Southwest Minnesota State University (SMSU) vs USC Upstate

Southwest Minnesota State University and University of South Carolina-Upstate, while both offering quality education, present distinct characteristics that cater to different student preferences. With an acceptance rate of 98%, Southwest Minnesota State University welcomes a diverse student body, fostering a close-knit community. In contrast, University of South Carolina-Upstate maintains a slightly more selective admissions process, with an acceptance rate of 86%. Both universities offer a range of popular majors, including Business, Education, and Nursing, but they differ in their graduation rates, with Southwest Minnesota State University boasting a higher rate of 54% compared to University of South Carolina-Upstate's 43%. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details and discover which institution aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Southwest Minnesota State University	University of South Carolina-Upstate
Overview
Location	Marshall, Minnesota	Spartanburg, South Carolina
Campus setting	Town: Remote	Suburb: Midsize
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%	61.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	91.0%	75.7%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $20 Graduate: $30	Undergraduate: $45 Graduate: $45
SAT range	N/A	950 - 1150
ACT range	N/A	19 - 23
Students submitting SAT score		26.0%
Students submitting ACT score		19.0%
Total number of applicants	1,672	2,893
Total number of admissions given out	1,522	2,190
Admitted students who chose to enroll	421	597
Yield rate	27.7%	27.3%
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	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$22,718	In state: $28,648 Out of state: $39,610
Average net price	$14,061	$14,816
Tuition	$8,230	In state: $11,208 Out of state: $22,170
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,426 Meal plan: $3,790	Room/dormitory: $5,614 Meal plan: $3,714
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	97.0% Average amount $7,101	96.0% Average amount $8,974
Students receiving federal student loan	67.0% Average amount $5,124	62.0% Average amount $5,480
Students taking out private loans	17.0% Average amount $8,087	4.0% Average amount $8,248

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	6,556 Men 38.6% Women 61.4%	4,981 Men 32.7% Women 67.3%
Graduate students	430 Men 33.3% Women 66.7%	457 Men 13.6% Women 86.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	8.2%
International students	2.5%	1.2%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	Suburb: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	1,034	1,055
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	South Carolina Georgia North Carolina Florida Texas

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Business Health Professions Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Agriculture	Health Professions Education Business Biological and Biomedical Sciences Psychology
Students to faculty ratio	16:1	15:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	47.8%	47.4%
Dropout rate	20.7%	19.2%
Transferred out	29.7%	31.9%
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	Engineering-Related Fields (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,614 Year 2: $59,124 Year 3: $70,562 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,719 Year 2: $57,512 Year 3: $60,107 Information Science/Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,885 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $52,577 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,033 Year 2: $45,500 Year 3: $50,407 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,902 Year 2: $37,088 Year 3: $43,565 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $28,960 Year 3: $37,957 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,958 Year 2: $32,439 Year 3: $37,264 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $21,254 Year 2: $32,284 Year 3: $37,102 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $32,772 Year 3: $35,463 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,350 Year 2: $23,649 Year 3: $33,671

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