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Winona State University

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

CompareOfficial site
Winona, Minnesota5,144 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 26Public universityResearch universityU.S. News ranked

The short answer

Winona State University: U.S. News ranks it #28 on Regional Universities (Midwest) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #436 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #813 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4 stars. It enrolls 5,144 undergraduates, admits 75.5% of applicants, and posts a 56.9% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $17,308; aid recipients pay $17,503 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $58,532.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
75.5%

About the dataset median

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

Average net price
$17,503

35% below the $26,962 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
$58,532

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
56.9%

About the dataset median

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

Median debt at graduation
$21,500

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%
Not reportedWinona State University reports that it neither requires nor recommends admissions test scores, and does not report a score range to the Department of Education.

U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard

Where Winona State 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 News2026Regional Universities (Midwest)#28of 165Regional univ. (Midwest)
Forbes2026America's Top CollegesNot ranked by this source
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars#436of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.Not ranked by this source
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)#813of 2,605Overall (Niche)
Money2026Best Value Colleges4 starsListedBest value (Money)
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)Not ranked by this source
QS2026World University RankingsNot ranked by this source

Methodology sensitivity: Winona State's position moves 14 percentile points depending on which published list you read. That is a moderate spread; the ranking you look at changes the answer somewhat. 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 Winona State

Winona State University is a public institution in Winona, Minnesota. Federal data show 79.0% first-year retention and a 15:1 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 $17,503 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 $26,962 sticker cost against $17,503 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 Winona 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
$10,576

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

Out-of-state tuition & fees
$17,308

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

Room & board
$9,654

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

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $26,962 a year, but the average family pays $17,503 — a 35% difference. 24.2% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run Winona State'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
    15:1

    IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

    First-year retention
    79.0%

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

    Undergraduate enrollment
    5,144

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

    Winona State: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $17,308 and on-campus room and board is $9,654, for a published total of $26,962 before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $17,503.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is 75.5%. 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.

    University of Minnesota-Crookston

    Crookston, MNPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    University of Minnesota-Crookston: U.S. News ranks it #27 on Regional Colleges (Midwest) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #711 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #197 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4 stars. It enrolls 1,729 undergraduates, admits 87.9% of applicants, and posts a 49.8% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $13,288; aid recipients pay $12,212 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $58,056.

    Acceptance rate
    87.9%
    Average net price
    $12,212
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $58,056
    6-yr graduation rate
    49.8%
    US News · Regional colleges (Midwest)#27 of 94Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#711 of 1,504Niche · Overall (Niche)#197 of 2,605+1 more on profile

    1,729 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 28 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    University of Kansas

    Lawrence, KSPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    University of Kansas: U.S. News ranks it #143 on National Universities (2026); Forbes ranks it #165 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #310 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #247 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #121 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 3.5 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); QS ranks it #468 on World University Rankings (2026). It enrolls 21,217 undergraduates, admits 93.5% of applicants, and posts a 68.8% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $30,432; aid recipients pay $18,059 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $61,945.

    Acceptance rate
    93.5%
    Average net price
    $18,059
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $61,945
    6-yr graduation rate
    68.8%
    US News · National universities#143 of 436Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#165 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#310 of 1,504+5 more on profile

    21,217 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 29 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Iowa State University

    Ames, IAPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Iowa State University: U.S. News ranks it #117 on National Universities (2026); Forbes ranks it #146 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #289 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #119 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #114 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 #449 on World University Rankings (2026). It enrolls 25,367 undergraduates, admits 88.7% of applicants, and posts a 75.3% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $28,881; aid recipients pay $18,589 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $63,386.

    Acceptance rate
    88.7%
    Average net price
    $18,589
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $63,386
    6-yr graduation rate
    75.3%
    US News · National universities#117 of 436Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#146 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#289 of 1,504+5 more on profile

    25,367 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 22 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

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