Waldorf College vs. Southwest Minnesota State University

Waldorf College vs. Southwest Minnesota State University comparison

	Waldorf College	Southwest Minnesota State University	College 3	College 4
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Overview	Waldorf College	Southwest Minnesota State University
Location	Forest City, IA	Marshall, MN
Setting	Remote Town	Rural Fringe
Enrollment	2,763	6,930
Type	Private 4 Year	Public 4 Year
National Ranking		#948
Religious Affiliation	-	-	-	-
Status	For-profit	Non-profit
Website	waldorf.edu	smsu.edu
Team Colors

Costs	Waldorf College	Southwest Minnesota State University
Tuition (In State)	$23,108	$8,840
Tuition (Out of State)	$23,108	$8,840
Room & Board	$8,748	$9,258
Avg Net Price	$18,620	$15,004
Avg Grant Aid	$17,359	$7,389
% Receiving Grant Aid	97%	94%

Admission	Waldorf College	Southwest Minnesota State University
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	1,056	1,558
Admitted	780	1,427
Acceptance Rate	73.9%	91.6%
Enrolled %	22.1%	22.8%
Avg High School GPA	3.07	3.21
Typical High School Grades	B	B
Admissions Standards	Unavailable	Extremely Easy
Applicant Competition	Low
ACT Range	17/21	17/23
SAT Range	920/1110	935/1102
Submit Test Scores	Not considered for admission, even if submitted (Test Blind)	Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)
Application Deadline		Aug 18, 2025

Academics	Waldorf College	Southwest Minnesota State University
Student to Faculty Ratio	24:1	15:1
Popular Majors	Business (25%) Education (17%) Communication (14%) English and Literature (10%) Psychology (9%)	Business (39%) Education (16%) Recreation, Leisure and Fitness Studies (8%) Communication (4%) Biology (4%)
Outcomes	Waldorf College	Southwest Minnesota State University
Graduation Rate	45%	39%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$40,100	$41,200
Making Student Loan Payments	51%	66%
Median Student Loan Debt	$18,822	$21,678
Median Loan Payment	$194	$224

Diversity	Waldorf College	Southwest Minnesota State University
% Men	62%	38%
% Women	38%	62%
Racial Diversity	Medium	Low
HBCU	No	No
% White	66%	80%
% Black	16%	5%
% Hispanic	9%	4%
% Native American	1%	0%
% Pacific Islander	0%	0%
% Two or More Races	2%	3%
% International	2%	5%
% Unknown Race	4%	2%

Students	Waldorf College	Southwest Minnesota State University
% In-State	23%	74%
% Out-of-State	77%	20%
Campus	Waldorf College	Southwest Minnesota State University
Campus Housing	Yes	Yes
Freshman Dorm Required	No	No
Meal Plan	Yes	Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes	No	Yes
Daycare Facility	No	Yes
Learn More	Details	Details

Comparable Facts

• Southwest Minnesota State University is larger than than Waldorf College based on total student enrollment (6,930 students vs. 2,763 students)

Waldorf College vs. Southwest Minnesota State University Cost Comparison

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

• Waldorf College is 161.4% more expensive to attend than Southwest Minnesota State University for in-state tuition ($23,108.00 vs. $8,840.00)
• Out of state tuition is 161.4% higher at Waldorf College than Southwest Minnesota State University ($23,108.00 vs. $8,840.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Southwest Minnesota State University than Waldorf College ($15,004 vs. $18,620)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Waldorf College are 5.8% lower than costs at Southwest Minnesota State University ($8,748 vs. $9,258)
• More students receive financial grant aid at Waldorf College than Southwest Minnesota State University (97% vs. 94%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Waldorf College students is 134.9% larger than aid received Southwest Minnesota State University ($17,359 vs. $7,389)

Waldorf College vs. Southwest Minnesota State University Admissions Difficulty Comparison

Which college is harder to get into, Waldorf College 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 Waldorf College .

• The average SAT score at Southwest Minnesota State University (1008) is 71 points higher than at Waldorf College (937)
• Incoming Southwest Minnesota State University students have a 2 point higher average ACT score (22) than students at Waldorf College (20)
• Accepted freshman Southwest Minnesota State University students have a 0.14 point higher average high school GPA (3.21) than students at Waldorf College (3.07)
• Southwest Minnesota State University has a higher acceptance rate (91.6%) than Waldorf College (73.9%)

Waldorf College vs. Southwest Minnesota State University Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Waldorf College 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 Waldorf College.

• The graduation rate at Waldorf College is higher than Southwest Minnesota State University (45% vs. 39%)
• Graduates from Southwest Minnesota State University earn on average $1,100 more per year than Waldorf College graduates after ten years. ($41,200 vs. $40,100)
• Waldorf College students graduate with a $2,856 lower median federal student loan debt than Southwest Minnesota State University graduates. ($18,822 vs. $21,678)
• Waldorf College graduates are paying $30 less per month on federal student loans than Southwest Minnesota State University graduates. ($194 vs. $224)
• More Southwest Minnesota State University graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Waldorf College students, three years after graduation. (66% vs. 51%)

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