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Saint Cloud State University

Students comparing Saint Cloud State University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

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Saint Cloud, Minnesota5,088 undergraduatesPublic universityResearch university

The short answer

Saint Cloud State University enrolls 5,088 undergraduates and admits 94.8% of applicants. Out-of-state tuition is $10,245; aid recipients pay an average net price of $13,529. Six-year graduation rate: 40.3%; median earnings ten years after entry: $55,813. Rankings and long-form editorial for this school are being added for launch.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
94.8%

Above the dataset median of 76%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Average net price
$13,529

35% below the $20,841 published price

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardAverage for full-time first-time aid recipients, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median earnings, 10 yrs
$55,813

About the dataset median

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian earnings 10 years after entry, working and not enrolled, College Scorecard June 2026 release

6-year graduation rate
40.3%

Below the dataset median of 56%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent six-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median debt at graduation
$21,058

Above the dataset median of $23,250

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian federal loan debt of completers, College Scorecard June 2026 release

SAT middle 50%
1025–1260

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardSum of reported reading and math section percentiles for the most recent entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release. Section percentiles added together approximate, but do not exactly equal, the composite score range.

Where Saint Cloud ranks, and why the answers differ

Each publisher's position, the list it belongs to, and how many institutions it was drawn from.

No 2026 ranking from a publisher we track appears for Saint Cloud yet. The three sources below are loaded for the full roster; when a row says not ranked by this source, that publisher simply does not include this school on a list we track — not that we are missing a number. Federal cost, admissions, graduation, earnings and debt on this profile are complete and citable.

SourceListRank
US News2026National universities, liberal arts, regional and specialty listsNot ranked by this source
Forbes2026America's Top CollegesNot ranked by this source
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) DollarsNot ranked by this source
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.Not ranked by this source
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)Not ranked by this source
Money2026Best Value CollegesNot ranked by this source
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)Not ranked by this source
QS2026World University RankingsNot ranked by this source

Ranking positions are the editorial property of their publishers and are reproduced here with attribution for comparison and commentary. Follow each source link for its full list and methodology.

About Saint Cloud

Saint Cloud State University is a public institution in Saint Cloud, Minnesota. Federal data show 70.7% first-year retention and a 17:1 student-faculty ratio. Figures on this page come from College Scorecard and IPEDS; verified publisher rankings will be added as the launch dataset is completed.

Strengths and honest considerations

Strengths

  • Cost and outcome metrics on this profile come directly from federal collections, not self-reported marketing sheets.
  • Net price $13,529 reflects what aid recipients actually paid in the most recent federal reporting year.

Considerations

  • This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
  • Compare $20,841 sticker cost against $13,529 net price before ruling a school in or out on price alone.

Who this school genuinely fits

Students comparing Saint Cloud State University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

What it costs

Published price, then what families actually pay after grants and scholarships.

In-state tuition & fees
$10,245

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Out-of-state tuition & fees
$10,245

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Room & board
$10,596

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $20,841 a year, but the average family pays $13,529 — a 35% difference. 21.7% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run Saint Cloud's net price calculator for your own household before drawing conclusions. Why net price is the only cost number that matters.

Programs and academics

Most popular majors

  1. 1Business
  2. 2Biology
  3. 3Psychology
  4. 4Computer Science
  5. 5Economics

Standout programs

    Student-faculty ratio
    17:1

    IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

    First-year retention
    70.7%

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent first-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Undergraduate enrollment
    5,088

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Saint Cloud: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $10,245 and on-campus room and board is $10,596, for a published total of $20,841 before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $13,529.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is 94.8%. Test policy as reported in IPEDS: see the admissions section on this page for the institution's own category.

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