Cheapest Colleges in Minnesota
Sticker prices at the 34 four-year colleges we rank in Minnesota run from $9,572 to $68,892 a year in tuition and fees, a gap of $59,320 between the cheapest school and the most expensive one.
The 11 public colleges here charge a median of $10,428 a year, $488 (5%) above the national public median of $9,940. The 21 private nonprofit colleges on the list charge a median of $45,452, above the $39,582 national private median. Sticker price alone rarely settles the cheapest private option, so check the net price column.
Minnesota State University-Mankato ranks first at $9,572, ahead of Metropolitan State University ($9,840) and Bemidji State University ($10,237).
How this list is built
A college appears here only if it meets every condition below.
- Colleges considered
- 4-year colleges whose main award is the bachelor's degree (public, private nonprofit and for-profit)
- Ranked by in-state tuition & fees, 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 in-state tuition & fees value (schools without one are not ranked)
- Schools that report no tuition or a $0 price are not ranked
- This page is published only when at least 15 schools qualify; Minnesota has 34
- Data period
- In-state tuition and fees: full-time undergraduate sticker price, academic year 2024-25. Some community colleges report the in-district rate.
- Out-of-state tuition and fees: academic year 2024-25. Shown for public colleges only, because private colleges charge everyone the same price.
- Net price: average for students receiving aid, 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.
- Enrollment: undergraduate students, fall 2024.
- Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, June 2026 release.
Showing all 34 qualifying schools. Select a column heading to re-sort the table.
| 1 | Minnesota State University-Mankato Mankato, MN Public · 4-year | $9,572 | $18,942 | $19,139 | 54% | 11,703 |
| 2 | Metropolitan State University Saint Paul, MN Public · 4-year | $9,840 | $9,840 | $16,863 | 42% | 5,616 |
| 3 | Bemidji State University Bemidji, MN Public · 4-year | $10,237 | $10,237 | $15,261 | 51% | 3,139 |
| 4 | Saint Cloud State University Saint Cloud, MN Public · 4-year | $10,245 | $10,245 | $13,529 | 44% | 5,088 |
| 5 | Southwest Minnesota State University Marshall, MN Public · 4-year | $10,361 | $10,361 | $15,291 | 45% | 2,315 |
| 6 | Minnesota State University Moorhead Moorhead, MN Public · 4-year | $10,428 | $10,428 | $17,997 | 56% | 3,072 |
| 7 | Winona State University Winona, MN Public · 4-year | $10,576 | $17,308 | $17,503 | 59% | 5,144 |
| 8 | Walden University Minneapolis, MN For-profit · 4-year | $12,762 | — | $33,817 | — | 9,136 |
| 9 | University of Minnesota-Crookston Crookston, MN Public · 4-year | $13,288 | $13,288 | $12,212 | 50% | 1,729 |
| 10 | Capella University Minneapolis, MN For-profit · 4-year | $14,400 | — | $17,956 | 27% | 18,364 |
| 11 | University of Minnesota-Morris Morris, MN Public · 4-year | $14,526 | $16,710 | $8,837 | 62% | 936 |
| 12 | University of Minnesota-Duluth Duluth, MN Public · 4-year | $14,610 | $20,130 | $18,743 | 65% | 7,336 |
| 13 | University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN Public · 4-year | $17,214 | $38,362 | $16,778 | 85% | 31,855 |
| 14 | Martin Luther College New Ulm, MN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $18,120 | — | $18,463 | 71% | 725 |
| 15 | Concordia University-Saint Paul Saint Paul, MN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $25,600 | — | $18,462 | 52% | 3,018 |
| 16 | Concordia College at Moorhead Moorhead, MN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $31,170 | — | $24,902 | 66% | 1,829 |
| 17 | Bethany Lutheran College Mankato, MN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $31,360 | — | $20,148 | 57% | 669 |
| 18 | Crown College Saint Bonifacius, MN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $31,410 | — | $26,672 | 54% | 796 |
| 19 | North Central University Minneapolis, MN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $32,220 | — | $25,817 | 65% | 709 |
| 20 | University of Northwestern-St Paul Saint Paul, MN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $37,920 | — | $27,705 | 68% | 1,442 |
| 21 | The College of Saint Scholastica Duluth, MN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $41,778 | — | $27,846 | 66% | 1,765 |
| 22 | Bethel University (MN) Saint Paul, MN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $44,226 | — | $28,556 | 73% | 1,871 |
| 23 | Saint Mary's University of Minnesota Winona, MN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $45,080 | — | $11,704 | 67% | 1,073 |
| 24 | Augsburg University Minneapolis, MN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $45,452 | — | $23,873 | 52% | 2,494 |
| 25 | Minneapolis College of Art and Design Minneapolis, MN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $45,484 | — | $29,926 | 59% | 705 |
| 26 | Hamline University Saint Paul, MN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $50,004 | — | $20,744 | 59% | 1,776 |
| 27 | St Catherine University Saint Paul, MN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $51,454 | — | $19,764 | 63% | 2,473 |
| 28 | University of St Thomas (MN) Saint Paul, MN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $54,398 | — | $29,155 | 76% | 6,245 |
| 29 | College of Saint Benedict Saint Joseph, MN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $55,756 | — | $26,640 | 80% | 1,370 |
| 30 | Saint Johns University Collegeville, MN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $55,816 | — | $25,672 | 76% | 1,395 |
| 31 | Gustavus Adolphus College Saint Peter, MN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $56,076 | — | $22,900 | 76% | 1,878 |
| 32 | St Olaf College Northfield, MN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $59,760 | — | $23,874 | 84% | 3,093 |
| 33 | Macalester College Saint Paul, MN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $68,104 | — | $32,149 | 89% | 2,131 |
| 34 | Carleton College Northfield, MN Private nonprofit · 4-year | $68,892 | — | $25,407 | 90% | 2,086 |
How to compare these colleges
Start with the net price column rather than the sticker price. Net price is the average a student who receives aid pays after grants and scholarships, so a school that ranks lower here can still be the cheaper choice for your family. The out-of-state column applies only if you are not a legal resident of Minnesota, and only public colleges charge a separate rate.
Guides worth reading first
More lists for Minnesota
Cheap colleges in Minnesota for out-of-state students
27 schools
Community colleges in Minnesota
16 schools
Best value colleges in Minnesota
33 schools
Highest graduate earnings in Minnesota
36 schools
Most affordable private colleges in Minnesota
22 schools
Same list in nearby states
Cheapest colleges in Wisconsin
31 schools
Cheapest colleges in Iowa
28 schools
Cheapest colleges in New York
112 schools
All 60 colleges in Minnesota See the national version of this ranking