Southwest Minnesota State University vs. UW-Superior

Southwest Minnesota State University vs. University of Wisconsin Superior comparison

	Southwest Minnesota State University	University of Wisconsin Superior	College 3	College 4
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Overview	Southwest Minnesota State University	UW-Superior
Location	Marshall, MN	Superior, WI
Setting	Rural Fringe	Midsize Suburban
Enrollment	7,324	2,726
Type	Public 4 Year	Public 4 Year
National Ranking	#910	#889
Religious Affiliation	-	-	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	smsu.edu	uwsuper.edu
Team Colors

Costs	Southwest Minnesota State University	UW-Superior
Tuition (In State)	$8,840	$6,826
Tuition (Out of State)	$8,840	$14,739
Room & Board	$10,666	$7,227
Avg Net Price	$14,839	$13,126
Avg Grant Aid	$7,455	$4,206
% Receiving Grant Aid	91%	71%

Admission	Southwest Minnesota State University	UW-Superior
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	2,630	2,310
Admitted	1,813	2,163
Acceptance Rate	68.9%	93.6%
Enrolled %	20.3%	12%
Avg High School GPA	3.21	3.32
Typical High School Grades	B	B+
Admissions Standards	Extremely Easy	Easy
Applicant Competition	Low
ACT Range	17/23	18/24
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	Aug 1, 2026

Academics	Southwest Minnesota State University	UW-Superior
Student to Faculty Ratio	16:1	17:1
Popular Majors	Business (39%) Education (16%) Recreation, Leisure and Fitness Studies (8%) Communication (4%) Biology (4%)	Business (19%) Education (17%) Communication (12%) General Studies (9%) Social Sciences (8%)
Outcomes	Southwest Minnesota State University	UW-Superior
Graduation Rate	39%	44%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$41,200	$37,700
Making Student Loan Payments	66%	57%
Median Student Loan Debt	$21,678	$23,000
Median Loan Payment	$224	$237

Diversity	Southwest Minnesota State University	UW-Superior
% Men	2%	5%
% Women	4%	19%
Racial Diversity	Low	Very Low
HBCU	No	No
% White	80%	81%
% Black	5%	2%
% Hispanic	4%	2%
% Native American	0%	2%
% Pacific Islander	0%	0%
% Two or More Races	3%	3%
% International	5%	8%
% Unknown Race	2%	0%

Students	Southwest Minnesota State University	UW-Superior
% In-State	74%	45%
% Out-of-State	20%	39%
Campus	Southwest Minnesota State University	UW-Superior
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 UW-Superior based on total student enrollment (7,324 students vs. 2,726 students)

Southwest Minnesota State University vs. UW-Superior Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Southwest Minnesota State University or UW-Superior?

• Southwest Minnesota State University is 29.5% more expensive to attend than UW-Superior for in-state tuition ($8,840.00 vs. $6,826.00)
• Out of state tuition is 66.7% higher at UW-Superior than Southwest Minnesota State University ($14,739.00 vs. $8,840.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at University of Wisconsin Superior than Southwest Minnesota State University ($13,126 vs. $14,839)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at University of Wisconsin Superior are 47.6% lower than costs at Southwest Minnesota State University ($7,227 vs. $10,666)
• More students receive financial grant aid at Southwest Minnesota State University than University of Wisconsin Superior (91% vs. 71%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Southwest Minnesota State University students is 77.2% larger than aid received University of Wisconsin Superior ($7,455 vs. $4,206)

Southwest Minnesota State University vs. UW-Superior Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

• The average SAT score at Southwest Minnesota State University (1008) is 18 points higher than at UW-Superior (990)
• Incoming Southwest Minnesota State University students have a 1 point higher average ACT score (22) than students at UW-Superior (21)
• Accepted freshman UW-Superior students have a 0.11 point higher average high school GPA (3.32) than students at Southwest Minnesota State University (3.21)
• UW-Superior has a higher acceptance rate (93.6%) than Southwest Minnesota State University (68.9%)

Southwest Minnesota State University vs. UW-Superior Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Southwest Minnesota State University or UW-Superior? 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 UW-Superior and Southwest Minnesota State University.

• The graduation rate at UW-Superior is higher than Southwest Minnesota State University (44% vs. 39%)
• Graduates from Southwest Minnesota State University earn on average $3,500 more per year than UW-Superior graduates after ten years. ($41,200 vs. $37,700)
• Southwest Minnesota State University students graduate with a $1,322 lower median federal student loan debt than UW-Superior graduates. ($21,678 vs. $23,000)
• Southwest Minnesota State University graduates are paying $13 less per month on federal student loans than UW-Superior graduates. ($224 vs. $237)
• More Southwest Minnesota State University graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former UW-Superior students, three years after graduation. (66% vs. 57%)

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