Morningside College vs. Southwest Minnesota State University

Morningside College vs. Southwest Minnesota State University comparison

	Morningside College	Southwest Minnesota State University	College 3	College 4
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Overview	Morningside College	Southwest Minnesota State University
Location	Sioux City, IA	Marshall, MN
Setting	Small City	Rural Fringe
Enrollment	2,249	6,930
Type	Private 4 Year	Public 4 Year
National Ranking		#948
Religious Affiliation	United Methodist	-	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	morningside.edu	smsu.edu
Team Colors

Costs	Morningside College	Southwest Minnesota State University
Tuition (In State)	$35,100	$8,840
Tuition (Out of State)	$35,100	$8,840
Room & Board	$10,720	$9,258
Avg Net Price	$23,947	$15,004
Avg Grant Aid	$25,011	$7,389
% Receiving Grant Aid	100%	94%

Admission	Morningside College	Southwest Minnesota State University
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	3,222	1,558
Admitted	2,275	1,427
Acceptance Rate	70.6%	91.6%
Enrolled %	15.2%	22.8%
Avg High School GPA	3.42	3.21
Typical High School Grades	B+	B
Admissions Standards	Unavailable	Extremely Easy
Applicant Competition	Low
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		Aug 18, 2025

Academics	Morningside College	Southwest Minnesota State University
Student to Faculty Ratio	13:1	15:1
Popular Majors	Business (24%) Education (19%) Visual and Performing Arts (10%) Biology (9%) Psychology (8%)	Business (39%) Education (16%) Recreation, Leisure and Fitness Studies (8%) Communication (4%) Biology (4%)
Outcomes	Morningside College	Southwest Minnesota State University
Graduation Rate	57%	39%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$45,300	$41,200
Making Student Loan Payments	74%	66%
Median Student Loan Debt	$27,000	$21,678
Median Loan Payment	$279	$224

Diversity	Morningside College	Southwest Minnesota State University
% Men	35%	38%
% Women	65%	62%
Racial Diversity	Low	Low
HBCU	No	No
% White	79%	80%
% Black	1%	5%
% Hispanic	8%	4%
% Native American	1%	0%
% Pacific Islander	0%	0%
% Two or More Races	3%	3%
% International	4%	5%
% Unknown Race	4%	2%

Students	Morningside College	Southwest Minnesota State University
% In-State	47%	74%
% Out-of-State	47%	20%
Campus	Morningside College	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 Morningside College based on total student enrollment (6,930 students vs. 2,249 students)

Morningside College vs. Southwest Minnesota State University Cost Comparison

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

• Morningside College is 297.1% more expensive to attend than Southwest Minnesota State University for in-state tuition ($35,100.00 vs. $8,840.00)
• Out of state tuition is 297.1% higher at Morningside College than Southwest Minnesota State University ($35,100.00 vs. $8,840.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Southwest Minnesota State University than Morningside College ($15,004 vs. $23,947)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Southwest Minnesota State University are 15.8% lower than costs at Morningside College ($9,258 vs. $10,720)
• More students receive financial grant aid at Morningside College than Southwest Minnesota State University (100% vs. 94%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Morningside College students is 238.5% larger than aid received Southwest Minnesota State University ($25,011 vs. $7,389)

Morningside College vs. Southwest Minnesota State University Admissions Difficulty Comparison

Which college is harder to get into, Morningside College 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 Morningside College .

• The average SAT score at Morningside College (1070) is 62 points higher than at Southwest Minnesota State University (1008)
• Incoming Morningside College students have a 1 point higher average ACT score (23) than students at Southwest Minnesota State University (22)
• Accepted freshman Morningside College students have a 0.21 point higher average high school GPA (3.42) than students at Southwest Minnesota State University (3.21)
• Southwest Minnesota State University has a higher acceptance rate (91.6%) than Morningside College (70.6%)

Morningside College vs. Southwest Minnesota State University Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Morningside College 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 Morningside College.

• The graduation rate at Morningside College is higher than Southwest Minnesota State University (57% vs. 39%)
• Graduates from Morningside College earn on average $4,100 more per year than Southwest Minnesota State University graduates after ten years. ($45,300 vs. $41,200)
• Southwest Minnesota State University students graduate with a $5,322 lower median federal student loan debt than Morningside College graduates. ($21,678 vs. $27,000)
• Southwest Minnesota State University graduates are paying $55 less per month on federal student loans than Morningside College graduates. ($224 vs. $279)
• More Morningside College graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Southwest Minnesota State University students, three years after graduation. (74% vs. 66%)

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