Northwestern Health Sciences University vs. Southwest Minnesota State University

Northwestern Health Sciences University vs. Southwest Minnesota State University comparison

	Northwestern Health Sciences University	Southwest Minnesota State University	College 3	College 4
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Overview	Northwestern Health Sciences University	Southwest Minnesota State University
Location	Bloomington, MN	Marshall, MN
Setting	Small City	Rural Fringe
Enrollment	1,031	6,930
Type	Private 4 Year	Public 4 Year
National Ranking		#948
Religious Affiliation	-	-	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	nwhealth.edu	smsu.edu
Team Colors

Costs	Northwestern Health Sciences University	Southwest Minnesota State University
Tuition (In State)	$10,032	$8,840
Tuition (Out of State)	$10,032	$8,840
Room & Board	$12,876	$9,258
Avg Net Price	$27,114	$15,004
Avg Grant Aid	$3,794	$7,389
% Receiving Grant Aid	67%	94%

Admission	Northwestern Health Sciences University	Southwest Minnesota State University
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	-	1,558
Admitted	-	1,427
Acceptance Rate		91.6%
Enrolled %		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 required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)
Application Deadline		Aug 18, 2025

Academics	Northwestern Health Sciences University	Southwest Minnesota State University
Student to Faculty Ratio	4:1	15:1
Popular Majors	Biology (56%) Health Professions (44%)	Business (39%) Education (16%) Recreation, Leisure and Fitness Studies (8%) Communication (4%) Biology (4%)
Outcomes	Northwestern Health Sciences University	Southwest Minnesota State University
Graduation Rate	-	39%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$53,600	$41,200
Making Student Loan Payments	60%	66%
Median Student Loan Debt	$8,300	$21,678
Median Loan Payment	$85	$224

Diversity	Northwestern Health Sciences University	Southwest Minnesota State University
% Men	38%	38%
% Women	62%	62%
Racial Diversity	Very High	Low
HBCU	No	No
% White	44%	80%
% Black	4%	5%
% Hispanic	2%	4%
% Native American	1%	0%
% Pacific Islander	0%	0%
% Two or More Races	1%	3%
% International	1%	5%
% Unknown Race	40%	2%

Students	Northwestern Health Sciences University	Southwest Minnesota State University
% In-State	50%	74%
% Out-of-State	25%	20%
Campus	Northwestern Health Sciences University	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 Northwestern Health Sciences University based on total student enrollment (6,930 students vs. 1,031 students)

Northwestern Health Sciences University vs. Southwest Minnesota State University Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Northwestern Health Sciences University or Southwest Minnesota State University?

• Northwestern Health Sciences University is 13.5% more expensive to attend than Southwest Minnesota State University for in-state tuition ($10,032.00 vs. $8,840.00)
• Out of state tuition is 13.5% higher at Northwestern Health Sciences University than Southwest Minnesota State University ($10,032.00 vs. $8,840.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Southwest Minnesota State University than Northwestern Health Sciences University ($15,004 vs. $27,114)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Southwest Minnesota State University are 39.1% lower than costs at Northwestern Health Sciences University ($9,258 vs. $12,876)
• More students receive financial grant aid at Southwest Minnesota State University than Northwestern Health Sciences University (94% vs. 67%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Southwest Minnesota State University students is 94.8% larger than aid received Northwestern Health Sciences University ($7,389 vs. $3,794)

Which college is harder to get into, Northwestern Health Sciences 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 Northwestern Health Sciences University .

Northwestern Health Sciences University vs. Southwest Minnesota State University Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Northwestern Health Sciences 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 Northwestern Health Sciences University.

• Graduates from Northwestern Health Sciences University earn on average $12,400 more per year than Southwest Minnesota State University graduates after ten years. ($53,600 vs. $41,200)
• Northwestern Health Sciences University students graduate with a $13,378 lower median federal student loan debt than Southwest Minnesota State University graduates. ($8,300 vs. $21,678)
• Northwestern Health Sciences University graduates are paying $139 less per month on federal student loans than Southwest Minnesota State University graduates. ($85 vs. $224)
• More Southwest Minnesota State University graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Northwestern Health Sciences University students, three years after graduation. (66% vs. 60%)

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