University of Dubuque vs. Southwest Minnesota State University

University of Dubuque vs. Southwest Minnesota State University comparison

	University of Dubuque	Southwest Minnesota State University	College 3	College 4
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Overview	University of Dubuque	Southwest Minnesota State University
Location	Dubuque, IA	Marshall, MN
Setting	Small City	Rural Fringe
Enrollment	1,776	6,930
Type	Private 4 Year	Public 4 Year
National Ranking	#756	#948
Religious Affiliation	Presbyterian Church (USA)	-	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	dbq.edu	smsu.edu
Team Colors

Costs	University of Dubuque	Southwest Minnesota State University
Tuition (In State)	$36,800	$8,840
Tuition (Out of State)	$36,800	$8,840
Room & Board	$11,024	$9,258
Avg Net Price	$22,879	$15,004
Avg Grant Aid	$25,005	$7,389
% Receiving Grant Aid	100%	94%

Admission	University of Dubuque	Southwest Minnesota State University
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	1,579	1,558
Admitted	1,343	1,427
Acceptance Rate	85.1%	91.6%
Enrolled %	23.7%	22.8%
Avg High School GPA	3.24	3.21
Typical High School Grades	B	B
Admissions Standards	Extremely Easy	Extremely Easy
Applicant Competition
ACT Range	17/23	17/23
SAT Range	828/1070	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, 2025

Academics	University of Dubuque	Southwest Minnesota State University
Student to Faculty Ratio	9:1	15:1
Popular Majors	Business (21%) Transportation and Materials Moving (15%) Computer and Information Sciences (12%) Education (11%) Health Professions (9%)	Business (39%) Education (16%) Recreation, Leisure and Fitness Studies (8%) Communication (4%) Biology (4%)
Outcomes	University of Dubuque	Southwest Minnesota State University
Graduation Rate	41%	39%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$41,800	$41,200
Making Student Loan Payments	63%	66%
Median Student Loan Debt	$25,674	$21,678
Median Loan Payment	$265	$224

Diversity	University of Dubuque	Southwest Minnesota State University
% Men	56%	38%
% Women	44%	62%
Racial Diversity	Medium	Low
HBCU	No	No
% White	63%	80%
% Black	14%	5%
% Hispanic	9%	4%
% Native American	0%	0%
% Pacific Islander	0%	0%
% Two or More Races	3%	3%
% International	3%	5%
% Unknown Race	6%	2%

Students	University of Dubuque	Southwest Minnesota State University
% In-State	25%	74%
% Out-of-State	69%	20%
Campus	University of Dubuque	Southwest Minnesota State University
Campus Housing	Yes	Yes
Freshman Dorm Required	Yes	No
Meal Plan	Yes	Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes	Yes	Yes
Daycare Facility	Yes	Yes
Learn More	Details	Details

Comparable Facts

• Southwest Minnesota State University is larger than than University of Dubuque based on total student enrollment (6,930 students vs. 1,776 students)

University of Dubuque vs. Southwest Minnesota State University Cost Comparison

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

• University of Dubuque is 316.3% more expensive to attend than Southwest Minnesota State University for in-state tuition ($36,800.00 vs. $8,840.00)
• Out of state tuition is 316.3% higher at University of Dubuque than Southwest Minnesota State University ($36,800.00 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 Dubuque ($15,004 vs. $22,879)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Southwest Minnesota State University are 19.1% lower than costs at University of Dubuque ($9,258 vs. $11,024)
• More students receive financial grant aid at University of Dubuque than Southwest Minnesota State University (100% vs. 94%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by University of Dubuque students is 238.4% larger than aid received Southwest Minnesota State University ($25,005 vs. $7,389)

University of Dubuque vs. Southwest Minnesota State University Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

• The average SAT score at Southwest Minnesota State University (1008) is 64 points higher than at University of Dubuque (944)
• Incoming Southwest Minnesota State University students have a 2 point higher average ACT score (22) than students at University of Dubuque (20)
• Accepted freshman University of Dubuque students have a 0.03 point higher average high school GPA (3.24) than students at Southwest Minnesota State University (3.21)
• Southwest Minnesota State University has a higher acceptance rate (91.6%) than University of Dubuque (85.1%)

University of Dubuque vs. Southwest Minnesota State University Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, University of Dubuque or Southwest Minnesota 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 Southwest Minnesota State University and University of Dubuque.

• The graduation rate at University of Dubuque is higher than Southwest Minnesota State University (41% vs. 39%)
• Graduates from University of Dubuque earn on average $600 more per year than Southwest Minnesota State University graduates after ten years. ($41,800 vs. $41,200)
• Southwest Minnesota State University students graduate with a $3,996 lower median federal student loan debt than University of Dubuque graduates. ($21,678 vs. $25,674)
• Southwest Minnesota State University graduates are paying $41 less per month on federal student loans than University of Dubuque graduates. ($224 vs. $265)
• More Southwest Minnesota State University graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former University of Dubuque students, three years after graduation. (66% vs. 63%)

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