Cheap Colleges in Minnesota for Out-of-State Students
Out-of-state students pay between $5,061 and $38,362 a year in tuition and fees at the 27 public colleges and universities we rank in Minnesota, a gap of $33,301 between the cheapest and the most expensive. This list ranks the non-resident price, not the in-state price.
The median public college charges nonresidents $6,329, $6,457 (50%) below the national median of $12,786 for public colleges. Residents pay a median of $6,329, so the typical out-of-state premium is only $0 here, a ratio of 1.0 to 1.
North Hennepin Community College ranks first at $5,061, ahead of Anoka-Ramsey Community College ($5,682) and Lake Superior College ($5,785).
How this list is built
A college appears here only if it meets every condition below.
- Colleges considered
- All public colleges and universities, 4-year and 2-year (community colleges and state colleges included)
- Ranked by out-of-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 out-of-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 27
- Data period
- Out-of-state tuition and fees: academic year 2024-25. Shown for public colleges only, because private colleges charge everyone the same price.
- In-state tuition and fees: full-time undergraduate sticker price, academic year 2024-25. Some community colleges report the in-district rate.
- 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 27 qualifying schools. Select a column heading to re-sort the table.
| 1 | North Hennepin Community College Brooklyn Park, MN Public · 2-year | $5,061 | $5,061 | $12,186 | 19% | 3,451 |
| 2 | Anoka-Ramsey Community College Coon Rapids, MN Public · 2-year | $5,682 | $5,682 | $16,434 | 27% | 4,201 |
| 3 | Lake Superior College Duluth, MN Public · 2-year | $5,785 | $5,785 | $15,492 | 40% | 2,471 |
| 4 | Minnesota State Community and Technical College Fergus Falls, MN Public · 2-year | $5,908 | $5,908 | $12,556 | 47% | 2,942 |
| 5 | Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College Cloquet, MN Public · 4-year | $6,006 | $6,006 | $12,677 | 23% | 557 |
| 6 | Minnesota North College Hibbing, MN Public · 2-year | $6,022 | $6,022 | $10,432 | 42% | 2,013 |
| 7 | Ridgewater College Willmar, MN Public · 2-year | $6,121 | $6,121 | $10,046 | 48% | 2,162 |
| 8 | St Cloud Technical and Community College Saint Cloud, MN Public · 2-year | $6,124 | $6,124 | $9,635 | 44% | 3,113 |
| 9 | Inver Hills Community College Inver Grove Heights, MN Public · 2-year | $6,146 | $6,146 | $11,636 | 22% | 2,193 |
| 10 | South Central College North Mankato, MN Public · 2-year | $6,146 | $6,146 | $9,082 | 34% | 1,946 |
| 11 | Alexandria Technical & Community College Alexandria, MN Public · 2-year | $6,236 | $6,236 | $13,691 | 60% | 1,533 |
| 12 | Central Lakes College-Brainerd Brainerd, MN Public · 2-year | $6,249 | $6,249 | $13,869 | 51% | 1,614 |
| 13 | Northland Community and Technical College Thief River Falls, MN Public · 2-year | $6,289 | $6,289 | $13,975 | 52% | 1,554 |
| 14 | Normandale Community College Bloomington, MN Public · 2-year | $6,329 | $6,329 | $12,972 | 23% | 7,044 |
| 15 | Rochester Community and Technical College Rochester, MN Public · 2-year | $6,389 | $6,389 | $14,435 | 27% | 3,365 |
| 16 | Dakota County Technical College Rosemount, MN Public · 2-year | $6,679 | $6,679 | $13,548 | 52% | 2,168 |
| 17 | Metropolitan State University Saint Paul, MN Public · 4-year | $9,840 | $9,840 | $16,863 | 42% | 5,616 |
| 18 | Bemidji State University Bemidji, MN Public · 4-year | $10,237 | $10,237 | $15,261 | 51% | 3,139 |
| 19 | Saint Cloud State University Saint Cloud, MN Public · 4-year | $10,245 | $10,245 | $13,529 | 44% | 5,088 |
| 20 | Southwest Minnesota State University Marshall, MN Public · 4-year | $10,361 | $10,361 | $15,291 | 45% | 2,315 |
| 21 | Minnesota State University Moorhead Moorhead, MN Public · 4-year | $10,428 | $10,428 | $17,997 | 56% | 3,072 |
| 22 | University of Minnesota-Crookston Crookston, MN Public · 4-year | $13,288 | $13,288 | $12,212 | 50% | 1,729 |
| 23 | University of Minnesota-Morris Morris, MN Public · 4-year | $16,710 | $14,526 | $8,837 | 62% | 936 |
| 24 | Winona State University Winona, MN Public · 4-year | $17,308 | $10,576 | $17,503 | 59% | 5,144 |
| 25 | Minnesota State University-Mankato Mankato, MN Public · 4-year | $18,942 | $9,572 | $19,139 | 54% | 11,703 |
| 26 | University of Minnesota-Duluth Duluth, MN Public · 4-year | $20,130 | $14,610 | $18,743 | 65% | 7,336 |
| 27 | University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN Public · 4-year | $38,362 | $17,214 | $16,778 | 85% | 31,855 |
How to compare these colleges
The ranked column is the out-of-state price. The in-state price is shown for comparison, and net price is the average for students who receive aid, measured mostly for in-state students at public colleges, so it is not a good guide to what a nonresident will pay. Many states cut the non-resident rate through regional exchange programs, reciprocity agreements or merit awards, and residency can change after a year of living in the state, so check each college's non-resident aid page before ruling a school out.
Guides worth reading first
More lists for Minnesota
Cheapest colleges in Minnesota
34 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
Cheap colleges in California for out-of-state students
121 schools
Cheap colleges in Texas for out-of-state students
77 schools
Cheap colleges in New York for out-of-state students
74 schools
All 60 colleges in Minnesota See the national version of this ranking