Southwest Minnesota State University vs. JC

Southwest Minnesota State University vs. Jamestown College comparison

	Southwest Minnesota State University	Jamestown College	College 3	College 4
	Remove	Remove	+Add	+Add
Overview	Southwest Minnesota State University	JC
Location	Marshall, MN	Jamestown, ND
Setting	Rural Fringe	Remote Town
Enrollment	6,930	1,242
Type	Public 4 Year	Private 4 Year
National Ranking	#948	#790
Religious Affiliation	-	Presbyterian Church (USA)	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	smsu.edu	jc.edu
Team Colors

Costs	Southwest Minnesota State University	JC
Tuition (In State)	$8,840	$23,400
Tuition (Out of State)	$8,840	$23,400
Room & Board	$9,258	$8,560
Avg Net Price	$15,004	$19,950
Avg Grant Aid	$7,389	$17,022
% Receiving Grant Aid	94%	100%

Admission	Southwest Minnesota State University	JC
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	1,558	1,017
Admitted	1,427	936
Acceptance Rate	91.6%	92%
Enrolled %	22.8%	27.5%
Avg High School GPA	3.21	3.25
Typical High School Grades	B	B
Admissions Standards	Extremely Easy	Very Easy
Applicant Competition
ACT Range	17/23	17/24
SAT Range	935/1102	900/1140
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	JC
Student to Faculty Ratio	15:1	12:1
Popular Majors	Business (39%) Education (16%) Recreation, Leisure and Fitness Studies (8%) Communication (4%) Biology (4%)	Business (24%) Health Professions (14%) Education (12%) Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting (8%) Psychology (6%)
Outcomes	Southwest Minnesota State University	JC
Graduation Rate	39%	43%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$41,200	$47,800
Making Student Loan Payments	66%	79%
Median Student Loan Debt	$21,678	$26,000
Median Loan Payment	$224	$268

Diversity	Southwest Minnesota State University	JC
% Men	38%	52%
% Women	62%	48%
Racial Diversity	Low	Low
HBCU	No	No
% White	80%	78%
% Black	5%	6%
% Hispanic	4%	7%
% Native American	0%	1%
% Pacific Islander	0%	1%
% Two or More Races	3%	0%
% International	5%	6%
% Unknown Race	2%	0%

Students	Southwest Minnesota State University	JC
% In-State	74%	30%
% Out-of-State	20%	57%
Campus	Southwest Minnesota State University	JC
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 JC based on total student enrollment (6,930 students vs. 1,242 students)

Southwest Minnesota State University vs. JC Cost Comparison

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

• Jamestown College is 164.7% more expensive to attend than Southwest Minnesota State University for in-state tuition ($23,400.00 vs. $8,840.00)
• Out of state tuition is 164.7% higher at JC than Southwest Minnesota State University ($23,400.00 vs. $8,840.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Southwest Minnesota State University than JC ($15,004 vs. $19,950)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Jamestown College are 8.2% lower than costs at Southwest Minnesota State University ($8,560 vs. $9,258)
• More students receive financial grant aid at Jamestown College than Southwest Minnesota State University (100% vs. 94%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Jamestown College students is 130.4% larger than aid received Southwest Minnesota State University ($17,022 vs. $7,389)

Southwest Minnesota State University vs. JC Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

• The average SAT score at Jamestown College (1044) is 36 points higher than at Southwest Minnesota State University (1008)
• Incoming JC students have a 1 point higher average ACT score (23) than students at Southwest Minnesota State University (22)
• Accepted freshman JC students have a 0.04 point higher average high school GPA (3.25) than students at Southwest Minnesota State University (3.21)
• JC has a higher acceptance rate (92%) than Southwest Minnesota State University (91.6%)

Southwest Minnesota State University vs. JC Graduation Outcomes Comparison

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

• The graduation rate at JC is higher than Southwest Minnesota State University (43% vs. 39%)
• Graduates from Jamestown College earn on average $6,600 more per year than Southwest Minnesota State University graduates after ten years. ($47,800 vs. $41,200)
• Southwest Minnesota State University students graduate with a $4,322 lower median federal student loan debt than JC graduates. ($21,678 vs. $26,000)
• Southwest Minnesota State University graduates are paying $44 less per month on federal student loans than JC graduates. ($224 vs. $268)
• More JC graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Southwest Minnesota State University students, three years after graduation. (79% vs. 66%)

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