Southwest Minnesota State University vs. University of Wisconsin-River Falls

Southwest Minnesota State University vs. University of Wisconsin River Falls comparison

	Southwest Minnesota State University	University of Wisconsin River Falls	College 3	College 4
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Overview	Southwest Minnesota State University	University of Wisconsin-River Falls
Location	Marshall, MN	River Falls, WI
Setting	Rural Fringe	Distant Town
Enrollment	7,324	5,064
Type	Public 4 Year	Public 4 Year
National Ranking	#910	#755
Religious Affiliation	-	-	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	smsu.edu	uwrf.edu
Team Colors

Costs	Southwest Minnesota State University	University of Wisconsin-River Falls
Tuition (In State)	$8,840	$6,837
Tuition (Out of State)	$8,840	$15,118
Room & Board	$10,666	$7,658
Avg Net Price	$14,839	$15,242
Avg Grant Aid	$7,455	$3,647
% Receiving Grant Aid	91%	82%

Admission	Southwest Minnesota State University	University of Wisconsin-River Falls
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	2,630	5,903
Admitted	1,813	4,818
Acceptance Rate	68.9%	81.6%
Enrolled %	20.3%	22.1%
Avg High School GPA	3.21	3.44
Typical High School Grades	B	B+
Admissions Standards	Extremely Easy	Easy
Applicant Competition	Low
ACT Range	17/23	19/25
SAT Range	935/1102
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	University of Wisconsin-River Falls
Student to Faculty Ratio	16:1	17:1
Popular Majors	Business (39%) Education (16%) Recreation, Leisure and Fitness Studies (8%) Communication (4%) Biology (4%)	Agriculture (17%) Business (15%) Education (13%) Communication (10%) Social Sciences (7%)
Outcomes	Southwest Minnesota State University	University of Wisconsin-River Falls
Graduation Rate	39%	51%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$41,200	$44,100
Making Student Loan Payments	66%	75%
Median Student Loan Debt	$21,678	$22,725
Median Loan Payment	$224	$234

Diversity	Southwest Minnesota State University	University of Wisconsin-River Falls
% Men	2%	2%
% Women	4%	6%
Racial Diversity	Low	Very Low
HBCU	No	No
% White	80%	89%
% Black	5%	2%
% Hispanic	4%	3%
% Native American	0%	0%
% Pacific Islander	0%	0%
% Two or More Races	3%	2%
% International	5%	1%
% Unknown Race	2%	0%

Students	Southwest Minnesota State University	University of Wisconsin-River Falls
% In-State	74%	51%
% Out-of-State	20%	49%
Campus	Southwest Minnesota State University	University of Wisconsin-River Falls
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 University of Wisconsin-River Falls based on total student enrollment (7,324 students vs. 5,064 students)

Southwest Minnesota State University vs. University of Wisconsin-River Falls Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Southwest Minnesota State University or University of Wisconsin-River Falls?

• Southwest Minnesota State University is 29.3% more expensive to attend than University of Wisconsin-River Falls for in-state tuition ($8,840.00 vs. $6,837.00)
• Out of state tuition is 71% higher at University of Wisconsin-River Falls than Southwest Minnesota State University ($15,118.00 vs. $8,840.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Southwest Minnesota State University than University of Wisconsin-River Falls ($14,839 vs. $15,242)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at University of Wisconsin River Falls are 39.3% lower than costs at Southwest Minnesota State University ($7,658 vs. $10,666)
• More students receive financial grant aid at Southwest Minnesota State University than University of Wisconsin River Falls (91% vs. 82%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Southwest Minnesota State University students is 104.4% larger than aid received University of Wisconsin River Falls ($7,455 vs. $3,647)

Southwest Minnesota State University vs. University of Wisconsin-River Falls Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

• The average SAT score at University of Wisconsin River Falls (1050) is 42 points higher than at Southwest Minnesota State University (1008)
• Incoming University of Wisconsin-River Falls students have a 1 point higher average ACT score (23) than students at Southwest Minnesota State University (22)
• Accepted freshman University of Wisconsin-River Falls students have a 0.23 point higher average high school GPA (3.44) than students at Southwest Minnesota State University (3.21)
• University of Wisconsin-River Falls has a higher acceptance rate (81.6%) than Southwest Minnesota State University (68.9%)

Southwest Minnesota State University vs. University of Wisconsin-River Falls Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Southwest Minnesota State University or University of Wisconsin-River Falls? 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 University of Wisconsin-River Falls and Southwest Minnesota State University.

• The graduation rate at University of Wisconsin-River Falls is higher than Southwest Minnesota State University (51% vs. 39%)
• Graduates from University of Wisconsin River Falls earn on average $2,900 more per year than Southwest Minnesota State University graduates after ten years. ($44,100 vs. $41,200)
• Southwest Minnesota State University students graduate with a $1,047 lower median federal student loan debt than University of Wisconsin-River Falls graduates. ($21,678 vs. $22,725)
• Southwest Minnesota State University graduates are paying $10 less per month on federal student loans than University of Wisconsin-River Falls graduates. ($224 vs. $234)
• More University of Wisconsin-River Falls graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Southwest Minnesota State University students, three years after graduation. (75% vs. 66%)

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