Southwest Minnesota State University vs. Doane University

Southwest Minnesota State University vs. Doane University comparison

	Southwest Minnesota State University	Doane University	College 3	College 4
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Overview	Southwest Minnesota State University	Doane University
Location	Marshall, MN	Crete, NE
Setting	Rural Fringe	Distant Town
Enrollment	6,930	1,879
Type	Public 4 Year	Private 4 Year
National Ranking	#948
Religious Affiliation	-	-	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	smsu.edu	doane.edu
Team Colors

Costs	Southwest Minnesota State University	Doane University
Tuition (In State)	$8,840	$38,190
Tuition (Out of State)	$8,840	$38,190
Room & Board	$9,258	$10,900
Avg Net Price	$15,004	$24,271
Avg Grant Aid	$7,389	$29,479
% Receiving Grant Aid	94%	100%

Admission	Southwest Minnesota State University	Doane University
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	1,558	1,953
Admitted	1,427	1,481
Acceptance Rate	91.6%	75.8%
Enrolled %	22.8%	16.2%
Avg High School GPA	3.21	3.6
Typical High School Grades	B	B+
Admissions Standards	Extremely Easy	Unavailable
Applicant Competition
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	Doane University
Student to Faculty Ratio	15:1	10:1
Popular Majors	Business (39%) Education (16%) Recreation, Leisure and Fitness Studies (8%) Communication (4%) Biology (4%)	Education (23%) Business (12%) Visual and Performing Arts (12%) Social Sciences (10%) Biology (8%)
Outcomes	Southwest Minnesota State University	Doane University
Graduation Rate	39%	63%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$41,200	$47,700
Making Student Loan Payments	66%	66%
Median Student Loan Debt	$21,678	$25,000
Median Loan Payment	$224	$258

Diversity	Southwest Minnesota State University	Doane University
% Men	38%	40%
% Women	62%	60%
Racial Diversity	Low	Very Low
HBCU	No	No
% White	80%	82%
% Black	5%	3%
% Hispanic	4%	7%
% Native American	0%	0%
% Pacific Islander	0%	0%
% Two or More Races	3%	3%
% International	5%	2%
% Unknown Race	2%	2%

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

Comparable Facts

• Southwest Minnesota State University is larger than than Doane University based on total student enrollment (6,930 students vs. 1,879 students)

Southwest Minnesota State University vs. Doane University Cost Comparison

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

• Doane University is 332% more expensive to attend than Southwest Minnesota State University for in-state tuition ($38,190.00 vs. $8,840.00)
• Out of state tuition is 332% higher at Doane University than Southwest Minnesota State University ($38,190.00 vs. $8,840.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Southwest Minnesota State University than Doane University ($15,004 vs. $24,271)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Southwest Minnesota State University are 17.7% lower than costs at Doane University ($9,258 vs. $10,900)
• More students receive financial grant aid at Doane University than Southwest Minnesota State University (100% vs. 94%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Doane University students is 299% larger than aid received Southwest Minnesota State University ($29,479 vs. $7,389)

Southwest Minnesota State University vs. Doane University Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

• The average SAT score at Doane University (1064) is 56 points higher than at Southwest Minnesota State University (1008)
• Incoming Doane University students have a 1 point higher average ACT score (23) than students at Southwest Minnesota State University (22)
• Accepted freshman Doane University students have a 0.39 point higher average high school GPA (3.6) than students at Southwest Minnesota State University (3.21)
• Southwest Minnesota State University has a higher acceptance rate (91.6%) than Doane University (75.8%)

Southwest Minnesota State University vs. Doane University Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Southwest Minnesota State University or Doane 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 Doane University and Southwest Minnesota State University.

• The graduation rate at Doane University is higher than Southwest Minnesota State University (63% vs. 39%)
• Graduates from Doane University earn on average $6,500 more per year than Southwest Minnesota State University graduates after ten years. ($47,700 vs. $41,200)
• Southwest Minnesota State University students graduate with a $3,322 lower median federal student loan debt than Doane University graduates. ($21,678 vs. $25,000)
• Southwest Minnesota State University graduates are paying $34 less per month on federal student loans than Doane University graduates. ($224 vs. $258)
• More Southwest Minnesota State University graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Doane University students, three years after graduation. (66% vs. 66%)

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