Maharishi International University vs. Southwest Minnesota State University

Maharishi International University vs. Southwest Minnesota State University comparison

	Maharishi International University	Southwest Minnesota State University	College 3	College 4
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Overview	Maharishi International University	Southwest Minnesota State University
Location	Fairfield, IA	Marshall, MN
Setting	Remote Town	Rural Fringe
Enrollment	2,673	6,930
Type	Private 4 Year	Public 4 Year
National Ranking		#948
Religious Affiliation	-	-	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	mum.edu	smsu.edu
Team Colors

Costs	Maharishi International University	Southwest Minnesota State University
Tuition (In State)	$16,000	$8,840
Tuition (Out of State)	$16,000	$8,840
Room & Board	$7,400	$9,258
Avg Net Price	$16,979	$15,004
Avg Grant Aid	$11,751	$7,389
% Receiving Grant Aid	81%	94%

Admission	Maharishi International University	Southwest Minnesota State University
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	70	1,558
Admitted	66	1,427
Acceptance Rate	94.3%	91.6%
Enrolled %	54.5%	22.8%
Avg High School GPA	-	3.21
Typical High School Grades	-	B
Admissions Standards	Unavailable	Extremely Easy
Applicant Competition
ACT Range		17/23
SAT Range		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	Jul 30, 2025	Aug 18, 2025

Academics	Maharishi International University	Southwest Minnesota State University
Student to Faculty Ratio	13:1	15:1
Popular Majors	Communication (29%) Natural Resources Conservation (25%) Business (12%) Biology (11%) Mathematics (9%)	Business (39%) Education (16%) Recreation, Leisure and Fitness Studies (8%) Communication (4%) Biology (4%)
Outcomes	Maharishi International University	Southwest Minnesota State University
Graduation Rate	50%	39%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$29,300	$41,200
Making Student Loan Payments	56%	66%
Median Student Loan Debt	$39,037	$21,678
Median Loan Payment	$403	$224

Diversity	Maharishi International University	Southwest Minnesota State University
% Men	52%	38%
% Women	48%	62%
Racial Diversity	Very High	Low
HBCU	No	No
% White	40%	80%
% Black	7%	5%
% Hispanic	8%	4%
% Native American	1%	0%
% Pacific Islander	1%	0%
% Two or More Races	3%	3%
% International	38%	5%
% Unknown Race	0%	2%

Students	Maharishi International University	Southwest Minnesota State University
% In-State	0%	74%
% Out-of-State	100%	20%
Campus	Maharishi International University	Southwest Minnesota State University
Campus Housing	No	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 Maharishi International University based on total student enrollment (6,930 students vs. 2,673 students)

Maharishi International University vs. Southwest Minnesota State University Cost Comparison

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

• Maharishi International University is 81% more expensive to attend than Southwest Minnesota State University for in-state tuition ($16,000.00 vs. $8,840.00)
• Out of state tuition is 81% higher at Maharishi International University than Southwest Minnesota State University ($16,000.00 vs. $8,840.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Southwest Minnesota State University than Maharishi International University ($15,004 vs. $16,979)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Maharishi International University are 25.1% lower than costs at Southwest Minnesota State University ($7,400 vs. $9,258)
• More students receive financial grant aid at Southwest Minnesota State University than Maharishi International University (94% vs. 81%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Maharishi International University students is 59% larger than aid received Southwest Minnesota State University ($11,751 vs. $7,389)

Maharishi International University vs. Southwest Minnesota State University Admissions Difficulty Comparison

Which college is harder to get into, Maharishi International 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 Maharishi International University .

• Maharishi International University has a higher acceptance rate (94.3%) than Southwest Minnesota State University (91.6%)

Maharishi International University vs. Southwest Minnesota State University Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Maharishi International 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 Maharishi International University.

• The graduation rate at Maharishi International University is higher than Southwest Minnesota State University (50% vs. 39%)
• Graduates from Southwest Minnesota State University earn on average $11,900 more per year than Maharishi International University graduates after ten years. ($41,200 vs. $29,300)
• Southwest Minnesota State University students graduate with a $17,359 lower median federal student loan debt than Maharishi International University graduates. ($21,678 vs. $39,037)
• Southwest Minnesota State University graduates are paying $179 less per month on federal student loans than Maharishi International University graduates. ($224 vs. $403)
• More Southwest Minnesota State University graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Maharishi International University students, three years after graduation. (66% vs. 56%)

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