Mount Mercy College vs. Southwest Minnesota State University

Mount Mercy University vs. Southwest Minnesota State University comparison

	Mount Mercy University	Southwest Minnesota State University	College 3	College 4
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Overview	Mount Mercy College	Southwest Minnesota State University
Location	Cedar Rapids, IA	Marshall, MN
Setting	Midsize City	Rural Fringe
Enrollment	1,526	6,930
Type	Private 4 Year	Public 4 Year
National Ranking		#948
Religious Affiliation	Roman Catholic	-	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	mtmercy.edu	smsu.edu
Team Colors

Costs	Mount Mercy College	Southwest Minnesota State University
Tuition (In State)	$36,606	$8,840
Tuition (Out of State)	$36,606	$8,840
Room & Board	$10,636	$9,258
Avg Net Price	$24,078	$15,004
Avg Grant Aid	$27,288	$7,389
% Receiving Grant Aid	100%	94%

Admission	Mount Mercy College	Southwest Minnesota State University
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	1,569	1,558
Admitted	1,181	1,427
Acceptance Rate	75.3%	91.6%
Enrolled %	19%	22.8%
Avg High School GPA	3.5	3.21
Typical High School Grades	B+	B
Admissions Standards	Unavailable	Extremely Easy
Applicant Competition
ACT Range		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 15, 2025	Aug 18, 2025

Academics	Mount Mercy College	Southwest Minnesota State University
Student to Faculty Ratio	13:1	15:1
Popular Majors	Business (44%) Health Professions (22%) Education (10%) Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting (6%) Psychology (4%)	Business (39%) Education (16%) Recreation, Leisure and Fitness Studies (8%) Communication (4%) Biology (4%)
Outcomes	Mount Mercy College	Southwest Minnesota State University
Graduation Rate	60%	39%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$45,900	$41,200
Making Student Loan Payments	71%	66%
Median Student Loan Debt	$22,250	$21,678
Median Loan Payment	$230	$224

Diversity	Mount Mercy College	Southwest Minnesota State University
% Men	36%	38%
% Women	64%	62%
Racial Diversity	Very Low	Low
HBCU	No	No
% White	81%	80%
% Black	7%	5%
% Hispanic	2%	4%
% Native American	1%	0%
% Pacific Islander	0%	0%
% Two or More Races	2%	3%
% International	3%	5%
% Unknown Race	3%	2%

Students	Mount Mercy College	Southwest Minnesota State University
% In-State	60%	74%
% Out-of-State	28%	20%
Campus	Mount Mercy College	Southwest Minnesota State University
Campus Housing	Yes	Yes
Freshman Dorm Required	No	No
Meal Plan	Yes	Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes	Yes	Yes
Daycare Facility	No	Yes
Learn More	Details	Details

Comparable Facts

• Southwest Minnesota State University is larger than than Mount Mercy College based on total student enrollment (6,930 students vs. 1,526 students)

Mount Mercy College vs. Southwest Minnesota State University Cost Comparison

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

• Mount Mercy University is 314.1% more expensive to attend than Southwest Minnesota State University for in-state tuition ($36,606.00 vs. $8,840.00)
• Out of state tuition is 314.1% higher at Mount Mercy College than Southwest Minnesota State University ($36,606.00 vs. $8,840.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Southwest Minnesota State University than Mount Mercy College ($15,004 vs. $24,078)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Southwest Minnesota State University are 14.9% lower than costs at Mount Mercy University ($9,258 vs. $10,636)
• More students receive financial grant aid at Mount Mercy University than Southwest Minnesota State University (100% vs. 94%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Mount Mercy University students is 269.3% larger than aid received Southwest Minnesota State University ($27,288 vs. $7,389)

Mount Mercy College vs. Southwest Minnesota State University Admissions Difficulty Comparison

Which college is harder to get into, Mount Mercy 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 Mount Mercy College .

• The average SAT score at Southwest Minnesota State University (1008) is 18 points higher than at Mount Mercy College (990)
• Incoming Southwest Minnesota State University students have a 1 point higher average ACT score (22) than students at Mount Mercy College (21)
• Accepted freshman Mount Mercy College students have a 0.29 point higher average high school GPA (3.5) than students at Southwest Minnesota State University (3.21)
• Southwest Minnesota State University has a higher acceptance rate (91.6%) than Mount Mercy College (75.3%)

Mount Mercy College vs. Southwest Minnesota State University Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Mount Mercy 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 Mount Mercy College.

• The graduation rate at Mount Mercy College is higher than Southwest Minnesota State University (60% vs. 39%)
• Graduates from Mount Mercy University earn on average $4,700 more per year than Southwest Minnesota State University graduates after ten years. ($45,900 vs. $41,200)
• Southwest Minnesota State University students graduate with a $572 lower median federal student loan debt than Mount Mercy College graduates. ($21,678 vs. $22,250)
• Southwest Minnesota State University graduates are paying $6 less per month on federal student loans than Mount Mercy College graduates. ($224 vs. $230)
• More Mount Mercy College graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Southwest Minnesota State University students, three years after graduation. (71% vs. 66%)

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