Southwest Minnesota State University Reviews and Ranking Awards

Overview of Southwest Minnesota State University (SMSU)

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The school offers quite a few areas of study but the most popular majors are Early Childhood Education, Business Administration, Exercise Science, Psychology, and Registered Nursing. For those who enjoy cold weather activities, this is a good school, as there is a lot of cold and snowfall roughly five months of the year. As was mentioned, Sioux Falls and Minneapolis are only an hour or two away from campus, so those who want to leave the rural atmosphere can visit larger cities easily. Marshall, the city in which the school is located is the home of Schwann’s the food delivery service.

Top Rankings For Southwest Minnesota State University

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SMSU Acceptance Rate and Admissions

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SMSU Tuition Cost & Financial Aid

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Tuition at Southwest Minnesota State sits at around $8,800 per year and, with room and board, the cost of attendance annually is closer to $22,300. This is the same for both in-state and out-of-state students. However, almost the entire student body, 97%, receive some sort of financial aid to assist with the cost of their education. Around 70% of the assistance is in the form of grants and scholarships and the remaining funding is through loans, both federal public loans and private loans. The average net price for each student - the average amount that each student is responsible for each year once grants and scholarships have been deducted - is $14,000. So, this means that a student will need $14,000 in loans to cover the cost of tuition and living expenses.

Sticker Price

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Academics

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The retention rate at Southwest Minnesota State is 67%. This means that for every three incoming freshmen, two of them come back for their sophomore year. For students who do return, 48% of students graduate within six years, while 47% need eight years to complete their degrees and 33% finish in the traditional four years. These statistics reflect that many students are non-traditional, meaning they are working or have families and therefore need longer to graduate. The school has a student to faculty ratio of 16 to 1, so students have the opportunity to get to know their classmates as well as their instructors, and there are better opportunities to communicate with instructors if need be. Combined, these statistics show that students have the chance to make lasting relationships while they are attending school which can be important once they have graduated and need networking connections. It also means that for students who thrive in a smaller school setting, Southwest Minnesota is an excellent choice for them.

Student Population Total

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Outcome & Salary

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Although the cost of an education is high, in the case of Southwest Minnesota State, the costs could be worth it. After four years, a student usually has an average of $56,000 in loan debt. However, the average salary for a new graduate from the school is $46,000, and it jumps to $61,200 after several years of employment; by their mid-career it’s $75,000. After 10 years in the workforce, it is estimated that a graduate would have earned over $612,000. This means a student should be able to afford their student loan payments and live a decent life. Obviously, some areas of study are more lucrative than others but, overall, the cost of paying for an education from Southwest Minnesota State University is worth it.

Photos & Videos

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