Best Colleges in Minnesota 2026

Minnesota has 80 colleges and universities in our database; 70 report the graduation-rate data our ranking requires. The top 25 are ranked below by a fixed four-factor formula: 6-year graduation rate (30%), median earnings 10 years after entry (30%), admission selectivity (20%), and in-state tuition affordability (20%).

Schools Ranked

$52,755

Avg. Earnings

60.6%

Avg. Graduation Rate

Top 25 Schools

College rankings
#	School	Graduation Rate	Median Earnings	Acceptance Rate	In-State Tuition
1	Northwestern Health Sciences University Bloomington, Minnesota	100.0%	$48,666		$12,015
2	Academy College Bloomington, Minnesota	100.0%	$48,300		$18,252
3	Carleton College Northfield, Minnesota	91.2%	$75,525	16.6%	$65,457
4	University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minneapolis, Minnesota	84.8%	$69,020	74.9%	$16,488
5	Alexandria Technical & Community College Alexandria, Minnesota	60.5%	$49,393		$6,213
6	Macalester College Saint Paul, Minnesota	90.4%	$63,878	28.4%	$64,908
7	Anoka Technical College Anoka, Minnesota	55.6%	$47,746		$6,267
8	University of Minnesota-Rochester Rochester, Minnesota	56.9%	$69,020	71.7%	$14,400
9	Winona State University Winona, Minnesota	60.9%	$58,532	73.8%	$10,498
10	Riverland Community College Austin, Minnesota	53.0%	$45,247		$6,250
11	University of Minnesota-Duluth Duluth, Minnesota	64.5%	$62,616	80.7%	$14,318
12	Dakota County Technical College Rosemount, Minnesota	45.3%	$51,938		$6,419
13	Minnesota State University Moorhead Moorhead, Minnesota	54.6%	$50,527	56.6%	$10,336
14	University of Minnesota-Crookston Crookston, Minnesota	49.7%	$58,056	57.2%	$13,120
15	Concordia College at Moorhead Moorhead, Minnesota	71.8%	$59,317	65.5%	$30,020
16	Hennepin Technical College Brooklyn Park, Minnesota	44.2%	$49,460		$5,881
17	Minnesota State University-Mankato Mankato, Minnesota	54.1%	$56,922	70.7%	$9,490
18	Minnesota State College Southeast Winona, Minnesota	51.3%	$43,613		$7,820
19	Northwest Technical College Bemidji, Minnesota	50.0%	$42,930		$6,246
20	Northland Community and Technical College Thief River Falls, Minnesota	48.1%	$44,425		$6,262
21	Minnesota State Community and Technical College Fergus Falls, Minnesota	46.4%	$45,591		$5,900
22	Minnesota West Community and Technical College Granite Falls, Minnesota	46.6%	$45,285		$6,484
23	St Cloud Technical and Community College Saint Cloud, Minnesota	42.2%	$46,874		$4,957
24	Central Lakes College-Brainerd Brainerd, Minnesota	47.7%	$42,162		$6,209
25	Ridgewater College Willmar, Minnesota	44.9%	$43,827		$6,109