Most Affordable Private Colleges in Minnesota
Private nonprofit colleges rarely cost what their price tags say. Among the 22 we rank in Minnesota, the average net price runs from $11,704 to $32,149 a year, a range of $20,445.
The median net price is $25,540, $1,680 (7%) above the national median of $23,860 for private nonprofit colleges. Median tuition and fees are $45,266, but the median net price, which also counts room, board and books after grants, is $25,540, so aid more than covers the housing and living costs added on top of tuition.
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota ranks first at $11,704, ahead of Concordia University-Saint Paul ($18,462) and Martin Luther College ($18,463).
How this list is built
A college appears here only if it meets every condition below.
- Colleges considered
- Private nonprofit 4-year colleges whose main award is the bachelor's degree
- Ranked by net price, lowest first. Ties are broken by larger undergraduate enrollment, then by name.
- Main campuses only, with at least 60% of core data fields reported
- Main campus located in Minnesota
- At least 500 undergraduate students enrolled (fall 2024)
- A reported net price value (schools without one are not ranked)
- This page is published only when at least 15 schools qualify; Minnesota has 22
- Data period
- Net price: average for students receiving aid, academic year 2023-24.
- Tuition and fees: full-time undergraduate sticker price, academic year 2024-25 (the same for in-state and out-of-state students).
- Net price by income: students with family income of $0 to $30,000, academic year 2023-24.
- Graduation rate: first-time, full-time students who started in fall 2018 (4-year) or fall 2021 (2-year), finishing within 150% of normal time.
- Earnings: median earnings four years after completing, measured in 2022 and 2023 for the 2017-18 and 2018-19 cohorts, in 2024 dollars.
- Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, June 2026 release.
Showing all 22 qualifying schools. Select a column heading to re-sort the table.
| 1 | Saint Mary's University of Minnesota Winona, MN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $11,704 | $45,080 | $16,182 | 67% | $72,502 |
| 2 | Concordia University-Saint Paul Saint Paul, MN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $18,462 | $25,600 | $16,406 | 52% | $68,250 |
| 3 | Martin Luther College New Ulm, MN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $18,463 | $18,120 | $11,233 | 71% | $49,182 |
| 4 | St Catherine University Saint Paul, MN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $19,764 | $51,454 | $17,890 | 63% | $65,829 |
| 5 | Bethany Lutheran College Mankato, MN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $20,148 | $31,360 | $12,571 | 57% | $47,456 |
| 6 | Hamline University Saint Paul, MN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $20,744 | $50,004 | $15,371 | 59% | $61,017 |
| 7 | Gustavus Adolphus College Saint Peter, MN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $22,900 | $56,076 | $12,015 | 76% | $61,015 |
| 8 | Augsburg University Minneapolis, MN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $23,873 | $45,452 | $21,318 | 52% | $68,350 |
| 9 | St Olaf College Northfield, MN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $23,874 | $59,760 | $10,404 | 84% | $56,323 |
| 10 | Concordia College at Moorhead Moorhead, MN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $24,902 | $31,170 | $20,950 | 66% | $56,802 |
| 11 | Carleton College Northfield, MN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $25,407 | $68,892 | $7,881 | 90% | $66,841 |
| 12 | Saint Johns University Collegeville, MN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $25,672 | $55,816 | $10,354 | 76% | $72,829 |
| 13 | North Central University Minneapolis, MN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $25,817 | $32,220 | $20,450 | 65% | $47,587 |
| 14 | College of Saint Benedict Saint Joseph, MN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $26,640 | $55,756 | $12,981 | 80% | $63,895 |
| 15 | Crown College Saint Bonifacius, MN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $26,672 | $31,410 | $24,270 | 54% | $50,863 |
| 16 | Dunwoody College of Technology Minneapolis, MN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $26,939 | $27,836 | $22,072 | 65% | $69,987 |
| 17 | University of Northwestern-St Paul Saint Paul, MN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $27,705 | $37,920 | $26,696 | 68% | $57,471 |
| 18 | The College of Saint Scholastica Duluth, MN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $27,846 | $41,778 | $14,433 | 66% | $75,595 |
| 19 | Bethel University (MN) Saint Paul, MN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $28,556 | $44,226 | $22,218 | 73% | $70,633 |
| 20 | University of St Thomas (MN) Saint Paul, MN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $29,155 | $54,398 | $28,131 | 76% | $82,136 |
| 21 | Minneapolis College of Art and Design Minneapolis, MN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $29,926 | $45,484 | $23,662 | 59% | $41,825 |
| 22 | Macalester College Saint Paul, MN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $32,149 | $68,104 | $13,772 | 89% | $58,560 |
How to compare these colleges
Do not rule out a private college because of its sticker price. Private colleges often discount heavily, and the net price shown here is what students who receive aid pay on average, including housing and books. Your own offer depends on your family income and the school's aid policy, so run each college's net price calculator and compare actual award letters.
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All 60 colleges in Minnesota See the national version of this ranking