Adams State vs Southwest Minnesota State University (SMSU)

Adams State University and Southwest Minnesota State University, both public universities with rich histories, offer distinct educational experiences. Adams State, nestled in the scenic San Luis Valley of Colorado, boasts a diverse student body and a strong focus on teacher education, while Southwest Minnesota State, located in the vibrant city of Marshall, excels in business and agricultural programs. With varying acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation outcomes, these universities cater to different student profiles. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which institution aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Adams State University	Southwest Minnesota State University
Overview
Location	Alamosa, Colorado	Marshall, Minnesota
Campus setting	Town: Remote	Town: Remote
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	59.0%	63.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	99.8%	91.0%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $30 Graduate: $30	Undergraduate: $20 Graduate: $30
SAT range	920 - 1140	N/A
ACT range	18 - 23	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	25.0%
Students submitting ACT score	10.0%
Total number of applicants	1,717	1,672
Total number of admissions given out	1,714	1,522
Admitted students who chose to enroll	318	421
Yield rate	18.6%	27.7%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $26,474 Out of state: $34,727	$22,718
Average net price	$14,492	$14,061
Tuition	In state: $5,976 Out of state: $14,229	$8,230
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $3,967 Meal plan: $5,200	Room/dormitory: $5,426 Meal plan: $3,790
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	94.0% Average amount $9,130	97.0% Average amount $7,101
Students receiving federal student loan	69.0% Average amount $5,315	67.0% Average amount $5,124
Students taking out private loans	7.0% Average amount $11,675	17.0% Average amount $8,087

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,835 Men 52.8% Women 47.2%	6,556 Men 38.6% Women 61.4%
Graduate students	1,303 Men 29.1% Women 70.9%	430 Men 33.3% Women 66.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Very Low
Out-of-state students	42.2%	N/A
International students	0.7%	2.5%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	1,200	1,034
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Colorado New Mexico California Arizona Texas	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Liberal Arts Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Psychology History	Education Business Health Professions Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Agriculture
Students to faculty ratio	11:1	16:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	28.7%	47.8%
Dropout rate	49.8%	20.7%
Transferred out	17.9%	29.7%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,245 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $63,845 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $43,727 Year 2: $44,126 Year 3: $47,513 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $43,360 Year 2: $44,861 Year 3: $46,910 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,088 Year 2: $34,603 Year 3: $39,930 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,120 Year 2: $30,771 Year 3: $33,756 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,377 Year 2: $28,019 Year 3: $32,724 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $53,667 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: N/A English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $28,019 Year 3: N/A Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,806 Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: N/A Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,414 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,193 Year 2: $61,020 Year 3: $63,067 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $46,872 Year 2: $55,964 Year 3: $57,477 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $49,470 Year 2: $51,482 Year 3: $52,674 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $52,562 Year 2: $49,729 Year 3: $50,544 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,831 Year 2: $47,729 Year 3: $48,120 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,735 Year 2: $39,729 Year 3: $46,976 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,644 Year 2: $43,798 Year 3: $46,844 Hospitality Administration/Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: $46,566 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,969 Year 2: $34,526 Year 3: $42,447 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $39,729 Year 3: $42,232

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.

Adams State vs Southwest Minnesota State University (SMSU)

Adams State University

Southwest Minnesota State University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

Compare Similar Colleges

Find Colleges By State

Resources

About