Skip to content
Best College Rankings

Public · Urban campus · verified rankings · federal data

University of Minnesota

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

CompareOfficial site
Minneapolis, Minnesota31,855 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 17Public universityUrban campusResearch university

The short answer

University of Minnesota: U.S. News ranks it #59 on National Universities (2026); Forbes ranks it #78 on America's Top Colleges (2026); WSJ ranks it #203 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #83 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4.5 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); QS ranks it #210 on World University Rankings (2026). It enrolls 31,855 undergraduates, admits 79.8% of applicants, and posts a 85.3% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $38,362; aid recipients pay $16,778 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $69,020.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
79.8%

About the dataset median

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

Average net price
$16,778

68% below the $52,218 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
$69,020

Above the dataset median of $54,053

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
85.3%

Above 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
$19,500

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%
1300–1500

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 Minnesota ranks, and why the answers differ

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

SourceListRank
US News2026National Universities#59of 436National universities
Forbes2026America's Top Colleges#78of 500Top colleges (Forbes)
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) DollarsNot ranked by this source
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.#203of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)A#83of 2,605Overall (Niche)
Money2026Best Value Colleges4.5 starsListedBest value (Money)
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)ListedOverall (Niche)
QS2026World University Rankings#210of 1,504World (QS)

Methodology sensitivity: Minnesota's position moves 37 percentile points depending on which published list you read. That is a wide spread, so which list you consult substantially changes the impression you get. How we compute this

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 Minnesota

University of Minnesota is a public institution in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Federal data show 91.1% first-year retention and a 16:1 student-faculty ratio. Figures on this page come from College Scorecard and IPEDS; publisher rankings shown here are transcribed from named sources and checked in our dataset.

Strengths and honest considerations

Strengths

  • Cost and outcome metrics on this profile come directly from federal collections, not self-reported marketing sheets.
  • Net price $16,778 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 $52,218 sticker cost against $16,778 net price before ruling a school in or out on price alone.
  • Publishers we have not loaded yet, or lists that omit this school, show as “not ranked by this source” — that is expected.

Who this school genuinely fits

Students comparing University of Minnesota 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
$17,214

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

Out-of-state tuition & fees
$38,362

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

Room & board
$13,856

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

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $52,218 a year, but the average family pays $16,778 — a 68% difference. 17.6% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run Minnesota'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
    16:1

    IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

    First-year retention
    91.1%

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

    Undergraduate enrollment
    31,855

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

    Minnesota: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $38,362 and on-campus room and board is $13,856, for a published total of $52,218 before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $16,778.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is 79.8%. Test policy as reported in IPEDS: see the admissions section on this page for the institution's own category.

    Similar colleges

    Matched on institutional character, overlapping majors and comparable cross-source standing.

    Ohio State University

    Columbus, OHPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Ohio State University: U.S. News ranks it #41 on National Universities (2026); Forbes ranks it #83 on America's Top Colleges (2026); WSJ ranks it #329 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #63 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4.5 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026) — Top 10 College Library; QS ranks it #190 on World University Rankings (2026). It enrolls 45,638 undergraduates, admits 60.6% of applicants, and posts a 87.7% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $40,022; aid recipients pay $17,339 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $60,409.

    Acceptance rate
    60.6%
    Average net price
    $17,339
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $60,409
    6-yr graduation rate
    87.7%
    US News · National universities#41 of 436Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#83 of 500WSJ · U.S. colleges (WSJ)#329 of 500+4 more on profile

    45,638 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 21 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    North Carolina State University

    Raleigh, NCPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    North Carolina State University: U.S. News ranks it #64 on National Universities (2026); Forbes ranks it #66 on America's Top Colleges (2026); WSJ ranks it #167 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #95 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4.5 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026) — Top 10 Athletic Facilities; QS ranks it #273 on World University Rankings (2026). It enrolls 27,371 undergraduates, admits 41.7% of applicants, and posts a 84.8% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $32,847; aid recipients pay $17,303 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $68,758.

    Acceptance rate
    41.7%
    Average net price
    $17,303
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $68,758
    6-yr graduation rate
    84.8%
    US News · National universities#64 of 436Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#66 of 500WSJ · U.S. colleges (WSJ)#167 of 500+4 more on profile

    27,371 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 17 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    University of California-Riverside

    Riverside, CAPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    University of California-Riverside: U.S. News ranks it #75 on National Universities (2026); Forbes ranks it #77 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #101 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #108 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #161 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4.5 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); QS ranks it #444 on World University Rankings (2026). It enrolls 22,593 undergraduates, admits 76.4% of applicants, and posts a 76.0% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $49,806; aid recipients pay $14,304 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $67,699.

    Acceptance rate
    76.4%
    Average net price
    $14,304
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $67,699
    6-yr graduation rate
    76.0%
    US News · National universities#75 of 436Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#77 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#101 of 1,504+5 more on profile

    22,593 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 16 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Compare Minnesota against these