Southwest Minnesota State University
Marshall, Minnesota
A 0–100 composite of ROI, graduate earnings, net price, debt and graduation rate. How it’s scored.
Estimated for a typical student paying the average net price over 4 years.
The payoff is roughly break-even — the degree recovers its cost, but slowly.
The numbers behind the verdict
Lifetime ROI: the long view
Cumulative net gain over a high-school-only earner at different career lengths, with tuition and debt interest already subtracted. Built on IRS-verified federal earnings — not self-reported surveys.
Conservative: holds year-5 earnings flat (no raises). Adjust the assumptions, or see the highest 20-year ROI colleges.
Equity & access
Who the college serves and whether the payoff reaches everyone — earnings ten years after starting (IRS-linked), with access measures from federal enrollment data.
17% gap between the two groups
13% gap between the two groups
3% gap between the two groups
Undergraduate enrollment by race/ethnicity. Federal data does not report earnings by race.
Net price by family income
What students actually pay after grants and scholarships, by household income as of 2024.
| Family income | Average net price / yr |
|---|---|
| Family income $0–$30k | $10,559 |
| $30k–$48k | $11,175 |
| $48k–$75k | $13,153 |
| $75k–$110k | $18,283 |
| $110k+ | $20,701 |
How Southwest Minnesota State University compares
This college against the Minnesota and national averages — higher earnings and lower cost/debt are better.
Graduate earnings over time
Median earnings of Southwest Minnesota State University students 10 years after entering, by cohort year as of 2024.
Best-paying majors at Southwest Minnesota State University
Fields of study ranked by their own ROI — earnings five years after graduating against the cost and debt. Click a major for the deep dive.
| Major | Credential | Earnings (5 yr) | Median debt | 10-yr ROI | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | Associate's | $84,871 | $13,875 | +1,019% | Strong return |
| Accounting and Related Services | Associate's | $68,179 | — | +658% | Strong return |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Certificate | $82,960 | — | +521% | Strong return |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Associate's | $62,733 | $20,500 | +366% | Strong return |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | Associate's | $62,403 | $21,500 | +353% | Strong return |
| Agricultural Business and Management | Associate's | $55,400 | — | +240% | Strong return |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | Certificate | $65,273 | — | +232% | Strong return |
| Marketing | Associate's | $54,828 | $19,747 | +160% | Strong return |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | Associate's | $53,479 | $26,000 | +112% | Strong return |
| Education, General | Certificate | $59,053 | $17,448 | +108% | Strong return |
| Hospitality Administration/Management | Associate's | $50,720 | — | +87% | Strong return |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies | Associate's | $49,740 | — | +55% | Break-even |
| Psychology, General | Associate's | $50,996 | $25,125 | +51% | Break-even |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | Associate's | $49,713 | $18,000 | +27% | Break-even |
| Social Work | Associate's | $47,740 | — | -10% | Poor return |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | Associate's | $47,061 | $21,977 | -47% | Poor return |
Calculate your own ROI
Adjust the assumptions for your situation — the verdict, break-even and chart update live.
ROI at Southwest Minnesota State University
Estimates from federal data; your result will vary. How this works.
Admissions & profile
Location
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard. ROI is computed by Degree Return — see how. Read the methodology. Data as of 2024.
Should this college make your shortlist?
Get our college-ROI brief — new federal data, best-value colleges and highest-ROI majors, straight to your inbox.