Skip to content
Best College Rankings

Public · Town campus · verified rankings · federal data

Southwest Minnesota State University

Students comparing Southwest Minnesota State University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

CompareOfficial site
Marshall, Minnesota2,315 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 59Public universitySmall enrollmentResearch university

The short answer

Southwest Minnesota State University: U.S. News ranks it #109 on Regional Universities (Midwest) (2026); WSJ ranks it #452 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #561 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 2,315 undergraduates, admits 62.2% of applicants, and posts a 45.1% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $10,361; aid recipients pay $15,291 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $51,342.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
62.2%

Below the dataset median of 76%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Average net price
$15,291

29% below the $21,389 published price

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardAverage for full-time first-time aid recipients, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median earnings, 10 yrs
$51,342

Below the dataset median of $54,053

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian earnings 10 years after entry, working and not enrolled, College Scorecard June 2026 release

6-year graduation rate
45.1%

Below the dataset median of 56%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent six-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median debt at graduation
$20,500

Above the dataset median of $23,250

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian federal loan debt of completers, College Scorecard June 2026 release

SAT middle 50%
Not reportedSouthwest Minnesota State University did not report an SAT score range for its most recent entering class.

U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard

Where Southwest Minnesota ranks, and why the answers differ

Each publisher's position, the list it belongs to, and how many institutions it was drawn from.

SourceListRank
US News2026Regional Universities (Midwest)#109of 165Regional univ. (Midwest)
Forbes2026America's Top CollegesNot ranked by this source
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) DollarsNot ranked by this source
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.#452of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)B#561of 2,605Overall (Niche)
Money2026Best Value CollegesNot ranked by this source
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)Not ranked by this source
QS2026World University RankingsNot ranked by this source

Methodology sensitivity: Southwest Minnesota's position moves 69 percentile points depending on which published list you read. That is a wide spread, so which list you consult substantially changes the impression you get. How we compute this

Ranking positions are the editorial property of their publishers and are reproduced here with attribution for comparison and commentary. Follow each source link for its full list and methodology.

About Southwest Minnesota

Southwest Minnesota State University is a public institution in Marshall, Minnesota. Federal data show 73.7% first-year retention and a 16:1 student-faculty ratio. Figures on this page come from College Scorecard and IPEDS; publisher rankings shown here are transcribed from named sources and checked in our dataset.

Strengths and honest considerations

Strengths

  • Cost and outcome metrics on this profile come directly from federal collections, not self-reported marketing sheets.
  • Net price $15,291 reflects what aid recipients actually paid in the most recent federal reporting year.

Considerations

  • This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
  • Compare $21,389 sticker cost against $15,291 net price before ruling a school in or out on price alone.
  • Publishers we have not loaded yet, or lists that omit this school, show as “not ranked by this source” — that is expected.

Who this school genuinely fits

Students comparing Southwest Minnesota State University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

What it costs

Published price, then what families actually pay after grants and scholarships.

In-state tuition & fees
$10,361

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Out-of-state tuition & fees
$10,361

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Room & board
$11,028

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $21,389 a year, but the average family pays $15,291 — a 29% difference. 12.1% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run Southwest Minnesota's net price calculator for your own household before drawing conclusions. Why net price is the only cost number that matters.

Programs and academics

Most popular majors

  1. 1Business
  2. 2Biology
  3. 3Psychology
  4. 4Computer Science
  5. 5Economics

Standout programs

    Student-faculty ratio
    16:1

    IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

    First-year retention
    73.7%

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent first-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Undergraduate enrollment
    2,315

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Southwest Minnesota: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $10,361 and on-campus room and board is $11,028, for a published total of $21,389 before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $15,291.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is 62.2%. Test policy as reported in IPEDS: see the admissions section on this page for the institution's own category.

    Similar colleges

    Matched on institutional character, overlapping majors and comparable cross-source standing.

    Eastern New Mexico University

    Portales, NMPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Eastern New Mexico University: U.S. News ranks it #96 on Regional Universities (West) (2026); WSJ ranks it #479 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #333 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 3,357 undergraduates, admits 91.7% of applicants, and posts a 45.1% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $9,174; aid recipients pay $4,904 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $38,550.

    Acceptance rate
    91.7%
    Average net price
    $4,904
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $38,550
    6-yr graduation rate
    45.1%
    US News · Regional univ. (West)#96 of 118WSJ · U.S. colleges (WSJ)#479 of 500Niche · Overall (Niche)#333 of 2,605

    3,357 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 63 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Savannah State University

    Savannah, GAPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Savannah State University: U.S. News ranks it #112 on Regional Universities (South) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #688 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #488 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #778 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 2,833 undergraduates, admits not reported of applicants, and posts a 28.0% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $19,043; aid recipients pay $8,172 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $37,981.

    Acceptance rate
    Not reported
    Average net price
    $8,172
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $37,981
    6-yr graduation rate
    28.0%
    US News · Regional univ. (South)#112 of 135Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#688 of 1,504WSJ · U.S. colleges (WSJ)#488 of 500+1 more on profile

    2,833 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 64 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Dakota State University

    Madison, SDPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Dakota State University: U.S. News ranks it #91 on Regional Universities (Midwest) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #1438 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #492 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #767 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 2,071 undergraduates, admits 88.0% of applicants, and posts a 51.3% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $12,756; aid recipients pay $21,057 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $50,970.

    Acceptance rate
    88.0%
    Average net price
    $21,057
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $50,970
    6-yr graduation rate
    51.3%
    US News · Regional univ. (Midwest)#91 of 165Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#1438 of 1,504WSJ · U.S. colleges (WSJ)#492 of 500+1 more on profile

    2,071 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 70 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Compare Southwest Minnesota against these