Southwest Minnesota State University vs. Ripon College

Southwest Minnesota State University vs. Ripon College comparison

	Southwest Minnesota State University	Ripon College	College 3	College 4
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Overview	Southwest Minnesota State University	Ripon College
Location	Marshall, MN	Ripon, WI
Setting	Rural Fringe	Rural Fringe
Enrollment	6,930	766
Type	Public 4 Year	Private 4 Year
National Ranking	#948
Religious Affiliation	-	-	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	smsu.edu	ripon.edu
Team Colors

Costs	Southwest Minnesota State University	Ripon College
Tuition (In State)	$8,840	$49,300
Tuition (Out of State)	$8,840	$49,300
Room & Board	$9,258	$9,490
Avg Net Price	$15,004	$21,999
Avg Grant Aid	$7,389	$38,826
% Receiving Grant Aid	94%	100%

Admission	Southwest Minnesota State University	Ripon College
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	1,558	2,142
Admitted	1,427	1,742
Acceptance Rate	91.6%	81.3%
Enrolled %	22.8%	11.3%
Avg High School GPA	3.21	3.41
Typical High School Grades	B	B+
Admissions Standards	Extremely Easy	Moderate
Applicant Competition
ACT Range	17/23	20/27
SAT Range	935/1102	940/1160
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	Ripon College
Student to Faculty Ratio	15:1	14:1
Popular Majors	Business (39%) Education (16%) Recreation, Leisure and Fitness Studies (8%) Communication (4%) Biology (4%)	Social Sciences (14%) Business (13%) History (10%) Recreation, Leisure and Fitness Studies (9%) Psychology (9%)
Outcomes	Southwest Minnesota State University	Ripon College
Graduation Rate	39%	70%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$41,200	$49,200
Making Student Loan Payments	66%	77%
Median Student Loan Debt	$21,678	$28,000
Median Loan Payment	$224	$289

Diversity	Southwest Minnesota State University	Ripon College
% Men	38%	51%
% Women	62%	49%
Racial Diversity	Low	Very Low
HBCU	No	No
% White	80%	83%
% Black	5%	3%
% Hispanic	4%	6%
% Native American	0%	0%
% Pacific Islander	0%	0%
% Two or More Races	3%	2%
% International	5%	4%
% Unknown Race	2%	1%

Students	Southwest Minnesota State University	Ripon College
% In-State	74%	63%
% Out-of-State	20%	35%
Campus	Southwest Minnesota State University	Ripon 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 Ripon College based on total student enrollment (6,930 students vs. 766 students)

Southwest Minnesota State University vs. Ripon College Cost Comparison

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

• Ripon College is 457.7% more expensive to attend than Southwest Minnesota State University for in-state tuition ($49,300.00 vs. $8,840.00)
• Out of state tuition is 457.7% higher at Ripon College than Southwest Minnesota State University ($49,300.00 vs. $8,840.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Southwest Minnesota State University than Ripon College ($15,004 vs. $21,999)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Southwest Minnesota State University are 2.5% lower than costs at Ripon College ($9,258 vs. $9,490)
• More students receive financial grant aid at Ripon College than Southwest Minnesota State University (100% vs. 94%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Ripon College students is 425.5% larger than aid received Southwest Minnesota State University ($38,826 vs. $7,389)

Southwest Minnesota State University vs. Ripon College Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

• The average SAT score at Ripon College (1105) is 97 points higher than at Southwest Minnesota State University (1008)
• Incoming Ripon College students have a 2 point higher average ACT score (24) than students at Southwest Minnesota State University (22)
• Accepted freshman Ripon College students have a 0.2 point higher average high school GPA (3.41) than students at Southwest Minnesota State University (3.21)
• Southwest Minnesota State University has a higher acceptance rate (91.6%) than Ripon College (81.3%)

Southwest Minnesota State University vs. Ripon College Graduation Outcomes Comparison

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

• The graduation rate at Ripon College is higher than Southwest Minnesota State University (70% vs. 39%)
• Graduates from Ripon College earn on average $8,000 more per year than Southwest Minnesota State University graduates after ten years. ($49,200 vs. $41,200)
• Southwest Minnesota State University students graduate with a $6,322 lower median federal student loan debt than Ripon College graduates. ($21,678 vs. $28,000)
• Southwest Minnesota State University graduates are paying $65 less per month on federal student loans than Ripon College graduates. ($224 vs. $289)
• More Ripon College graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Southwest Minnesota State University students, three years after graduation. (77% vs. 66%)

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