Southwest Minnesota State University vs. UNK

Southwest Minnesota State University vs. University of Nebraska at Kearney comparison

	Southwest Minnesota State University	University of Nebraska at Kearney	College 3	College 4
	Remove	Remove	+Add	+Add
Overview	Southwest Minnesota State University	UNK
Location	Marshall, MN	Kearney, NE
Setting	Rural Fringe	Remote Town
Enrollment	7,324	6,017
Type	Public 4 Year	Public 4 Year
National Ranking	#910	#574
Religious Affiliation	-	-	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	smsu.edu	unk.edu
Team Colors

Costs	Southwest Minnesota State University	UNK
Tuition (In State)	$8,840	$6,450
Tuition (Out of State)	$8,840	$12,418
Room & Board	$10,666	$11,936
Avg Net Price	$14,839	$16,249
Avg Grant Aid	$7,455	$8,779
% Receiving Grant Aid	91%	86%

Admission	Southwest Minnesota State University	UNK
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	2,630	7,253
Admitted	1,813	6,222
Acceptance Rate	68.9%	85.8%
Enrolled %	20.3%	14.6%
Avg High School GPA	3.21	3.24
Typical High School Grades	B	B
Admissions Standards	Extremely Easy	Easy
Applicant Competition	Low
ACT Range	17/23	18/25
SAT Range	935/1102	970/1150
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	Aug 15, 2025

Academics	Southwest Minnesota State University	UNK
Student to Faculty Ratio	16:1	13:1
Popular Majors	Business (39%) Education (16%) Recreation, Leisure and Fitness Studies (8%) Communication (4%) Biology (4%)	Business (24%) Education (20%) Recreation, Leisure and Fitness Studies (6%) Visual and Performing Arts (5%) Communication (5%)
Outcomes	Southwest Minnesota State University	UNK
Graduation Rate	39%	61%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$41,200	$43,400
Making Student Loan Payments	66%	71%
Median Student Loan Debt	$21,678	$21,250
Median Loan Payment	$224	$219

Diversity	Southwest Minnesota State University	UNK
% Men	2%	8%
% Women	4%	22%
Racial Diversity	Low	Low
HBCU	No	No
% White	80%	79%
% Black	5%	2%
% Hispanic	4%	11%
% Native American	0%	0%
% Pacific Islander	0%	0%
% Two or More Races	3%	2%
% International	5%	5%
% Unknown Race	2%	1%

Students	Southwest Minnesota State University	UNK
% In-State	74%	86%
% Out-of-State	20%	9%
Campus	Southwest Minnesota State University	UNK
Campus Housing	Yes	Yes
Freshman Dorm Required	No	No
Meal Plan	Yes	Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes	Yes	No
Daycare Facility	Yes	Yes
Learn More	Details	Details

Comparable Facts

• Southwest Minnesota State University is larger than than UNK based on total student enrollment (7,324 students vs. 6,017 students)

Southwest Minnesota State University vs. UNK Cost Comparison

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

• Southwest Minnesota State University is 37.1% more expensive to attend than UNK for in-state tuition ($8,840.00 vs. $6,450.00)
• Out of state tuition is 40.5% higher at UNK than Southwest Minnesota State University ($12,418.00 vs. $8,840.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Southwest Minnesota State University than UNK ($14,839 vs. $16,249)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Southwest Minnesota State University are 11.9% lower than costs at University of Nebraska at Kearney ($10,666 vs. $11,936)
• More students receive financial grant aid at Southwest Minnesota State University than University of Nebraska at Kearney (91% vs. 86%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by University of Nebraska at Kearney students is 17.8% larger than aid received Southwest Minnesota State University ($8,779 vs. $7,455)

Southwest Minnesota State University vs. UNK Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

• The average SAT score at University of Nebraska at Kearney (1049) is 41 points higher than at Southwest Minnesota State University (1008)
• Incoming UNK students have a 1 point higher average ACT score (23) than students at Southwest Minnesota State University (22)
• Accepted freshman UNK students have a 0.03 point higher average high school GPA (3.24) than students at Southwest Minnesota State University (3.21)
• UNK has a higher acceptance rate (85.8%) than Southwest Minnesota State University (68.9%)

Southwest Minnesota State University vs. UNK Graduation Outcomes Comparison

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

• The graduation rate at UNK is higher than Southwest Minnesota State University (61% vs. 39%)
• Graduates from University of Nebraska at Kearney earn on average $2,200 more per year than Southwest Minnesota State University graduates after ten years. ($43,400 vs. $41,200)
• University of Nebraska at Kearney students graduate with a $428 lower median federal student loan debt than Southwest Minnesota State University graduates. ($21,250 vs. $21,678)
• UNK graduates are paying $5 less per month on federal student loans than Southwest Minnesota State University graduates. ($219 vs. $224)
• More UNK graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Southwest Minnesota State University students, three years after graduation. (71% vs. 66%)

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