MLC vs. Southwest Minnesota State University

Martin Luther College vs. Southwest Minnesota State University comparison

	Martin Luther College	Southwest Minnesota State University	College 3	College 4
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Overview	MLC	Southwest Minnesota State University
Location	New Ulm, MN	Marshall, MN
Setting	Remote Town	Rural Fringe
Enrollment	860	7,324
Type	Private 4 Year	Public 4 Year
National Ranking		#910
Religious Affiliation	Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod	-	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	mlc-wels.edu	smsu.edu
Team Colors

Costs	MLC	Southwest Minnesota State University
Tuition (In State)	$17,770	$8,840
Tuition (Out of State)	$17,770	$8,840
Room & Board	$7,280	$10,666
Avg Net Price	$21,072	$14,839
Avg Grant Aid	$8,222	$7,455
% Receiving Grant Aid	99%	91%

Admission	MLC	Southwest Minnesota State University
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	218	2,630
Admitted	180	1,813
Acceptance Rate	82.6%	68.9%
Enrolled %	83.3%	20.3%
Avg High School GPA	3.56	3.21
Typical High School Grades	B+	B
Admissions Standards	Average	Extremely Easy
Applicant Competition		Low
ACT Range	22/27	17/23
SAT Range	1078/1256	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, 2026

Academics	MLC	Southwest Minnesota State University
Student to Faculty Ratio	10:1	16:1
Popular Majors	Education (67%) Theology and Religious Vvocations (33%)	Business (39%) Education (16%) Recreation, Leisure and Fitness Studies (8%) Communication (4%) Biology (4%)
Outcomes	MLC	Southwest Minnesota State University
Graduation Rate	73%	39%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$38,000	$41,200
Making Student Loan Payments	89%	66%
Median Student Loan Debt	$23,125	$21,678
Median Loan Payment	$239	$224

Diversity	MLC	Southwest Minnesota State University
% Men	6%	2%
% Women	8%	4%
Racial Diversity	Extremely Low	Low
HBCU	No	No
% White	93%	80%
% Black	1%	5%
% Hispanic	1%	4%
% Native American	0%	0%
% Pacific Islander	0%	0%
% Two or More Races	1%	3%
% International	2%	5%
% Unknown Race	0%	2%

Students	MLC	Southwest Minnesota State University
% In-State	11%	74%
% Out-of-State	89%	20%
Campus	MLC	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 MLC based on total student enrollment (7,324 students vs. 860 students)

MLC vs. Southwest Minnesota State University Cost Comparison

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

• Martin Luther College is 101% more expensive to attend than Southwest Minnesota State University for in-state tuition ($17,770.00 vs. $8,840.00)
• Out of state tuition is 101% higher at MLC than Southwest Minnesota State University ($17,770.00 vs. $8,840.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Southwest Minnesota State University than MLC ($14,839 vs. $21,072)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Martin Luther College are 46.5% lower than costs at Southwest Minnesota State University ($7,280 vs. $10,666)
• More students receive financial grant aid at Martin Luther College than Southwest Minnesota State University (99% vs. 91%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Martin Luther College students is 10.3% larger than aid received Southwest Minnesota State University ($8,222 vs. $7,455)

MLC vs. Southwest Minnesota State University Admissions Difficulty Comparison

Which college is harder to get into, MLC 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 MLC .

• The average SAT score at Martin Luther College (1145) is 137 points higher than at Southwest Minnesota State University (1008)
• Incoming MLC students have a 3 point higher average ACT score (25) than students at Southwest Minnesota State University (22)
• Accepted freshman MLC students have a 0.35 point higher average high school GPA (3.56) than students at Southwest Minnesota State University (3.21)
• MLC has a higher acceptance rate (82.6%) than Southwest Minnesota State University (68.9%)

MLC vs. Southwest Minnesota State University Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, MLC 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 MLC.

• The graduation rate at MLC is higher than Southwest Minnesota State University (73% vs. 39%)
• Graduates from Southwest Minnesota State University earn on average $3,200 more per year than MLC graduates after ten years. ($41,200 vs. $38,000)
• Southwest Minnesota State University students graduate with a $1,447 lower median federal student loan debt than MLC graduates. ($21,678 vs. $23,125)
• Southwest Minnesota State University graduates are paying $15 less per month on federal student loans than MLC graduates. ($224 vs. $239)
• More MLC graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Southwest Minnesota State University students, three years after graduation. (89% vs. 66%)

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