State profile · 110 colleges · Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals
Colleges in Minnesota
Colleges in Minnesota from PlainCollege's Scorecard dataset, compared on acceptance, cost, and 10-year former-student earnings.
- 110
- Colleges
- $48,259
- Avg 10-yr earnings (96 of 110)
- 74.4%
- Avg acceptance
Institution data retrieved July 2026; field-of-study data retrieved March 2026.
Minnesota · the picture in one line
Minnesota's 96 of 110 colleges that report earnings average $48,259 in 10-year former-student earnings - 12th highest of 56 states and territories that report.
According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
- #12
- of 56 states by avg former-student earnings
- $79,652
- top earnings - Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science
- 74.4%
- avg acceptance (37 reporting)
- 54 / 36 / 20
- public / nonprofit / for-profit
Best earnings-to-cost value among Minnesota colleges with reported figures: University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.
Minnesota · enrollment ≠ earnings
In Minnesota, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities leads by undergraduate enrollment (31,855 students, #1 of 78) but ranks #5 of 78 on 10-year median earnings ($69,020), while Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science tops earnings at $79,652 (#1 of 78) with 309 students (#67 of 78). The biggest campus is not always the highest-paying outcome.
According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
- 31,855
- University of enrollment #1
- $79,652
- Mayo Clinic earnings #1
- #1
- Enrollment rank of earnings leader
- #5
- Earnings rank of enrollment leader
Enrollment is IPEDS fall headcount; earnings are Scorecard 10-year medians for federally aided former students. Different populations, not one ROI ratio.
Enrollment of Minnesota's #1 campuses by size vs earnings
Same unit (undergraduate students) for both named leaders.
- University of Minnesota-…
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
31,855 students
- Mayo Clinic College of M… 309
Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science
309 students
What this shows University of Minnesota-Twin Cities is largest by enrollment; Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science leads on 10-year earnings at $79,652.
This page aggregates colleges and universities in Minnesota returned by PlainCollege's U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard snapshot. It combines IPEDS-derived institutional fields with Treasury-derived earnings published for federal-aid recipients. Coverage includes public flagships, regional comprehensives, community and technical colleges, private nonprofit institutions, and for-profit schools.
The state-aggregate statistics below include all reporting institutions in Minnesota as a single denominator, community colleges, public universities, private nonprofits, and for-profit institutions are pooled. State averages are therefore useful for high-level framing (in-state tuition is X, average admission rate is Y, average earnings are Z) but should not be read as representative of any specific sector or institution. Drill into individual school profiles for the full picture: admissions, costs (sticker and net), federal-aid usage, completion, retention, demographics, and earnings outcomes 6 and 10 years after enrollment.
The Scorecard data used here was retrieved in March–July 2026. That retrieval window is not the measurement year: tuition and enrollment fields retain their source reporting periods, while 10-year institution earnings describe federally aided former students who were working and not enrolled in the measurement year, a decade after entry.
Largest Colleges in Minnesota by Enrollment
IPEDS Fall enrollment via College Scorecard.
- University of Minnesota-…
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
31,855 students
- Capella University
Capella University
18,364 students
- Minnesota State Universi… 11,703
Minnesota State University-Mankato
11,703 students
- Walden University 9,136
Walden University
9,136 students
- Rasmussen University-Min… 8,617
Rasmussen University-Minnesota
8,617 students
- University of Minnesota-… 7,336
University of Minnesota-Duluth
7,336 students
- Normandale Community Col… 7,044
Normandale Community College
7,044 students
- Century College 6,280
Century College
6,280 students
- University of St Thomas 6,245
University of St Thomas
6,245 students
- Metropolitan State Unive… 5,616
Metropolitan State University
5,616 students
- Minneapolis Community an… 5,268
Minneapolis Community and Technical College
5,268 students
- Winona State University 5,144
Winona State University
5,144 students
What this shows Enrollment size reflects institutional scale, not quality or on-campus experience - a large school here can still be a small, selective program relative to its state peers.
Highest Earnings, 10-Year Median: Minnesota
U.S. Treasury earnings linkage via College Scorecard.
- Mayo Clinic College of M…
Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science
$79,652 USD
- Saint Johns University
Saint Johns University
$76,786 USD
- Carleton College
Carleton College
$75,525 USD
- University of St Thomas
University of St Thomas
$73,739 USD
- University of Minnesota-…
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
$69,020 USD
- University of Minnesota-…
University of Minnesota-Rochester
$69,020 USD
- The College of Saint Sch…
The College of Saint Scholastica
$65,934 USD
- Gustavus Adolphus College
Gustavus Adolphus College
$65,607 USD
- St Olaf College
St Olaf College
$65,543 USD
- Metropolitan State Unive…
Metropolitan State University
$64,705 USD
- Macalester College
Macalester College
$63,878 USD
- Bethel University
Bethel University
$63,764 USD
What this shows Former-student earnings vary by program mix and local labor market as much as by the school itself; this comparison does not isolate a school's causal effect.
The ROI lens
Minnesota colleges: earnings vs. cost
National context
How Minnesota ranks among the states
Minnesota's average 10-year earnings of $48,259 place it in the 80th percentile among all 56 states and territories tracked by the College Scorecard.
Minnesota: average former-student earnings vs. every state
State-average 10-year median earnings, College Scorecard
$48,259 Top 20% higher than 80% of 56 states & territories
Each bar is a $4K-wide band; taller bars hold more states & territories. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard · Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals
Each axis is this state's percentile among all states & territories on that metric (Earnings/Affordability/Options/Access) -- not a composite grade, just four independent comparisons in one shape.
School type matters
How school type shapes earnings in Minnesota
Average 10-year former-student earnings by institution type. Program mix, selectivity, student background, and local labor markets all contribute to the observed gaps, so read this beside each school's own figures.
Average former-student earnings by school type - Minnesota
Mean of per-school 10-year median earnings, College Scorecard
- Private nonprofit
Private nonprofit
$55,440 avg earnings
- Public
Public
$48,580 avg earnings
- For-profit
For-profit
$34,648 avg earnings
What this shows Keeping schools within one state reduces some regional variation, but this descriptive comparison does not control for program mix, selection, or student background.
What the IPEDS Data Shows for Colleges in Minnesota
PlainCollege's Scorecard dataset contains 110 postsecondary institutions in Minnesota. The ownership mix is 54 public institutions, 36 private nonprofits, and 20 private for-profit schools. Public institutions often report lower in-state tuition because state appropriations subsidize the published price, while private nonprofits may show higher sticker prices partly offset by institutional aid.
Cost and selectivity signals vary widely even within a single state. The average in-state tuition among the 92 of 110 Minnesota institutions that report one is $17,056, and the average admission rate among the 37 that report one sits at 74.4%. Admission rates from IPEDS exclude open-enrollment institutions, which is why community colleges and many for-profits show as unreported rather than at 100 percent. Looking at the table, the acceptance-rate column is blank for schools that don’t screen applicants, a meaningful distinction when evaluating selectivity alongside earnings.
Institution-level earnings connect cost to one observed outcome. Among the 96 of 110 Minnesota colleges that report 10-year median earnings, federally aided former students show a mean of $48,259, based on Treasury-derived records published through the Scorecard. Because earnings depend heavily on field of study, student background, and local labor markets, state-level averages should be read alongside each school’s program mix. The table sorts institutions with reported IPEDS enrollment so users can compare acceptance rates, enrollment scale, and median earnings side by side.
All Schools in Minnesota
| School Name | City | Type | Enrollment | Acceptance Rate | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Minnesota-Twin Cities | Minneapolis | Public | 31,855 | 79.8% | $69,020 |
| Capella University | Minneapolis | For-Profit | 18,364 | - | $42,189 |
| Minnesota State University-Mankato | Mankato | Public | 11,703 | 88.4% | $56,922 |
| Walden University | Minneapolis | For-Profit | 9,136 | - | $42,810 |
| Rasmussen University-Minnesota | St. Cloud | For-Profit | 8,617 | - | $39,080 |
| University of Minnesota-Duluth | Duluth | Public | 7,336 | 88.8% | $62,616 |
| Normandale Community College | Bloomington | Public | 7,044 | - | $50,207 |
| Century College | White Bear Lake | Public | 6,280 | - | $46,424 |
| University of St Thomas | Saint Paul | Private NP | 6,245 | 85.4% | $73,739 |
| Metropolitan State University | Saint Paul | Public | 5,616 | 98.7% | $64,705 |
| Minneapolis Community and Technical College | Minneapolis | Public | 5,268 | - | $40,086 |
| Winona State University | Winona | Public | 5,144 | 75.5% | $58,532 |
| Saint Cloud State University | Saint Cloud | Public | 5,088 | 94.8% | $55,813 |
| Anoka-Ramsey Community College | Coon Rapids | Public | 4,201 | - | $48,342 |
| Saint Paul College | Saint Paul | Public | 3,813 | - | $38,399 |
| North Hennepin Community College | Brooklyn Park | Public | 3,451 | - | $51,142 |
| Rochester Community and Technical College | Rochester | Public | 3,365 | - | $45,287 |
| Hennepin Technical College | Brooklyn Park | Public | 3,157 | - | $49,460 |
| Bemidji State University | Bemidji | Public | 3,139 | 56.0% | $53,755 |
| St Cloud Technical and Community College | Saint Cloud | Public | 3,113 | - | $46,874 |
| St Olaf College | Northfield | Private NP | 3,093 | 48.3% | $65,543 |
| Minnesota State University Moorhead | Moorhead | Public | 3,072 | 58.8% | $50,527 |
| Concordia University-Saint Paul | Saint Paul | Private NP | 3,018 | 78.9% | $59,871 |
| Minnesota State Community and Technical College | Fergus Falls | Public | 2,942 | - | $45,591 |
| Augsburg University | Minneapolis | Private NP | 2,494 | 82.0% | $58,829 |
| St Catherine University | Saint Paul | Private NP | 2,473 | 91.8% | $59,282 |
| Lake Superior College | Duluth | Public | 2,471 | - | $46,449 |
| Southwest Minnesota State University | Marshall | Public | 2,315 | 62.2% | $51,342 |
| Inver Hills Community College | Inver Grove Heights | Public | 2,193 | - | $49,898 |
| Dakota County Technical College | Rosemount | Public | 2,168 | - | $51,938 |
| Ridgewater College | Willmar | Public | 2,162 | - | $43,827 |
| Macalester College | Saint Paul | Private NP | 2,131 | 28.5% | $63,878 |
| Carleton College | Northfield | Private NP | 2,086 | 20.4% | $75,525 |
| Minnesota North College | Hibbing | Public | 2,013 | - | $45,570 |
| Riverland Community College | Austin | Public | 2,003 | - | $45,247 |
| South Central College | North Mankato | Public | 1,946 | - | $45,068 |
| Gustavus Adolphus College | Saint Peter | Private NP | 1,878 | 61.0% | $65,607 |
| Bethel University | Saint Paul | Private NP | 1,871 | 87.8% | $63,764 |
| Concordia College at Moorhead | Moorhead | Private NP | 1,829 | 62.6% | $59,317 |
| Hamline University | Saint Paul | Private NP | 1,776 | 87.6% | $61,106 |
| The College of Saint Scholastica | Duluth | Private NP | 1,765 | 93.0% | $65,934 |
| Minnesota West Community and Technical College | Granite Falls | Public | 1,762 | - | $45,285 |
| University of Minnesota-Crookston | Crookston | Public | 1,729 | 87.9% | $58,056 |
| Anoka Technical College | Anoka | Public | 1,684 | - | $47,746 |
| Central Lakes College-Brainerd | Brainerd | Public | 1,614 | - | $42,162 |
| Northland Community and Technical College | Thief River Falls | Public | 1,554 | - | $44,425 |
| Alexandria Technical & Community College | Alexandria | Public | 1,533 | - | $49,393 |
| Dunwoody College of Technology | Minneapolis | Private NP | 1,533 | 98.9% | $61,511 |
| University of Northwestern-St Paul | Saint Paul | Private NP | 1,442 | 93.5% | $50,755 |
| Saint Johns University | Collegeville | Private NP | 1,395 | 90.6% | $76,786 |
| Minnesota State College Southeast | Winona | Public | 1,388 | - | $43,613 |
| College of Saint Benedict | Saint Joseph | Private NP | 1,370 | 91.5% | $63,260 |
| Saint Mary's University of Minnesota | Winona | Private NP | 1,073 | 92.8% | $58,170 |
| University of Minnesota-Morris | Morris | Public | 936 | 74.9% | $50,919 |
| Crown College | Saint Bonifacius | Private NP | 796 | 22.8% | $48,057 |
| Northwest Technical College | Bemidji | Public | 751 | - | $42,930 |
| Herzing University-Minneapolis | St. Louis Park | Private NP | 740 | 93.8% | $36,909 |
| Martin Luther College | New Ulm | Private NP | 725 | 87.2% | $47,491 |
| North Central University | Minneapolis | Private NP | 709 | 99.0% | $45,064 |
| Minneapolis College of Art and Design | Minneapolis | Private NP | 705 | 48.5% | $40,873 |
| Bethany Lutheran College | Mankato | Private NP | 669 | 39.0% | $46,110 |
| Aveda Arts & Sciences Institute Minneapolis | Minneapolis | For-Profit | 623 | - | $34,659 |
| Pine Technical & Community College | Pine City | Public | 574 | - | $41,232 |
| University of Minnesota-Rochester | Rochester | Public | 568 | 71.0% | $69,020 |
| Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College | Cloquet | Public | 557 | - | $45,665 |
| Summit Academy Opportunities Industrialization Center | Minneapolis | Private NP | 360 | - | $22,606 |
| Red Lake Nation College | Red Lake | Public | 332 | - | - |
| Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science | Rochester | Private NP | 309 | 39.0% | $79,652 |
| Northwestern Health Sciences University | Bloomington | Private NP | 271 | - | $48,666 |
| Nova Academy of Cosmetology | Rochester | For-Profit | 205 | - | $32,156 |
| Model College of Hair Design | Saint Cloud | For-Profit | 199 | - | $25,410 |
| Leech Lake Tribal College | Cass Lake | Public | 197 | - | - |
| PCI Academy-Plymouth | Plymouth | For-Profit | 165 | - | $31,330 |
| Empire Beauty School-Bloomington | Bloomington | For-Profit | 128 | - | $23,589 |
| Bethlehem College & Seminary | Minneapolis | Private NP | 117 | - | - |
| White Earth Tribal and Community College | Mahnomen | Private NP | 110 | - | $18,044 |
| Empire Beauty School-Spring Lake Park | Spring Lake Park | For-Profit | 95 | - | $23,925 |
| The Salon Professional Academy Maplewood | Maplewood | For-Profit | 85 | - | - |
| Bethany Global University | Bloomington | Private NP | 81 | 92.9% | - |
| Oak Hills Christian College | Bemidji | Private NP | 75 | - | $35,983 |
| Academy College | Bloomington | For-Profit | 56 | - | $48,300 |
| Townsend Barber Institute | Roseville | For-Profit | 32 | - | - |
| Hastings Beauty School | Hastings | For-Profit | 22 | - | $26,258 |
| Avalon School of Cosmetology | Worthington | For-Profit | 15 | - | $28,336 |
| Diverse Media Institute | St. Paul | Private NP | 8 | - | - |
| Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School | Center City | Private NP | - | - | - |
| Luther Seminary | Saint Paul | Private NP | - | - | - |
| United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities | St. Paul | Private NP | - | - | - |
| Mitchell Hamline School of Law | Saint Paul | Private NP | - | - | - |
| Adler Graduate School | Minnetonka | Private NP | - | - | - |
| American Academy of Health and Wellness | Roseville | For-Profit | - | - | - |
| Anoka-Ramsey Community College-Cambridge Campus | Cambridge | Public | - | - | $48,342 |
| Central Lakes College-Staples Campus | Staples | Public | - | - | $42,162 |
| M State - Detroit Lakes Campus | Detroit Lakes | Public | - | - | $45,591 |
| M State - Moorhead Campus | Moorhead | Public | - | - | $45,591 |
| M State - Wadena Campus | Wadena | Public | - | - | $45,591 |
| Minnesota North College - Itasca | Grand Rapids | Public | - | - | $45,570 |
| Minnesota North College - Mesabi Range Virginia | Virginia | Public | - | - | $45,570 |
| Minnesota North College - Mesabi Range Eveleth | Eveleth | Public | - | - | $45,570 |
| Minnesota North College - Rainy River | International Falls | Public | - | - | $45,570 |
| Minnesota North College - Vermilion | Ely | Public | - | - | $45,570 |
| South Central College-Faribault | Faribault | Public | - | - | $45,068 |
| Northland Community and Technical College - East Grand Forks | East Grand Forks | Public | - | - | $44,425 |
| Northland Community and Technical College - Aerospace | Thief River Falls | Public | - | - | $44,425 |
| Rasmussen University-Bloomington | Bloomington | For-Profit | - | - | $39,080 |
| Rasmussen University-Eagan | Eagan | For-Profit | - | - | $39,080 |
| Rasmussen University-Mankato | Mankato | For-Profit | - | - | $39,080 |
| Rasmussen University-Hennepin/Anoka | Brooklyn Park | For-Profit | - | - | $39,080 |
| Minnesota State CollegeSoutheast-Red Wing Campus | Red Wing | Public | - | - | $43,613 |
| Lynnes Welding Training - Ramsey | Ramsey | For-Profit | - | - | - |
Featured Colleges in Minnesota
Quick picks from this state – compare two schools side by side
Explore more Minnesota data
Guides & Resources
Is College Worth It?
A data-driven answer using earnings and cost data.
How to Compare Colleges
A framework for picking schools with data, not rankings alone.
Financial Aid & Net Price
How net price differs from sticker price and financial aid.
Understanding College Earnings Data
How Scorecard earnings figures are measured and their limits.
About This Data
According to the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, PlainCollege's current snapshots were retrieved in March–July 2026. This state's institution-level figures come from the July retrieval, including IPEDS-derived characteristics. Earnings represent median income 10 years after enrollment for federally aided former students who were working and not enrolled in the measurement year, using U.S. Treasury-derived records published through the Scorecard.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
What this means for Minnesota applicants
- Minnesota has 110 colleges in PlainCollege's Scorecard dataset, spanning community colleges, public flagships, and private institutions.
- Average reported admission rate across Minnesota colleges is 74.4% - individual schools vary widely, check each profile for its own rate.
- State-level averages pool every reporting institution together; run a specific school's numbers before assuming the state figure applies to it.Use the ROI calculator
This page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or educational advice. State-level averages pool every reporting institution and do not predict any individual school's outcome.
Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. State-level rollups are computed directly from College Scorecard and IPEDS data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Review the public data changelog. Data current as of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals.