The student population at Southwest Minnesota State University is 8,214 (7,735 undergraduate and 479 graduate students) . The number of students has increased by 938 (12.89%) over the past decade.
- Class Level: The percentage of undergraduate students at Southwest Minnesota State is 94.17% which is increased by 867 over last 10 years. The graduate student population increased by 71 and it has been increasing.
- Gender Breakdown: In 2025, there were 62 male students for every 100 female students, down from 68 in 2015.
- 1,293 students enrolled in online degree program exclusively and the number of online students has increased by 241.16% since 2015.
Student Population Changes
The average student population over the last 11 years is 7,286 where 8,214 students are attending the school for the academic year 2024-2025.
Total enrollment fluctuated between 2016 and 2025, with 5 year-over-year increases and 4 decreases. It peaked at 8,214 students in 2025 and was lowest at 6,930 in 2023. Overall, enrollment rose from 7,276 to 8,214 students, a net gain of 938 (12.9%).
The following table and chart illustrate the changes in student population by gender at Southwest Minnesota State University since 2015.
Undergraduate Enrollment Changes
The average number of Undergraduate students over the last 11 years is 6,846 where 7,735 students are attending the Undergraduate school for the academic year 2024-2025. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in Undergraduate enrollment by attending status and gender at Southwest Minnesota State University since 2015.
Graduate Enrollment Changes
The average number of Graduate students over the last 11 years is 441 where 479 students are attending the Graduate school for the academic year 2024-2025. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in Graduate enrollment by attending status and gender at Southwest Minnesota State University since 2015.
Enrollment by Race/Ethnicity Changes
The percentage of white students is 76.24%. The percentage was 85.60% 10 years ago and Southwest Minnesota State still has a high percentage of white students. 1.94% of enrolled students is Asian and 3.52% is black students. Hispanic students comprise 5.95% of the student body.
Over the past 10 years, the racial composition has shifted. The percentage of white students decreased from 85.60% to 76.24%. Asian enrollment grew from 1.54% to 1.94%. Black student enrollment increased from 1.99% to 3.52%. Hispanic student representation expanded from 3.35% to 5.95%.
The overall racial diversity, measured by the Census Bureau Diversity Index, is 0.4126 which indicates that somewhat diverse. This increased from 0.2652 a decade ago, suggesting that racial diversity has improved.
The following table and chart illustrate the student population trends by race/ethnicity at Southwest Minnesota State University over the past 11 years (2015-2025).
Distance Learning (Online Courses) Enrollment Changes
1,293 students are enrolled in online degree programs exclusively for the academic year 2024-2025, which is 16% of total students. The number of online students has increased 241.16% since 2015. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in the online student population by enrolled type at Southwest Minnesota State University from 2015 to 2025.