State Hub

Colleges in Minnesota

CampusPin tracks 79 colleges in Minnesota, 50 universities and 29 community colleges. Compare tuition, acceptance, size, and setting to build a shortlist that fits.

Colleges tracked

79

Universities

50

Community colleges

29

Avg. in-state tuition

$19k

About college search in Minnesota

How Minnesota's higher-education landscape shapes a search

Minnesota’s public higher-education sector is organized into two main systems: the University of Minnesota System with five campuses (Twin Cities flagship, Duluth, Morris, Crookston, Rochester) and Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (Minnesota State), a system of 30 community colleges and universities serving most of the state outside the U of M campuses. Private institutions include Carleton (Northfield), Macalester (St. Paul), St. Olaf (Northfield), the University of St. Thomas (St. Paul), Hamline, Augsburg, and Concordia.

The Minnesota State Grant is the state’s primary need-based aid program; the Minnesota North Star Promise covers tuition for eligible low-income in-state students at U of M and Minnesota State institutions.

University of Minnesota Twin Cities as flagship

The University of Minnesota Twin Cities is the state’s public flagship and one of the larger public research universities in the U.S.

Minnesota State (30 institutions)

Minnesota State Colleges and Universities operates 30 community colleges and state universities across the state, the third-largest public higher-education system in the country.

North Star Promise

The Minnesota North Star Promise covers tuition and fees for eligible low-income in-state students at U of M and Minnesota State institutions. Verify current eligibility with the Minnesota Office of Higher Education.

Strong private liberal-arts bench

Carleton, Macalester, St. Olaf, St. Thomas, Hamline, Augsburg, Concordia, and Gustavus Adolphus give Minnesota one of the deeper private liberal-arts benches in the Midwest.

Public university system

University of Minnesota System + Minnesota State

Two parallel public systems: the U of M System (5 campuses) and Minnesota State (30 community colleges and state universities).

Community college network

Minnesota State community colleges

Minnesota State operates the state’s community college network as part of its 30-institution unified system, with formal transfer paths to U of M and Minnesota State universities.

In-state vs. out-of-state tuition

Minnesota in-state public tuition is in the mid-range nationally. The North Star Promise reduces or eliminates tuition for eligible low-income in-state students. Out-of-state rates are materially higher; reciprocity programs with Wisconsin and the Dakotas may apply.

Top metros for college search

Where Minnesota's higher-education density concentrates

  • Twin Cities (Minneapolis–St. Paul)

    The Twin Cities concentrate the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Macalester (St. Paul), the University of St. Thomas (St. Paul), Hamline (St. Paul), Augsburg (Minneapolis), Metropolitan State, and Minneapolis Community and Technical College.

  • Duluth

    Duluth is the home of the University of Minnesota Duluth and the College of St. Scholastica (private).

  • Northfield

    Northfield hosts Carleton College and St. Olaf College, both nationally selective private liberal-arts colleges.

  • Mankato / St. Cloud

    Mankato is the home of Minnesota State Mankato; St. Cloud is the home of St. Cloud State University.

What Minnesota actually costs

Median net price after grants
$11,226 for families under $30,000
$20,369 at $110,000 or more
Across 60 Minnesota colleges reporting the full series. All five income bands
Median federal debt at graduation
$17,954 with 37.8% borrowing
Debt without the borrower share is misleading, so CampusPin never shows one alone. Debt by college
Studying entirely online
23% of Minnesota students
Federal enrolment collection, weighted by students rather than campuses. Where they study

Every college we track

Colleges and universities in Minnesota

Filter all Minnesota schools

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Midwest region overview

What students weigh when searching colleges in Minnesota

Across Minnesota (MN), CampusPin currently indexes 79 institutions: 40 public and 39 private, split between 50 universities and 29 community colleges. Students often balance affordability, campus culture, public systems, and the tradeoff between local value and out-of-state reach.

Use size and setting filters after your first pass to separate flagship, regional, and smaller-campus experiences.
Look closely at support services and career pathways when several schools seem similar on cost.
Keep community-college transfer routes in the mix when price discipline matters from day one.

Browse by major

Minnesota colleges by program

Start from the major. Each guide covers what the field studies, its federal CIP classification, and the pay and projected openings for the occupations it leads to, then send you into Minnesota search to build a shortlist.

Fields with a distinct set of Minnesota colleges

113 fields where the colleges that awarded credentials in Minnesota are a materially different set from those of any closely related field, based on federal completions data. Showing the 36 with the most colleges. The number is how many colleges awarded credentials.

How to use the Minnesota hub

Start with CampusPin results filtered to Minnesota so your first pass stays geographically focused.
Use school profiles to compare tuition, admissions, program format, and campus fit before building a shortlist.
If you are looking for lower-cost or transfer-first options, compare community colleges and four-year destinations separately.
Use blog guides and help-center content when you need stronger decision frameworks, not just more schools.

Next actions for Minnesota

Explore all colleges in MinnesotaView community colleges in MinnesotaView online programs in MinnesotaRead planning guides before you compare

Frequently asked questions

Questions families ask about colleges in Minnesota

Which is the public flagship university in Minnesota?
The University of Minnesota Twin Cities is the state’s public flagship and one of the larger public research universities in the U.S.
What is the difference between the U of M System and Minnesota State?
The University of Minnesota System (5 campuses, U of M Twin Cities flagship) is the state’s research-focused public system. Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (Minnesota State) is the larger system of 30 community colleges and state universities focused on broader access. They have separate governance, admissions, and tuition.
How does the North Star Promise work?
The Minnesota North Star Promise covers tuition and fees for eligible Minnesota residents from families with adjusted gross income below the program’s threshold who attend a participating U of M or Minnesota State institution. Verify current eligibility with the Minnesota Office of Higher Education.
How many HBCUs are in Minnesota?
Minnesota has no federally designated HBCUs. The state hosts five tribal colleges serving Native American communities, including Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College, Leech Lake Tribal College, Red Lake Nation College, and White Earth Tribal and Community College.

Related blog clusters

Guides that pair well with a Minnesota search

Cost and Financial Aid

College affordability, net price, aid interpretation, borrowing decisions, and budgeting guidance for students and families using CampusPin to compare higher-ed options with more discipline.

Community College

Community-college strategy, affordability, transfer readiness, and credential pathway content for students exploring two-year options through CampusPin.

College Search Strategy

Filter-first search strategy, shortlist building, and planning content for students and parents using CampusPin to discover best-fit colleges and universities.

Help Center

Workflow guides for students searching in Minnesota

Getting Started With CampusPin

A fast orientation to the CampusPin workflow, from your first search through profile review, pins, and next-step planning.

How to Use Filters to Narrow Your College List

A practical help article on how to use CampusPin filters without over-filtering or locking yourself into the wrong criteria too early.

How to Read a CampusPin School Profile

A guide to the major sections inside a CampusPin institution profile and how to interpret them effectively. Each page connects to clearer next steps, related guides, and the CampusPin tools that help you decide.

CampusPin research

National analyses with Minnesota in the data

Each report is built from a checksum-verified snapshot, with full methodology and a downloadable CSV that includes Minnesota.

Comparing schools on price? See our national analysis of how college cost relates to graduation and earnings, an association driven by selectivity and sector, not evidence that a pricier college pays off.

Explore Minnesota

More ways to explore Minnesota colleges

What this count of 79 includes

Other sites publish very different totals for Minnesota, and most do not say what they are counting. Here is exactly what this one counts, so you can check it against anyone else's.

By level
50 listed as universities and 29 as community colleges. CampusPin records this as an institution type, and uses it as an approximation of four-year versus two-year; it is not a separately reported degree-level field.
By control
40 public and 39 private. CampusPin records control as public or private only, so private nonprofit and private for-profit institutions are not separated here.
  • Every institution counted has its own CampusPin profile listing the figures behind it and where each one came from, so the total can be checked against its parts rather than taken on trust.
  • This is CampusPin's directory of 3,798 institutions nationwide, not the full federal universe. NCES counted 5,829 Title IV institutions, administrative offices, and U.S. service academies nationwide for 2024-25. That figure includes entities a student would never apply to, which is one reason published totals differ so widely.
  • Figures come from federal sources on a reporting lag, so a very new or very recently closed institution may not be reflected yet. Found something wrong? Tell us and we will correct it.
Full data methodologyCoverage and data quality

Data sources & methodology

College listings for Minnesota are compiled from federal datasets and each institution's own published information.

Sources used across this page

Not every source informs every figure. Each data point draws on the source appropriate to it see the relevant section and the data dictionary for field-level provenance.

  • IPEDS / NCES College Navigator

    Federal enrollment, admissions, tuition, retention, and program data. Released annually with a 1–2 year lag.

  • U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

    Net price by income band, post-graduation earnings, and federal aid context.

  • Institutional websites

    Each school's official admissions, registrar, and financial-aid pages are the authoritative source for current details.

Where a value is unavailable it is shown as unavailable, never as 0, free, or a negative judgment. Always confirm final details with the institution before applying.

MethodologyData dictionaryReport a correction

Suggested citation

CampusPin. Colleges in Minnesota. Retrieved from https://campuspin.com/colleges-by-state/minnesota