Colorado Mesa vs Southwest Minnesota State University (SMSU)

Colorado Mesa University and Southwest Minnesota State University, both public institutions with rich histories, offer distinct educational experiences. Colorado Mesa, nestled in the scenic Grand Valley of Colorado, boasts a higher acceptance rate and a larger student body, providing a diverse and vibrant campus community. Southwest Minnesota State, located in the charming city of Marshall, Minnesota, offers a more intimate learning environment with smaller class sizes and a strong focus on undergraduate education. While both universities excel in various academic programs, Colorado Mesa is known for its strengths in business, education, and nursing, while Southwest Minnesota State shines in agriculture, business, and health sciences. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about these institutions' unique offerings, including tuition costs, financial aid opportunities, and student life experiences, to determine which university best aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Colorado Mesa University	Southwest Minnesota State University
Overview
Location	Grand Junction, Colorado	Marshall, Minnesota
Campus setting	City: Small	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	72.0%	63.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	80.2%	91.0%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $30 Graduate: $50	Undergraduate: $20 Graduate: $30
SAT range	948 - 1200	N/A
ACT range	19 - 26	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	45.0%
Students submitting ACT score	13.0%
Total number of applicants	8,082	1,672
Total number of admissions given out	6,485	1,522
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,855	421
Yield rate	28.6%	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	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $22,148 Out of state: $35,470	$22,718
Average net price	$15,324	$14,061
Tuition	In state: $8,020 Out of state: $21,342	$8,230
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,100 Meal plan: $5,165	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)	81.0% Average amount $7,228	97.0% Average amount $7,101
Students receiving federal student loan	42.0% Average amount $4,950	67.0% Average amount $5,124
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $12,590	17.0% Average amount $8,087

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	8,712 Men 45.9% Women 54.1%	6,556 Men 38.6% Women 61.4%
Graduate students	195 Men 34.9% Women 65.1%	430 Men 33.3% Women 66.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	16.8%	N/A
International students	1.1%	2.5%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	2,661	1,034
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Colorado California Texas Washington Utah	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Business Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Law Enforcement and Firefighting Liberal Arts	Education Business Health Professions Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Agriculture
Students to faculty ratio	18:1	16:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	38.1%	47.8%
Dropout rate	31.0%	20.7%
Transferred out	27.0%	29.7%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Construction Engineering Technologies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,879 Year 2: $63,997 Year 3: $67,005 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $57,281 Year 2: $59,485 Year 3: $64,998 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,101 Year 2: $60,746 Year 3: $63,677 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,946 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $59,293 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $58,673 Year 3: $58,361 Electrical and Power Transmission Installers (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $43,240 Year 3: $57,344 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,940 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $52,944 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,215 Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: $52,774 Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $39,153 Year 3: $48,680 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,157 Year 2: $39,504 Year 3: $46,603	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

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Colorado Mesa vs Southwest Minnesota State University (SMSU)

Colorado Mesa University

Southwest Minnesota State University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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