Mercy College of Health Sciences vs. Southwest Minnesota State University

Mercy College of Health Sciences vs. Southwest Minnesota State University comparison

	Mercy College of Health Sciences	Southwest Minnesota State University	College 3	College 4
	Remove	Remove	+Add	+Add
Overview	Mercy College of Health Sciences	Southwest Minnesota State University
Location	Des Moines, IA	Marshall, MN
Setting	Midsize City	Rural Fringe
Enrollment	907	7,324
Type	Private 4 Year	Public 4 Year
National Ranking		#910
Religious Affiliation	Roman Catholic	-	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	mchs.edu	smsu.edu
Team Colors

Costs	Mercy College of Health Sciences	Southwest Minnesota State University
Tuition (In State)	$17,328	$8,840
Tuition (Out of State)	$17,328	$8,840
Room & Board	$9,450	$10,666
Avg Net Price	$24,881	$14,839
Avg Grant Aid	$6,973	$7,455
% Receiving Grant Aid	85%	91%

Admission	Mercy College of Health Sciences	Southwest Minnesota State University
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	164	2,630
Admitted	162	1,813
Acceptance Rate	98.8%	68.9%
Enrolled %	48.8%	20.3%
Avg High School GPA	3.12	3.21
Typical High School Grades	B	B
Admissions Standards	Easy	Extremely Easy
Applicant Competition		Low
ACT Range	19/24	17/23
SAT Range		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	Mercy College of Health Sciences	Southwest Minnesota State University
Student to Faculty Ratio	7:1	16:1
Popular Majors	Health Professions (100%)	Business (39%) Education (16%) Recreation, Leisure and Fitness Studies (8%) Communication (4%) Biology (4%)
Outcomes	Mercy College of Health Sciences	Southwest Minnesota State University
Graduation Rate	-	39%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$47,400	$41,200
Making Student Loan Payments	66%	66%
Median Student Loan Debt	$20,000	$21,678
Median Loan Payment	$206	$224

Diversity	Mercy College of Health Sciences	Southwest Minnesota State University
% Men	0%	2%
% Women	0%	4%
Racial Diversity	Very Low	Low
HBCU	No	No
% White	85%	80%
% Black	6%	5%
% Hispanic	3%	4%
% Native American	0%	0%
% Pacific Islander	0%	0%
% Two or More Races	2%	3%
% International	0%	5%
% Unknown Race	1%	2%

Students	Mercy College of Health Sciences	Southwest Minnesota State University
% In-State	90%	74%
% Out-of-State	10%	20%
Campus	Mercy College of Health Sciences	Southwest Minnesota State University
Campus Housing	No	Yes
Freshman Dorm Required	No	No
Meal Plan	No	Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes	Yes	Yes
Daycare Facility	No	Yes
Learn More	Details	Details

Comparable Facts

• Southwest Minnesota State University is larger than than Mercy College of Health Sciences based on total student enrollment (7,324 students vs. 907 students)

Mercy College of Health Sciences vs. Southwest Minnesota State University Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Mercy College of Health Sciences or Southwest Minnesota State University?

• Mercy College of Health Sciences is 96% more expensive to attend than Southwest Minnesota State University for in-state tuition ($17,328.00 vs. $8,840.00)
• Out of state tuition is 96% higher at Mercy College of Health Sciences than Southwest Minnesota State University ($17,328.00 vs. $8,840.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Southwest Minnesota State University than Mercy College of Health Sciences ($14,839 vs. $24,881)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Mercy College of Health Sciences are 12.9% lower than costs at Southwest Minnesota State University ($9,450 vs. $10,666)
• More students receive financial grant aid at Southwest Minnesota State University than Mercy College of Health Sciences (91% vs. 85%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Southwest Minnesota State University students is 6.9% larger than aid received Mercy College of Health Sciences ($7,455 vs. $6,973)

Mercy College of Health Sciences vs. Southwest Minnesota State University Admissions Difficulty Comparison

Which college is harder to get into, Mercy College of Health Sciences 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 Mercy College of Health Sciences .

• Accepted freshman Southwest Minnesota State University students have a 0.09 point higher average high school GPA (3.21) than students at Mercy College of Health Sciences (3.12)
• Mercy College of Health Sciences has a higher acceptance rate (98.8%) than Southwest Minnesota State University (68.9%)

Mercy College of Health Sciences vs. Southwest Minnesota State University Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Mercy College of Health Sciences 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 Mercy College of Health Sciences.

• Graduates from Mercy College of Health Sciences earn on average $6,200 more per year than Southwest Minnesota State University graduates after ten years. ($47,400 vs. $41,200)
• Mercy College of Health Sciences students graduate with a $1,678 lower median federal student loan debt than Southwest Minnesota State University graduates. ($20,000 vs. $21,678)
• Mercy College of Health Sciences graduates are paying $18 less per month on federal student loans than Southwest Minnesota State University graduates. ($206 vs. $224)
• More Southwest Minnesota State University graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Mercy College of Health Sciences students, three years after graduation. (66% vs. 66%)

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