| Location: | Midwest |
| Setting: | Small Town Setting |
| Type: | Public |
| Size: | Large (5,000 to 10,000 Undergrad) |
| Mascot: | Mustangs |
The mission of Southwest Minnesota State University is to provide high quality liberal arts, professional, and technical programs at the undergraduate and graduate level. Southwest Minnesota State University is dedicated to excellence in teaching and to preparing students to be life-long learners in a changing global, social, and natural environment. The University has a special commitment to the educational needs of people in its service region. This commitment is reflected in the curricula, cultural enrichment programs, cooperative relationships with other regional institutions, and in service and research contributions to both the public and private sectors of the region.
< CollapseSouthwest Minnesota State University is a public, four-year university that is part of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System. It is located in Marshall, Minnesota, a city of 13,000 people. The school has a full-time enrollment of approximately 3,500 students and employs 148 faculty members. It is divided into two major colleges, the College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences, and the College of Business, Education, and Professional Studies. SMSU is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.
U.S. News and World Report has designated Southwest Minnesota State University as the #1 college in its category nine times.
The school athletic teams are the Mustangs. Their colors are the prairie colors of brown and gold. There are no fraternities or sororities.
Southwest Minnesota State University was founded in 1963 as Southwest Minnesota State College. It admitted its first class of students in 1967. The college became Southwest State University in 1975, and adopted its current name in 2003.
The University went through a severe enrollment crisis in the Seventies. During the fall quarter of 1976, on-campus enrollment dropped to an all-time low of 1,624 students. This led to faculty retrenchment and concerns about the viability of the university.
In December of 2001, a fire destroyed the Student Center, which originally featured an underground living area and a glass dome. The concrete framework for the dome was incorporated into the new student and conference center, and is still visible in the food court area. This building was completed in 2005.
The student newspaper was originally called The Impact. The name was changed to The Reader in 1974, and then back to The Impact in 1980. In 2003 the name was changed again to The Spur to be more consistent with the Mustang theme and to spur students into action.
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| Percent of Students International: | 2% |
| On-Campus Housing Available: | Yes |
| Percent of Students Living On-Campus: | 20% |
| Freshman Students Required to Live on Campus: | Yes |
| Member of: | NAA, NCAA |
| Sports Include: |
Football (Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference) Basketball (Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference) Baseball (Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference) |
| Tuition & Fees (undergraduate) | Expenses | ||
Published Tuition and Fees: |
$ 5,854 | ||
Average Tuition for Full-Time Undergrads: |
$ 5,016 | ||
Required Fees for Full-Time Undergrads: |
$ 838 | ||
| Financial Aid | Avg. Amount Received | % of Students Receiving Aid | |
Federal Grants: |
$ 2,977 | 33% | |
State and Local Grants: |
$ 1,901 | 50% | |
Institutional Grants: |
$ 1,927 | 51% | |
Student Loans: |
$ 4,468 | 66% | |
Any Aid: |
84% |
| Acceptance Rate: | 76% (Selective) |
| Test Scores | |
| ACT Scores: | |
| % of Students Submitting ACT Scores: | 92% |
| Bottom 25th Percentile: | Composite: 18, Verbal: 18, Math: 18 |
| Top 75th Percentile: | Composite: 24, Verbal: 24, Math: 24 |
| Application Fee: | $ 20.00 |
| Formal Demonstration of Competencies: | Not Required |
| High School Diploma or Equivalent: | Recommended |
| High School GPA: | Recommended |
| High School Rank: | Required |
| High School Record: | Recommended |
| Recommendations: | Not Required |
| TOEFL: | Required |
| Test Scores: | Required |
