Southwest Minnesota State University vs. Valley City State University

Southwest Minnesota State University vs. Valley City State University comparison

	Southwest Minnesota State University	Valley City State University	College 3	College 4
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Overview	Southwest Minnesota State University	Valley City State University
Location	Marshall, MN	Valley City, ND
Setting	Rural Fringe	Remote Town
Enrollment	6,930	1,658
Type	Public 4 Year	Public 4 Year
National Ranking	#948	#689
Religious Affiliation	-	-	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	smsu.edu	vcsu.edu
Team Colors

Costs	Southwest Minnesota State University	Valley City State University
Tuition (In State)	$8,840	$6,619
Tuition (Out of State)	$8,840	$11,583
Room & Board	$9,258	$6,957
Avg Net Price	$15,004	$12,164
Avg Grant Aid	$7,389	$7,525
% Receiving Grant Aid	94%	100%

Admission	Southwest Minnesota State University	Valley City State University
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	1,558	429
Admitted	1,427	358
Acceptance Rate	91.6%	83.4%
Enrolled %	22.8%	57.3%
Avg High School GPA	3.21	3.31
Typical High School Grades	B	B+
Admissions Standards	Extremely Easy	Extremely Easy
Applicant Competition
ACT Range	17/23	17/23
SAT Range	935/1102	1030/1110
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	Valley City State University
Student to Faculty Ratio	15:1	12:1
Popular Majors	Business (39%) Education (16%) Recreation, Leisure and Fitness Studies (8%) Communication (4%) Biology (4%)	Education (54%) Business (12%) Natural Resources Conservation (5%) Human Services (4%) Health Professions (4%)
Outcomes	Southwest Minnesota State University	Valley City State University
Graduation Rate	39%	42%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$41,200	$42,200
Making Student Loan Payments	66%	71%
Median Student Loan Debt	$21,678	$21,330
Median Loan Payment	$224	$220

Diversity	Southwest Minnesota State University	Valley City State University
% Men	38%	41%
% Women	62%	59%
Racial Diversity	Low	Very Low
HBCU	No	No
% White	80%	81%
% Black	5%	4%
% Hispanic	4%	6%
% Native American	0%	1%
% Pacific Islander	0%	0%
% Two or More Races	3%	3%
% International	5%	3%
% Unknown Race	2%	1%

Students	Southwest Minnesota State University	Valley City State University
% In-State	74%	69%
% Out-of-State	20%	30%
Campus	Southwest Minnesota State University	Valley City State University
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 Valley City State University based on total student enrollment (6,930 students vs. 1,658 students)

Southwest Minnesota State University vs. Valley City State University Cost Comparison

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

• Southwest Minnesota State University is 33.6% more expensive to attend than Valley City State University for in-state tuition ($8,840.00 vs. $6,619.00)
• Out of state tuition is 31% higher at Valley City State University than Southwest Minnesota State University ($11,583.00 vs. $8,840.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Valley City State University than Southwest Minnesota State University ($12,164 vs. $15,004)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Valley City State University are 33.1% lower than costs at Southwest Minnesota State University ($6,957 vs. $9,258)
• More students receive financial grant aid at Valley City State University than Southwest Minnesota State University (100% vs. 94%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Valley City State University students is 1.8% larger than aid received Southwest Minnesota State University ($7,525 vs. $7,389)

Southwest Minnesota State University vs. Valley City State University Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

• The average SAT score at Southwest Minnesota State University (1008) is 47 points higher than at Valley City State University (961)
• Incoming Southwest Minnesota State University students have a 1 point higher average ACT score (22) than students at Valley City State University (21)
• Accepted freshman Valley City State University students have a 0.1 point higher average high school GPA (3.31) than students at Southwest Minnesota State University (3.21)
• Southwest Minnesota State University has a higher acceptance rate (91.6%) than Valley City State University (83.4%)

Southwest Minnesota State University vs. Valley City State University Graduation Outcomes Comparison

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

• The graduation rate at Valley City State University is higher than Southwest Minnesota State University (42% vs. 39%)
• Graduates from Valley City State University earn on average $1,000 more per year than Southwest Minnesota State University graduates after ten years. ($42,200 vs. $41,200)
• Valley City State University students graduate with a $348 lower median federal student loan debt than Southwest Minnesota State University graduates. ($21,330 vs. $21,678)
• Valley City State University graduates are paying $4 less per month on federal student loans than Southwest Minnesota State University graduates. ($220 vs. $224)
• More Valley City State University 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/