Southwest Minnesota State University vs. Hastings College

Southwest Minnesota State University vs. Hastings College comparison

	Southwest Minnesota State University	Hastings College	College 3	College 4
	Remove	Remove	+Add	+Add
Overview	Southwest Minnesota State University	Hastings College
Location	Marshall, MN	Hastings, NE
Setting	Rural Fringe	Remote Town
Enrollment	7,324	1,011
Type	Public 4 Year	Private 4 Year
National Ranking	#910	#681
Religious Affiliation	-	Presbyterian Church (USA)	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	smsu.edu	hastings.edu
Team Colors

Costs	Southwest Minnesota State University	Hastings College
Tuition (In State)	$8,840	$33,950
Tuition (Out of State)	$8,840	$33,950
Room & Board	$10,666	$11,690
Avg Net Price	$14,839	$21,821
Avg Grant Aid	$7,455	$27,197
% Receiving Grant Aid	91%	100%

Admission	Southwest Minnesota State University	Hastings College
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	2,630	2,257
Admitted	1,813	1,577
Acceptance Rate	68.9%	69.9%
Enrolled %	20.3%	20.5%
Avg High School GPA	3.21	3.5
Typical High School Grades	B	B+
Admissions Standards	Extremely Easy	Easy
Applicant Competition	Low	Low
ACT Range	17/23	19/26
SAT Range	935/1102	960/1180
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, 2026

Academics	Southwest Minnesota State University	Hastings College
Student to Faculty Ratio	16:1	14:1
Popular Majors	Business (39%) Education (16%) Recreation, Leisure and Fitness Studies (8%) Communication (4%) Biology (4%)	Education (25%) Business (19%) Psychology (8%) Communication (8%) Social Sciences (6%)
Outcomes	Southwest Minnesota State University	Hastings College
Graduation Rate	39%	56%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$41,200	$45,000
Making Student Loan Payments	66%	74%
Median Student Loan Debt	$21,678	$27,000
Median Loan Payment	$224	$279

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

Students	Southwest Minnesota State University	Hastings College
% In-State	74%	50%
% Out-of-State	20%	47%
Campus	Southwest Minnesota State University	Hastings College
Campus Housing	Yes	Yes
Freshman Dorm Required	No	No
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 Hastings College based on total student enrollment (7,324 students vs. 1,011 students)

Southwest Minnesota State University vs. Hastings College Cost Comparison

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

• Hastings College is 284% more expensive to attend than Southwest Minnesota State University for in-state tuition ($33,950.00 vs. $8,840.00)
• Out of state tuition is 284% higher at Hastings College than Southwest Minnesota State University ($33,950.00 vs. $8,840.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Southwest Minnesota State University than Hastings College ($14,839 vs. $21,821)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Southwest Minnesota State University are 9.6% lower than costs at Hastings College ($10,666 vs. $11,690)
• More students receive financial grant aid at Hastings College than Southwest Minnesota State University (100% vs. 91%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Hastings College students is 264.8% larger than aid received Southwest Minnesota State University ($27,197 vs. $7,455)

Southwest Minnesota State University vs. Hastings College Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

• The average SAT score at Hastings College (1055) is 47 points higher than at Southwest Minnesota State University (1008)
• Incoming Hastings College students have a 1 point higher average ACT score (23) than students at Southwest Minnesota State University (22)
• Accepted freshman Hastings College students have a 0.29 point higher average high school GPA (3.5) than students at Southwest Minnesota State University (3.21)
• Hastings College has a higher acceptance rate (69.9%) than Southwest Minnesota State University (68.9%)

Southwest Minnesota State University vs. Hastings College Graduation Outcomes Comparison

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

• The graduation rate at Hastings College is higher than Southwest Minnesota State University (56% vs. 39%)
• Graduates from Hastings College earn on average $3,800 more per year than Southwest Minnesota State University graduates after ten years. ($45,000 vs. $41,200)
• Southwest Minnesota State University students graduate with a $5,322 lower median federal student loan debt than Hastings College graduates. ($21,678 vs. $27,000)
• Southwest Minnesota State University graduates are paying $55 less per month on federal student loans than Hastings College graduates. ($224 vs. $279)
• More Hastings 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/