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.
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
- Nearest big city
- 79 miles to Sioux Falls, SD
- To Great Lakes shore
- 238 miles
- Nearest airport
- 76 miles to Watertown (ATY)
How Southwest Minnesota State University compares
More selective than 74% · #10 most selective of 35 in Minnesota
Higher than 16%
Higher than 31% · #34 of 39 in Minnesota
Higher than 41%
Higher than 42% · #25 of 38 in Minnesota
Cheaper than 72% · #7 cheapest of 39 in Minnesota
Lower than 72%
Lower than 28%
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
- Undergraduate2,31583%
- Graduate47917%
Undergraduates by gender
- 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)
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)
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.
By offense type, per year
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.
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.
$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.
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.
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.
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
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Marshall, MN US station (2 mi from campus).
What Southwest Minnesota State University graduates study — and earn
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 →
Minot State University
Minot, North Dakota · Small city · 102 mi to Bismarck
- Students
- 2,062
- Admission
- 65%
- Net price
- $13k
- SAT
- 1051
- GPA
- 3.1
- Earnings
- $52k
Minnesota State University Moorhead
Moorhead, Minnesota · Midsize suburb · 2 mi to Fargo
- Students
- 3,072
- Admission
- 59%
- Net price
- $18k
- SAT
- 1090
- GPA
- 3.2
- Earnings
- $51k
University of Hawaii at Hilo
Hilo, Hawaii · Remote town · 211 mi to Honolulu
- Students
- 2,160
- Admission
- 61%
- Net price
- $12k
- SAT
- 1028
- GPA
- 3.0
- Earnings
- $48k
Bemidji State University
Bemidji, Minnesota · Remote town · 99 mi to Fargo
- Students
- 3,139
- Admission
- 56%
- Net price
- $15k
- SAT
- 1090
- GPA
- 3.2
- Earnings
- $54k
University of Central Missouri
Warrensburg, Missouri · Distant town · 51 mi to Kansas City
- Students
- 5,648
- Admission
- 64%
- Net price
- $14k
- SAT
- 1050
- GPA
- 3.1
- Earnings
- $50k
Eastern Illinois University
Charleston, Illinois · Remote town · 81 mi to Springfield
- Students
- 4,188
- Admission
- 65%
- Net price
- $13k
- SAT
- 1000
- GPA
- 2.9
- Earnings
- $52k
Colleges near Southwest Minnesota State University
Minnesota West Community and Technical College
Granite Falls, MN · Public · Certificate · 1,762 students
South Dakota State University
Brookings, SD · Public · Bachelor's · 9,198 students
Avalon School of Cosmetology
Worthington, MN · Private for-profit · Certificate · 15 students
Ridgewater College
Willmar, MN · Public · Associate · 2,162 students
Martin Luther College
New Ulm, MN · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 725 students
Lake Area Technical College
Watertown, SD · Public · Associate · 1,812 students
Dakota State University
Madison, SD · Public · Bachelor's · 2,071 students
Faust Institute of Cosmetology-Spirit Lake
Spirit Lake, IA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 22 students
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.













