Southwest Minnesota State University vs. Union College

Southwest Minnesota State University vs. Union College comparison

	Southwest Minnesota State University	Union College	College 3	College 4
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Overview	Southwest Minnesota State University	Union College
Location	Marshall, MN	Lincoln, NE
Setting	Rural Fringe	Large City
Enrollment	6,930	694
Type	Public 4 Year	Private 4 Year
National Ranking	#948
Religious Affiliation	-	Seventh Day Adventists	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	smsu.edu	ucollege.edu
Team Colors

Costs	Southwest Minnesota State University	Union College
Tuition (In State)	$8,840	$25,920
Tuition (Out of State)	$8,840	$25,920
Room & Board	$9,258	$7,750
Avg Net Price	$15,004	$23,462
Avg Grant Aid	$7,389	$15,293
% Receiving Grant Aid	94%	100%

Admission	Southwest Minnesota State University	Union College
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	1,558	940
Admitted	1,427	929
Acceptance Rate	91.6%	98.8%
Enrolled %	22.8%	9.8%
Avg High School GPA	3.21	3.44
Typical High School Grades	B	B+
Admissions Standards	Extremely Easy	Very Easy
Applicant Competition
ACT Range	17/23	18/24
SAT Range	935/1102	980/1130
Submit Test Scores	Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)	Required to be considered for admission
Application Deadline	Aug 18, 2025

Academics	Southwest Minnesota State University	Union College
Student to Faculty Ratio	15:1	8:1
Popular Majors	Business (39%) Education (16%) Recreation, Leisure and Fitness Studies (8%) Communication (4%) Biology (4%)	Health Professions (38%) Education (13%) Business (11%) Theology and Religious Vvocations (6%) Psychology (6%)
Outcomes	Southwest Minnesota State University	Union College
Graduation Rate	39%	33%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$41,200	$46,200
Making Student Loan Payments	66%	58%
Median Student Loan Debt	$21,678	$27,000
Median Loan Payment	$224	$279

Diversity	Southwest Minnesota State University	Union College
% Men	38%	36%
% Women	62%	64%
Racial Diversity	Low	High
HBCU	No	No
% White	80%	55%
% Black	5%	8%
% Hispanic	4%	18%
% Native American	0%	1%
% Pacific Islander	0%	1%
% Two or More Races	3%	5%
% International	5%	8%
% Unknown Race	2%	1%

Students	Southwest Minnesota State University	Union College
% In-State	74%	22%
% Out-of-State	20%	59%
Campus	Southwest Minnesota State University	Union 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 Union College based on total student enrollment (6,930 students vs. 694 students)

Southwest Minnesota State University vs. Union College Cost Comparison

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

• Union College is 193.2% more expensive to attend than Southwest Minnesota State University for in-state tuition ($25,920.00 vs. $8,840.00)
• Out of state tuition is 193.2% higher at Union College than Southwest Minnesota State University ($25,920.00 vs. $8,840.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Southwest Minnesota State University than Union College ($15,004 vs. $23,462)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Union College are 19.5% lower than costs at Southwest Minnesota State University ($7,750 vs. $9,258)
• More students receive financial grant aid at Union College than Southwest Minnesota State University (100% vs. 94%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Union College students is 107% larger than aid received Southwest Minnesota State University ($15,293 vs. $7,389)

Southwest Minnesota State University vs. Union College Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

• The average SAT score at Union College (1050) is 42 points higher than at Southwest Minnesota State University (1008)
• Incoming Union College students have a 1 point higher average ACT score (23) than students at Southwest Minnesota State University (22)
• Accepted freshman Union College students have a 0.23 point higher average high school GPA (3.44) than students at Southwest Minnesota State University (3.21)
• Union College has a higher acceptance rate (98.8%) than Southwest Minnesota State University (91.6%)

Southwest Minnesota State University vs. Union College Graduation Outcomes Comparison

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

• The graduation rate at Southwest Minnesota State University is higher than Union College (39% vs. 33%)
• Graduates from Union College earn on average $5,000 more per year than Southwest Minnesota State University graduates after ten years. ($46,200 vs. $41,200)
• Southwest Minnesota State University students graduate with a $5,322 lower median federal student loan debt than Union College graduates. ($21,678 vs. $27,000)
• Southwest Minnesota State University graduates are paying $55 less per month on federal student loans than Union College graduates. ($224 vs. $279)
• More Southwest Minnesota State University graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Union College students, three years after graduation. (66% vs. 58%)

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