2021 Best Colleges in Minnesota by Salary Score™

By the GradReports team | Updated 3/1/2021

This list of the top 25 schools in Minnesota is ranked using our Salary Score and highlights colleges whose alumni tend to earn higher salaries compared to alumni from the same majors at other colleges. Our Salary Score is calculated by comparing median alumni salaries for each program to salary data for the same programs across all universities. We then compiled these program scores into an overall Salary Score for each college to indicate how well alumni as a whole fare in their chosen fields of study. Even though the state has a low cost of living compared to the national average, Minnesota graduates tended to earn higher-than-average salaries overall. Minnesota is #5 in the top states for bachelor's degree salaries, and all of the top 25 schools have a higher Salary Score than the median for U.S. colleges and universities.

To be considered for our state rankings, schools must offer and provide data for at least 8 bachelor's programs. You can click on a school's name to view individual program scores. Read our methodology to learn more about how schools were ranked.

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Our Salary Score™ is based on data reported by the U.S. Department of Education

Rank	School	Location	Annual Tuition	Salary Score™
#1	#1 University of Minnesota-Crookston Crookston	Crookston	$13,288	82.95
#2	#2 Concordia University - St. Paul Saint Paul	Saint Paul	$25,600	79.36
#3	#3 University of St. Thomas Saint Paul	Saint Paul	$54,398	77.64
#4	#4 Metropolitan State University Saint Paul	Saint Paul	$9,840	75.24
#5	#5 Saint John's University - MN Collegeville	Collegeville	$55,816	75.02
#6	#6 College of Saint Benedict Saint Joseph	Saint Joseph	$55,756	74.57
#7	#7 University of Minnesota Minneapolis	Minneapolis	$17,214	72.17
#9	#9 Minnesota State University at Mankato Mankato	Mankato	$9,572	70.85
#10	#10 Saint Mary's University of Minnesota Winona	Winona	$45,080	70.64
#11	#11 University of Northwestern - St. Paul Saint Paul	Saint Paul	$37,920	70.44
#12	#12 Bethel University - MN Saint Paul	Saint Paul	$44,226	68.62
#13	#13 Winona State University Winona	Winona	$10,576	67.15
#14	#14 Saint Cloud State University St. Cloud	St. Cloud	$10,245	66.97
#15	#15 North Central University Minneapolis	Minneapolis	$32,220	65.43
#16	#16 Gustavus Adolphus College Saint Peter	Saint Peter	$56,076	64.24
#17	#17 Minnesota State University - Moorhead Moorhead	Moorhead	$10,428	62.78
#18	#18 Augsburg University Minneapolis	Minneapolis	$45,452	62.51
#19	#19 Bemidji State University Bemidji	Bemidji	$10,237	61.33
#20	#20 Hamline University Saint Paul	Saint Paul	$50,004	59.72
#21	#21 University of Minnesota-Duluth Duluth	Duluth	$14,610	59.10
#22	#22 The College of Saint Scholastica Duluth	Duluth	$41,778	55.01
#23	#23 Concordia College at Moorhead Moorhead	Moorhead	$31,170	54.78
#25	#25 Southwest Minnesota State University Marshall	Marshall	$10,361	52.91