Southwest Minnesota State University vs. Clarkson College

Southwest Minnesota State University vs. Clarkson College comparison

	Southwest Minnesota State University	Clarkson College	College 3	College 4
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Overview	Southwest Minnesota State University	Clarkson College
Location	Marshall, MN	Omaha, NE
Setting	Rural Fringe	Large City
Enrollment	6,930	1,133
Type	Public 4 Year	Private 4 Year
National Ranking	#948
Religious Affiliation	-	-	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	smsu.edu	clarksoncollege.edu
Team Colors

Costs	Southwest Minnesota State University	Clarkson College
Tuition (In State)	$8,840	$14,880
Tuition (Out of State)	$8,840	$14,880
Room & Board	$9,258	$7,284
Avg Net Price	$15,004	$14,506
Avg Grant Aid	$7,389	$9,554
% Receiving Grant Aid	94%	77%

Admission	Southwest Minnesota State University	Clarkson College
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	1,558	66
Admitted	1,427	37
Acceptance Rate	91.6%	56.1%
Enrolled %	22.8%	100%
Avg High School GPA	3.21	3.3
Typical High School Grades	B	B+
Admissions Standards	Extremely Easy	Unavailable
Applicant Competition		Low
ACT Range	17/23
SAT Range	935/1102
Submit Test Scores	Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)	Not considered for admission, even if submitted (Test Blind)
Application Deadline	Aug 18, 2025

Academics	Southwest Minnesota State University	Clarkson College
Student to Faculty Ratio	15:1	15:1
Popular Majors	Business (39%) Education (16%) Recreation, Leisure and Fitness Studies (8%) Communication (4%) Biology (4%)	Health Professions (97%) Business (3%)
Outcomes	Southwest Minnesota State University	Clarkson College
Graduation Rate	39%	56%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$41,200	$51,600
Making Student Loan Payments	66%	74%
Median Student Loan Debt	$21,678	$25,000
Median Loan Payment	$224	$258

Diversity	Southwest Minnesota State University	Clarkson College
% Men	38%	14%
% Women	62%	86%
Racial Diversity	Low	Low
HBCU	No	No
% White	80%	76%
% Black	5%	5%
% Hispanic	4%	5%
% Native American	0%	1%
% Pacific Islander	0%	0%
% Two or More Races	3%	3%
% International	5%	0%
% Unknown Race	2%	8%

Students	Southwest Minnesota State University	Clarkson College
% In-State	74%	78%
% Out-of-State	20%	19%
Campus	Southwest Minnesota State University	Clarkson College
Campus Housing	Yes	No
Freshman Dorm Required	No	No
Meal Plan	Yes	No
Weekend/Evening Classes	Yes	No
Daycare Facility	Yes	No
Learn More	Details	Details

Comparable Facts

• Southwest Minnesota State University is larger than than Clarkson College based on total student enrollment (6,930 students vs. 1,133 students)

Southwest Minnesota State University vs. Clarkson College Cost Comparison

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

• Clarkson College is 68.3% more expensive to attend than Southwest Minnesota State University for in-state tuition ($14,880.00 vs. $8,840.00)
• Out of state tuition is 68.3% higher at Clarkson College than Southwest Minnesota State University ($14,880.00 vs. $8,840.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Clarkson College than Southwest Minnesota State University ($14,506 vs. $15,004)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Clarkson College are 27.1% lower than costs at Southwest Minnesota State University ($7,284 vs. $9,258)
• More students receive financial grant aid at Southwest Minnesota State University than Clarkson College (94% vs. 77%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Clarkson College students is 29.3% larger than aid received Southwest Minnesota State University ($9,554 vs. $7,389)

Southwest Minnesota State University vs. Clarkson College Admissions Difficulty Comparison

Which college is harder to get into, Southwest Minnesota State University or Clarkson College? Average SAT and ACT scores plus acceptance rates offer good insight into the difficulty of admission between Clarkson College or Southwest Minnesota State University .

• The average SAT score at Clarkson College (1050) is 42 points higher than at Southwest Minnesota State University (1008)
• Incoming Clarkson College students have a 1 point higher average ACT score (23) than students at Southwest Minnesota State University (22)
• Accepted freshman Clarkson College students have a 0.09 point higher average high school GPA (3.3) than students at Southwest Minnesota State University (3.21)
• Southwest Minnesota State University has a higher acceptance rate (91.6%) than Clarkson College (56.1%)

Southwest Minnesota State University vs. Clarkson College Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Southwest Minnesota State University or Clarkson College? 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 Clarkson College and Southwest Minnesota State University.

• The graduation rate at Clarkson College is higher than Southwest Minnesota State University (56% vs. 39%)
• Graduates from Clarkson College earn on average $10,400 more per year than Southwest Minnesota State University graduates after ten years. ($51,600 vs. $41,200)
• Southwest Minnesota State University students graduate with a $3,322 lower median federal student loan debt than Clarkson College graduates. ($21,678 vs. $25,000)
• Southwest Minnesota State University graduates are paying $34 less per month on federal student loans than Clarkson College graduates. ($224 vs. $258)
• More Clarkson 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/