Saint Mary's University of Minnesota vs. Southwest Minnesota State University

Saint Mary's University of Minnesota vs. Southwest Minnesota State University comparison

	Saint Mary's University of Minnesota	Southwest Minnesota State University	College 3	College 4
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Overview	Saint Mary's University of Minnesota	Southwest Minnesota State University
Location	Winona, MN	Marshall, MN
Setting	Distant Town	Rural Fringe
Enrollment	4,133	6,930
Type	Private 4 Year	Public 4 Year
National Ranking		#948
Religious Affiliation	Roman Catholic	-	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	smumn.edu	smsu.edu
Team Colors

Costs	Saint Mary's University of Minnesota	Southwest Minnesota State University
Tuition (In State)	$40,520	$8,840
Tuition (Out of State)	$40,520	$8,840
Room & Board	$10,220	$9,258
Avg Net Price	$22,843	$15,004
Avg Grant Aid	$30,091	$7,389
% Receiving Grant Aid	100%	94%

Admission	Saint Mary's University of Minnesota	Southwest Minnesota State University
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	1,071	1,558
Admitted	1,037	1,427
Acceptance Rate	96.8%	91.6%
Enrolled %	20.7%	22.8%
Avg High School GPA	3.49	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	May 1, 2025	Aug 18, 2025

Academics	Saint Mary's University of Minnesota	Southwest Minnesota State University
Student to Faculty Ratio	17:1	15:1
Popular Majors	Business (48%) Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting (7%) Health Professions (6%) Education (5%) Biology (5%)	Business (39%) Education (16%) Recreation, Leisure and Fitness Studies (8%) Communication (4%) Biology (4%)
Outcomes	Saint Mary's University of Minnesota	Southwest Minnesota State University
Graduation Rate	62%	39%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$48,400	$41,200
Making Student Loan Payments	72%	66%
Median Student Loan Debt	$23,250	$21,678
Median Loan Payment	$240	$224

Diversity	Saint Mary's University of Minnesota	Southwest Minnesota State University
% Men	32%	38%
% Women	68%	62%
Racial Diversity	High	Low
HBCU	No	No
% White	59%	80%
% Black	7%	5%
% Hispanic	5%	4%
% Native American	0%	0%
% Pacific Islander	0%	0%
% Two or More Races	1%	3%
% International	3%	5%
% Unknown Race	23%	2%

Students	Saint Mary's University of Minnesota	Southwest Minnesota State University
% In-State	51%	74%
% Out-of-State	45%	20%
Campus	Saint Mary's University of Minnesota	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 Saint Mary's University of Minnesota based on total student enrollment (6,930 students vs. 4,133 students)

Saint Mary's University of Minnesota vs. Southwest Minnesota State University Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Saint Mary's University of Minnesota or Southwest Minnesota State University?

• Saint Mary's University of Minnesota is 358.4% more expensive to attend than Southwest Minnesota State University for in-state tuition ($40,520.00 vs. $8,840.00)
• Out of state tuition is 358.4% higher at Saint Mary's University of Minnesota than Southwest Minnesota State University ($40,520.00 vs. $8,840.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Southwest Minnesota State University than Saint Mary's University of Minnesota ($15,004 vs. $22,843)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Southwest Minnesota State University are 10.4% lower than costs at Saint Mary's University of Minnesota ($9,258 vs. $10,220)
• More students receive financial grant aid at Saint Mary's University of Minnesota than Southwest Minnesota State University (100% vs. 94%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Saint Mary's University of Minnesota students is 307.2% larger than aid received Southwest Minnesota State University ($30,091 vs. $7,389)

Saint Mary's University of Minnesota vs. Southwest Minnesota State University Admissions Difficulty Comparison

Which college is harder to get into, Saint Mary's University of Minnesota 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 Saint Mary's University of Minnesota .

• The average SAT score at Saint Mary's University of Minnesota (1046) is 38 points higher than at Southwest Minnesota State University (1008)
• Incoming Saint Mary's University of Minnesota students have a 1 point higher average ACT score (23) than students at Southwest Minnesota State University (22)
• Accepted freshman Saint Mary's University of Minnesota students have a 0.28 point higher average high school GPA (3.49) than students at Southwest Minnesota State University (3.21)
• Saint Mary's University of Minnesota has a higher acceptance rate (96.8%) than Southwest Minnesota State University (91.6%)

Saint Mary's University of Minnesota vs. Southwest Minnesota State University Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Saint Mary's University of Minnesota 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 Saint Mary's University of Minnesota.

• The graduation rate at Saint Mary's University of Minnesota is higher than Southwest Minnesota State University (62% vs. 39%)
• Graduates from Saint Mary's University of Minnesota earn on average $7,200 more per year than Southwest Minnesota State University graduates after ten years. ($48,400 vs. $41,200)
• Southwest Minnesota State University students graduate with a $1,572 lower median federal student loan debt than Saint Mary's University of Minnesota graduates. ($21,678 vs. $23,250)
• Southwest Minnesota State University graduates are paying $16 less per month on federal student loans than Saint Mary's University of Minnesota graduates. ($224 vs. $240)
• More Saint Mary's University of Minnesota graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Southwest Minnesota State University students, three years after graduation. (72% vs. 66%)

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