Public · University

Southwest Minnesota State University

Marshall, Minnesota · Remote town

62.2%
Admit rate
$15,291
Avg net price
45%
Graduation rate
$51,342
Median earnings

Southwest Minnesota State University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Marshall, Minnesota (remote town setting), enrolling 2,315 undergraduates.

PublicMidsize · 2,315 undergradsRemote townAccessible · 62% admitNCAA Division II with football · Northern Sun Intercollegiate ConferenceCold wintersSnowy

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Southwest Minnesota State University's admitted students.

Admit rate
62.2%
ACT (mid 50%)
16–23
Avg GPA (est.)
3.08

Enter a test score to see where you land against Southwest Minnesota State University's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Southwest Minnesota State University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Marshall, Minnesota

Marshall is a city in Lyon County, Minnesota, United States. Marshall was platted in 1872 when the railroad was extended to that point. Lake Marshall Township had been established in the area in 1870, and included a post office and several farms. Schwan's Company, headquartered in Marshall, is one of the country's largest frozen-food companies. It is a $3 billion organization and Minnesota's third-largest privately held corporation, after Cargill and Carlson. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Remote town
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To Great Lakes shore
238 miles
Nearest airport
76 miles to Watertown (ATY)

How Southwest Minnesota State University compares

Selectivity62.2%

More selective than 74% · #10 most selective of 35 in Minnesota

SAT average1050

Higher than 16%

Graduation rate45%

Higher than 31% · #34 of 39 in Minnesota

First-year retention74%

Higher than 41%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$51,342

Higher than 42% · #25 of 38 in Minnesota

Average net price$15,291

Cheaper than 72% · #7 cheapest of 39 in Minnesota

Median debt at graduation$20,500

Lower than 72%

Student–faculty ratio16 : 1

Lower than 28%

Undergraduate enrollment2,315

Larger than 61%

Percentiles compare Southwest Minnesota State University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Minnesota.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

2,794students
  • Undergraduate2,31583%
  • Graduate47917%

Undergraduates by gender

2,315undergrads
  • Women1,38460%
  • Men93140%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White69%
  • Black8.6%
  • Hispanic8.6%
  • Asian2.7%
  • Other or multiracial11%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
2,315
Graduate enrollment
479
Student–faculty ratio
16 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
12%
First-generation students
27%
Students over 25
9%
Median family income
$51,572
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$96,048
Endowment
$20,934,000

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Admissions

Admission rate
62.2%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
1050
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite
16–23
Average GPA (estimated)
3.08

Cost

In-state tuition
$10,361
Room & board
$11,028
Books & supplies
$1,200
Total cost of attendance
$24,757
Average net price
$15,291

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
45%
Graduated on time (4 years)
30%
First-year retention
74%
Transferred to another college
37%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$43,282
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$51,342
Median debt at graduation
$20,500
Students with federal loans
15%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
61%

About 15% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
30%
Low-income (Pell)
37%
First-generation
38%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
1,049
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
45%
Housing charge (year)
$6,248
Meal plan (year)
$4,418
Application fee
$20
Athletics
NCAA Division II with football
Football conference
Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference
Varsity athletes
474 (275 men · 199 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (10)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)162
Football108
Baseball48
Wrestling31
Basketball30
Swimming and Diving (combined)28
Soccer27
Softball16
Volleyball15
Golf9

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.8 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
15
Property offenses (2022–2024)
5

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (8,214 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

6.7reported offenses a year
5.0 violent a year1.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
4.0
Burglary
1.7
Aggravated assault
1.0

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$10,559
$30–48k
$11,175
$48–75k
$13,153
$75–110k
$18,283
$110k+
$20,701

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$59,231

$13,153/year × about 4.5 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

82%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$3,755
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 82% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $3,755. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 319 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$51,342
Typical debt at graduation
$20,500
Debt vs. one year's pay
40%
Out-earn a HS grad
65%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.0 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$47,499
Men
$57,290

Men out-earn women by $9,791 (21%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
85°F
Winter low
4°F
Annual rain
28.9″
Annual snow
43.5″

Average temperature

HighLow
-10°40°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.04.1JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Marshall, MN US station (2 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Southwest Minnesota State University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Southwest Minnesota State University side by side →

Colleges near Southwest Minnesota State University

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.