Southwest Minnesota State University vs. College of Saint Mary

Southwest Minnesota State University vs. College of Saint Mary comparison

	Southwest Minnesota State University	College of Saint Mary	College 3	College 4
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Overview	Southwest Minnesota State University	College of Saint Mary
Location	Marshall, MN	Omaha, NE
Setting	Rural Fringe	Large City
Enrollment	6,930	857
Type	Public 4 Year	Private 4 Year
National Ranking	#948
Religious Affiliation	-	Roman Catholic	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	smsu.edu	csm.edu
Team Colors

Costs	Southwest Minnesota State University	College of Saint Mary
Tuition (In State)	$8,840	$22,450
Tuition (Out of State)	$8,840	$22,450
Room & Board	$9,258	$8,240
Avg Net Price	$15,004	$14,984
Avg Grant Aid	$7,389	$17,799
% Receiving Grant Aid	94%	98%

Admission	Southwest Minnesota State University	College of Saint Mary
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	1,558	144
Admitted	1,427	93
Acceptance Rate	91.6%	64.6%
Enrolled %	22.8%	94.6%
Avg High School GPA	3.21	3.4
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 required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)
Application Deadline	Aug 18, 2025

Academics	Southwest Minnesota State University	College of Saint Mary
Student to Faculty Ratio	15:1	8:1
Popular Majors	Business (39%) Education (16%) Recreation, Leisure and Fitness Studies (8%) Communication (4%) Biology (4%)	Health Professions (76%) Business (8%) Education (4%) Liberal Arts and Humanities (4%) Psychology (2%)
Outcomes	Southwest Minnesota State University	College of Saint Mary
Graduation Rate	39%	30%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$41,200	$41,300
Making Student Loan Payments	66%	59%
Median Student Loan Debt	$21,678	$26,000
Median Loan Payment	$224	$268

Diversity	Southwest Minnesota State University	College of Saint Mary
% Men	38%	7%
% Women	62%	93%
Racial Diversity	Low	Low
HBCU	No	No
% White	80%	74%
% Black	5%	7%
% Hispanic	4%	13%
% Native American	0%	1%
% Pacific Islander	0%	0%
% Two or More Races	3%	2%
% International	5%	1%
% Unknown Race	2%	0%

Students	Southwest Minnesota State University	College of Saint Mary
% In-State	74%	64%
% Out-of-State	20%	34%
Campus	Southwest Minnesota State University	College of Saint Mary
Campus Housing	Yes	Yes
Freshman Dorm Required	No	No
Meal Plan	Yes	Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes	Yes	Yes
Daycare Facility	Yes	Yes
Learn More	Details	Details

Comparable Facts

• Southwest Minnesota State University is larger than than College of Saint Mary based on total student enrollment (6,930 students vs. 857 students)

Southwest Minnesota State University vs. College of Saint Mary Cost Comparison

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

• College of Saint Mary is 154% more expensive to attend than Southwest Minnesota State University for in-state tuition ($22,450.00 vs. $8,840.00)
• Out of state tuition is 154% higher at College of Saint Mary than Southwest Minnesota State University ($22,450.00 vs. $8,840.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at College of Saint Mary than Southwest Minnesota State University ($14,984 vs. $15,004)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at College of Saint Mary are 12.4% lower than costs at Southwest Minnesota State University ($8,240 vs. $9,258)
• More students receive financial grant aid at College of Saint Mary than Southwest Minnesota State University (98% vs. 94%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by College of Saint Mary students is 140.9% larger than aid received Southwest Minnesota State University ($17,799 vs. $7,389)

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

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

• Accepted freshman College of Saint Mary students have a 0.19 point higher average high school GPA (3.4) than students at Southwest Minnesota State University (3.21)
• Southwest Minnesota State University has a higher acceptance rate (91.6%) than College of Saint Mary (64.6%)

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

Which is better, Southwest Minnesota State University or College of Saint Mary? 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 College of Saint Mary and Southwest Minnesota State University.

• The graduation rate at Southwest Minnesota State University is higher than College of Saint Mary (39% vs. 30%)
• Graduates from College of Saint Mary earn on average $100 more per year than Southwest Minnesota State University graduates after ten years. ($41,300 vs. $41,200)
• Southwest Minnesota State University students graduate with a $4,322 lower median federal student loan debt than College of Saint Mary graduates. ($21,678 vs. $26,000)
• Southwest Minnesota State University graduates are paying $44 less per month on federal student loans than College of Saint Mary graduates. ($224 vs. $268)
• More Southwest Minnesota State University graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former College of Saint Mary students, three years after graduation. (66% vs. 59%)

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