University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) vs Southwest Minnesota State University (SMSU)

Nestled in the heart of Anchorage, Alaska, and Marshall, Minnesota, University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) and Southwest Minnesota State University (SMSU) stand as distinct institutions of higher learning, each offering unique opportunities for personal and academic growth. While both universities share a commitment to excellence in education, they differ in several key aspects, including acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover the nuances that set these two universities apart and make an informed decision about your educational journey.

	Southwest Minnesota State University	University of Alaska Anchorage
Overview
Location	Marshall, Minnesota	Anchorage, Alaska
Campus setting	Town: Remote	City: Large
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	63.0%	69.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	91.0%	69.0%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $20 Graduate: $30
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants	1,672	3,431
Total number of admissions given out	1,522	2,369
Admitted students who chose to enroll	421	990
Yield rate	27.7%	41.8%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not 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	$22,718	In state: $29,573 Out of state: $46,179
Average net price	$14,061	$12,816
Tuition	$8,230	In state: $7,224 Out of state: $23,072
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,426 Meal plan: $3,790	Room/dormitory: $7,312 Meal plan: $5,350
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	97.0% Average amount $7,101	80.0% Average amount $7,523
Students receiving federal student loan	67.0% Average amount $5,124	19.0% Average amount $4,913
Students taking out private loans	17.0% Average amount $8,087	1.0% Average amount $12,115

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	6,556 Men 38.6% Women 61.4%	10,259 Men 38.7% Women 61.3%
Graduate students	430 Men 33.3% Women 66.7%	586 Men 33.1% Women 66.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	7.2%
International students	2.5%	1.5%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,034	996
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Alaska California Texas Oregon Hawaii

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Business Health Professions Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Agriculture	Health Professions Business Liberal Arts Engineering Psychology
Students to faculty ratio	16:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Outcome
Graduation rate	47.8%	30.5%
Dropout rate	20.7%	47.9%
Transferred out	29.7%	16.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $76,098 Year 2: $74,017 Year 3: $91,752 Educational Administration and Supervision (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $87,604 Year 3: $90,902 Construction Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $80,711 Year 2: $72,274 Year 3: $78,757 Engineering, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $66,728 Year 3: $74,552 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,504 Year 2: $66,325 Year 3: $71,837 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $73,122 Year 2: $72,101 Year 3: $70,544 Health/Medical Preparatory Programs (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $71,329 Year 2: $68,033 Year 3: $65,761 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,366 Year 2: $55,840 Year 3: $61,104 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,628 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $58,933 Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $39,066 Year 2: $55,770 Year 3: $58,645

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