Southwest Minnesota State University vs. ECU

Southwest Minnesota State University vs. East Central University comparison

	Southwest Minnesota State University	East Central University	College 3	College 4
	Remove	Remove	+Add	+Add
Overview	Southwest Minnesota State University	ECU
Location	Marshall, MN	Ada, OK
Setting	Rural Fringe	Remote Town
Enrollment	6,930	3,376
Type	Public 4 Year	Public 4 Year
National Ranking	#948	#928
Religious Affiliation	-	-	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	smsu.edu	ecok.edu
Team Colors

Costs	Southwest Minnesota State University	ECU
Tuition (In State)	$8,840	$6,001
Tuition (Out of State)	$8,840	$15,361
Room & Board	$9,258	$7,752
Avg Net Price	$15,004	$10,221
Avg Grant Aid	$7,389	$8,853
% Receiving Grant Aid	94%	89%

Admission	Southwest Minnesota State University	ECU
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	1,558	1,200
Admitted	1,427	841
Acceptance Rate	91.6%	70.1%
Enrolled %	22.8%	59.6%
Avg High School GPA	3.21	3.31
Typical High School Grades	B	B+
Admissions Standards	Extremely Easy	Extremely Easy
Applicant Competition		Low
ACT Range	17/23	16/22
SAT Range	935/1102	960/1078
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	ECU
Student to Faculty Ratio	15:1	17:1
Popular Majors	Business (39%) Education (16%) Recreation, Leisure and Fitness Studies (8%) Communication (4%) Biology (4%)	Human Services (14%) Health Professions (13%) Business (13%) Education (11%) Biology (7%)
Outcomes	Southwest Minnesota State University	ECU
Graduation Rate	39%	34%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$41,200	$40,300
Making Student Loan Payments	66%	45%
Median Student Loan Debt	$21,678	$16,878
Median Loan Payment	$224	$174

Diversity	Southwest Minnesota State University	ECU
% Men	38%	38%
% Women	62%	62%
Racial Diversity	Low	High
HBCU	No	No
% White	80%	55%
% Black	5%	3%
% Hispanic	4%	5%
% Native American	0%	14%
% Pacific Islander	0%	0%
% Two or More Races	3%	10%
% International	5%	10%
% Unknown Race	2%	2%

Students	Southwest Minnesota State University	ECU
% In-State	74%	88%
% Out-of-State	20%	11%
Campus	Southwest Minnesota State University	ECU
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 ECU based on total student enrollment (6,930 students vs. 3,376 students)

Southwest Minnesota State University vs. ECU Cost Comparison

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

• Southwest Minnesota State University is 47.3% more expensive to attend than ECU for in-state tuition ($8,840.00 vs. $6,001.00)
• Out of state tuition is 73.8% higher at ECU than Southwest Minnesota State University ($15,361.00 vs. $8,840.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at East Central University than Southwest Minnesota State University ($10,221 vs. $15,004)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at East Central University are 19.4% lower than costs at Southwest Minnesota State University ($7,752 vs. $9,258)
• More students receive financial grant aid at Southwest Minnesota State University than East Central University (94% vs. 89%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by East Central University students is 19.8% larger than aid received Southwest Minnesota State University ($8,853 vs. $7,389)

Southwest Minnesota State University vs. ECU Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

• The average SAT score at Southwest Minnesota State University (1008) is 38 points higher than at ECU (970)
• Incoming Southwest Minnesota State University students have a 1 point higher average ACT score (22) than students at ECU (21)
• Accepted freshman ECU students have a 0.1 point higher average high school GPA (3.31) than students at Southwest Minnesota State University (3.21)
• Southwest Minnesota State University has a higher acceptance rate (91.6%) than ECU (70.1%)

Southwest Minnesota State University vs. ECU Graduation Outcomes Comparison

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

• The graduation rate at Southwest Minnesota State University is higher than East Central University (39% vs. 34%)
• Graduates from Southwest Minnesota State University earn on average $900 more per year than ECU graduates after ten years. ($41,200 vs. $40,300)
• East Central University students graduate with a $4,800 lower median federal student loan debt than Southwest Minnesota State University graduates. ($16,878 vs. $21,678)
• ECU graduates are paying $50 less per month on federal student loans than Southwest Minnesota State University graduates. ($174 vs. $224)
• More Southwest Minnesota State University graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former ECU students, three years after graduation. (66% vs. 45%)

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