Wartburg College vs. Southwest Minnesota State University

Wartburg College vs. Southwest Minnesota State University comparison

	Wartburg College	Southwest Minnesota State University	College 3	College 4
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Overview	Wartburg College	Southwest Minnesota State University
Location	Waverly, IA	Marshall, MN
Setting	Distant Town	Rural Fringe
Enrollment	1,444	6,930
Type	Private 4 Year	Public 4 Year
National Ranking	#654	#948
Religious Affiliation	Evangelical Lutheran Church	-	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	wartburg.edu	smsu.edu
Team Colors

Costs	Wartburg College	Southwest Minnesota State University
Tuition (In State)	$46,740	$8,840
Tuition (Out of State)	$46,740	$8,840
Room & Board	$10,280	$9,258
Avg Net Price	$23,683	$15,004
Avg Grant Aid	$36,157	$7,389
% Receiving Grant Aid	97%	94%

Admission	Wartburg College	Southwest Minnesota State University
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	2,779	1,558
Admitted	2,708	1,427
Acceptance Rate	97.4%	91.6%
Enrolled %	13%	22.8%
Avg High School GPA	3.48	3.21
Typical High School Grades	B+	B
Admissions Standards	Very Easy	Extremely Easy
Applicant Competition
ACT Range	19/25	17/23
SAT Range	970/1120	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	Wartburg College	Southwest Minnesota State University
Student to Faculty Ratio	13:1	15:1
Popular Majors	Business (21%) Education (15%) Biology (15%) Communication (9%) Recreation, Leisure and Fitness Studies (5%)	Business (39%) Education (16%) Recreation, Leisure and Fitness Studies (8%) Communication (4%) Biology (4%)
Outcomes	Wartburg College	Southwest Minnesota State University
Graduation Rate	63%	39%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$48,100	$41,200
Making Student Loan Payments	81%	66%
Median Student Loan Debt	$27,000	$21,678
Median Loan Payment	$279	$224

Diversity	Wartburg College	Southwest Minnesota State University
% Men	49%	38%
% Women	51%	62%
Racial Diversity	Low	Low
HBCU	No	No
% White	77%	80%
% Black	5%	5%
% Hispanic	3%	4%
% Native American	0%	0%
% Pacific Islander	0%	0%
% Two or More Races	2%	3%
% International	8%	5%
% Unknown Race	4%	2%

Students	Wartburg College	Southwest Minnesota State University
% In-State	70%	74%
% Out-of-State	27%	20%
Campus	Wartburg 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 Wartburg College based on total student enrollment (6,930 students vs. 1,444 students)

Wartburg College vs. Southwest Minnesota State University Cost Comparison

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

• Wartburg College is 428.7% more expensive to attend than Southwest Minnesota State University for in-state tuition ($46,740.00 vs. $8,840.00)
• Out of state tuition is 428.7% higher at Wartburg College than Southwest Minnesota State University ($46,740.00 vs. $8,840.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Southwest Minnesota State University than Wartburg College ($15,004 vs. $23,683)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Southwest Minnesota State University are 11% lower than costs at Wartburg College ($9,258 vs. $10,280)
• More students receive financial grant aid at Wartburg College than Southwest Minnesota State University (97% vs. 94%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Wartburg College students is 389.3% larger than aid received Southwest Minnesota State University ($36,157 vs. $7,389)

Wartburg College vs. Southwest Minnesota State University Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

• The average SAT score at Wartburg College (1105) is 97 points higher than at Southwest Minnesota State University (1008)
• Incoming Wartburg College students have a 2 point higher average ACT score (24) than students at Southwest Minnesota State University (22)
• Accepted freshman Wartburg College students have a 0.27 point higher average high school GPA (3.48) than students at Southwest Minnesota State University (3.21)
• Wartburg College has a higher acceptance rate (97.4%) than Southwest Minnesota State University (91.6%)

Wartburg College vs. Southwest Minnesota State University Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Wartburg 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 Wartburg College.

• The graduation rate at Wartburg College is higher than Southwest Minnesota State University (63% vs. 39%)
• Graduates from Wartburg College earn on average $6,900 more per year than Southwest Minnesota State University graduates after ten years. ($48,100 vs. $41,200)
• Southwest Minnesota State University students graduate with a $5,322 lower median federal student loan debt than Wartburg College graduates. ($21,678 vs. $27,000)
• Southwest Minnesota State University graduates are paying $55 less per month on federal student loans than Wartburg College graduates. ($224 vs. $279)
• More Wartburg College graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Southwest Minnesota State University students, three years after graduation. (81% vs. 66%)

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