota State University
Graduation Rate	51%	39%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$41,000	$41,200
Making Student Loan Payments	63%	66%
Median Student Loan Debt	$23,544	$21,678
Median Loan Payment	$243	$224

Diversity	Graceland University-Lamoni	Southwest Minnesota State University
% Men	4%	2%
% Women	21%	4%
Racial Diversity	Medium	Low
HBCU	No	No
% White	61%	80%
% Black	11%	5%
% Hispanic	12%	4%
% Native American	0%	0%
% Pacific Islander	1%	0%
% Two or More Races	4%	3%
% International	3%	5%
% Unknown Race	7%	2%

Students	Graceland University-Lamoni	Southwest Minnesota State University
% In-State	18%	74%
% Out-of-State	65%	20%
Campus	Graceland University-Lamoni	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 Graceland University-Lamoni based on total student enrollment (7,324 students vs. 1,195 students)

Graceland University-Lamoni vs. Southwest Minnesota State University Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Graceland University-Lamoni or Southwest Minnesota State University?

• Graceland University Lamoni is 267.6% more expensive to attend than Southwest Minnesota State University for in-state tuition ($32,500.00 vs. $8,840.00)
• Out of state tuition is 267.6% higher at Graceland University-Lamoni than Southwest Minnesota State University ($32,500.00 vs. $8,840.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Southwest Minnesota State University than Graceland University-Lamoni ($14,839 vs. $16,632)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Graceland University Lamoni are 1.2% lower than costs at Southwest Minnesota State University ($10,540 vs. $10,666)
• More students receive financial grant aid at Graceland University Lamoni than Southwest Minnesota State University (100% vs. 91%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Graceland University Lamoni students is 305.3% larger than aid received Southwest Minnesota State University ($30,218 vs. $7,455)

Graceland University-Lamoni vs. Southwest Minnesota State University Admissions Difficulty Comparison

Which college is harder to get into, Graceland University-Lamoni 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 Graceland University-Lamoni .

• The average SAT score at Southwest Minnesota State University (1008) is 47 points higher than at Graceland University-Lamoni (961)
• Incoming Southwest Minnesota State University students have a 1 point higher average ACT score (22) than students at Graceland University-Lamoni (21)
• Accepted freshman Graceland University-Lamoni students have a 0.01 point higher average high school GPA (3.22) than students at Southwest Minnesota State University (3.21)
• Graceland University-Lamoni has a higher acceptance rate (83.2%) than Southwest Minnesota State University (68.9%)

Graceland University-Lamoni vs. Southwest Minnesota State University Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Graceland University-Lamoni 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 Graceland University-Lamoni.

• The graduation rate at Graceland University-Lamoni is higher than Southwest Minnesota State University (51% vs. 39%)
• Graduates from Southwest Minnesota State University earn on average $200 more per year than Graceland University-Lamoni graduates after ten years. ($41,200 vs. $41,000)
• Southwest Minnesota State University students graduate with a $1,866 lower median federal student loan debt than Graceland University-Lamoni graduates. ($21,678 vs. $23,544)
• Southwest Minnesota State University graduates are paying $19 less per month on federal student loans than Graceland University-Lamoni graduates. ($224 vs. $243)
• More Southwest Minnesota State University graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Graceland University-Lamoni students, three years after graduation. (66% vs. 63%)

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