Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.
EarningsPluscompares student earnings after college against a benchmark that Degreechoices adjusts based on each school’s unique mix of academic programs and the in-state/out-of-state composition of the student body.
Schools are assigned a value from 1-100, where 100 is best for students from households earning up to $30,000. This value is multiplied by the percentage of the school’s student body that received a Pell Grant, to calculate the economic mobility score. A higher score is better. Read the full explanation
The percentage of a school’s student body that has received a Pell Grant.
Payback measures how long it takes the average student to pay back the total cost of attending college with marginal earnings. Marginal earnings are the difference between what the average student would have earned before attending college and what they earn afterwards.
Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not displayed.
The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.
The total debt accrued by the median student at the time of graduation.
The debt-to-earnings ratio is calculated by dividing student debt upon graduation by the annual salary. A debt to earnings ratio of 1 means that annual educational debt is the same as annual earnings.
Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
EarningsPluscompares student earnings after college against a benchmark that Degreechoices adjusts based on each school’s unique mix of academic programs and the in-state/out-of-state composition of the student body.
Payback measures how long it takes the average student to pay back the total cost of attending college with marginal earnings. Marginal earnings are the difference between what the average student would have earned before attending college and what they earn afterwards.
The best colleges in Minnesota are University of Minnesota, Twin Cities and University of Minnesota, Crookston. Minnesota is home to several prestigious colleges and universities that offer extensive educational opportunities and top-notch research facilities. The state is well known for its natural beauty, with countless lakes, forests, and outdoor activities like fishing, boating, hiking, and camping. Don't forget about the Mall of America, the largest shopping mall in the country!
Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
Cost$16,318
The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.
Earnings$69,020
Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.
Graduation rate83%
Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not displayed.
Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
Cost$10,317
The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.
Earnings$58,056
Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.
Graduation rate58%
Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not displayed.
Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
Cost$25,169
The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.
Earnings$76,786
Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.
Graduation rate74%
Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not displayed.
Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
Cost$21,996
The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.
Earnings$65,543
Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.
Graduation rate85%
Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not displayed.
Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
Cost$28,233
The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.
Earnings$73,739
Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.
Graduation rate79%
Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not displayed.
Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
Cost$30,838
The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.
Earnings$75,525
Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.
Graduation rate93%
Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not displayed.
Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
Cost$17,156
The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.
Earnings$62,616
Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.
Graduation rate62%
Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not displayed.
Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
Cost$19,523
The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.
Earnings$64,705
Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.
Graduation rate65%
Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not displayed.
Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
Cost$25,852
The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.
Earnings$61,511
Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.
Graduation rate62%
Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not displayed.
Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
Cost$24,224
The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.
Earnings$65,607
Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.
Graduation rate78%
Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not displayed.
Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
Cost$17,925
The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.
Earnings$59,871
Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.
Graduation rate63%
Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not displayed.
Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
Cost$23,430
The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.
Earnings$65,934
Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.
Graduation rate70%
Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not displayed.
Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
Cost$18,611
The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.
Earnings$59,282
Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.
Graduation rate67%
Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not displayed.
Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
Cost$20,728
The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.
Earnings$58,170
Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.
Graduation rate65%
Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not displayed.
Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
Cost$17,699
The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.
Earnings$58,532
Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.
Graduation rate64%
Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not displayed.
Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
Cost$21,691
The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.
Earnings$61,106
Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.
Graduation rate63%
Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not displayed.
Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
Cost$14,719
The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.
Earnings$55,813
Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.
Graduation rate52%
Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not displayed.
Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
Cost$10,541
The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.
Earnings$50,919
Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.
Graduation rate58%
Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not displayed.
Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
Cost$27,340
The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.
Earnings$63,260
Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.
Graduation rate84%
Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not displayed.
Our economic score ranks programs based on a combination of payback and EarningsPlus. Lower scores are better. Check our methodology page for details and data sources.
Cost$29,697
The median net cost of students who receive federal financial aid. This is lower than the price advertised by the school.
Earnings$63,878
Median earnings of all students 10 years after enrollment. Includes students that did not graduate.
Graduation rate92%
Graduation rates below the school’s state average are shown in red. Schools with graduation rates in the bottom 25% nationally (49%) are not displayed.
www.degreechoices.com is an advertising-supported site. Featured or trusted partner programs and all school search, finder, or match results are for schools that compensate
us. This compensation does not influence our school rankings, resource guides, or other editorially-independent information published on this site.
Average income based on education level
The following figures are the average salaries in Minnesota for each level of education.
Average Income
The average income of people in this state with a high-school diploma, certificate, associate degree, bachelor’s degree, or master’s degree, 10 years after enrollment, based on 2021-2022 CSC data.
HS Diploma$39,997
Certificate$53,679
Associate$52,252
Bachelor$57,407
Master$66,651
Cost of attending college in Minnesota
In-state-tuition$26,152
The average in-state tuition, before financial aid, of all 4-year institutions in the state. Includes public, private, online, on-campus, non-profit, and for-profit institutions. Based on 2021-2022 CSC data.
Out-of-state-tuition$27,521
The average tuition for out-of-state students, before financial aid of all 4-year institutions in the state. Includes public, private, online, on-campus, non-profit, and for-profit institutions. Based on 2021-2022 CSC data.
Most popular degrees in Minnesota
In Minnesota the most popular degrees are Registered Nursing, Business Administration, and General Psychology. To create this list, we complied and analyzed data from IPEDS and College Scorecard.
They both provide information on how many graduates each program has annually. The list below is both undergraduate- and graduate-level programs.
Popular degrees
1Registered Nursing 12,880graduates
2Business Administration 5,253graduates
3General Psychology 2,785graduates
4Social Work 2,143graduates
5Mental & Social Health Services 2,093graduates
6Clinical / Counseling Psych 2,064graduates
7Education-grades & methods 2,009graduates
8Health Administrative Services 1,583graduates
9Biology 1,517graduates
10Education, General 1,445graduates
Fastest growing careers
Minnesota job growth
5.7%
Ushers, Lobby Attendants, and Ticket Takers
57.1%
Nurse Practitioners
45.7%
Statisticians
34%
Fitness Trainers and Aerobics Instructors
33.9%
Epidemiologists
33.3%
Physician Assistants
31.6%
Actuaries
30.9%
Computer and Information Research Scientists
30.4%
Information Security Analysts
29.2%
Medical and Health Services Managers
29.1%
Best bachelor’s degrees in Minnesota
These majors are most likely to pay off economically after graduation.
Program NamesEconomic Score
1Building/Construction Finishing, Management, and Inspection 1.25
2Biomedical/Medical Engineering 1.58
3Computer Science 1.6
4Chemical Engineering 1.77
5Aerospace Engineering 1.8
6Computer and Information Sciences 1.85
7Computer Programming 1.88
8Computer Engineering 1.91
9Homeland Security 1.96
10Construction Mgmt. 1.97
11Materials Engineering 2
12Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications. 2.03
Higher education is supposed to act as an economic elevator that lifts students from low-income households into the middle class. But not all colleges do this: unfortunately, many of the nation’s most “prestigious” schools accept very few students from low-income backgrounds.
To determine what colleges are doing the best job at lifting students out of poverty, we have devised a Social Mobility Index (SMI).
The best colleges for social mobility in Minnesota are shown below.
Bachelor's degree holders or higher
36.4%
Filters
Minnesota
5.7%
