Highest Paying Colleges in Minnesota (2026)
Updated
Highest Paying Colleges in Minnesota lists 31 four-year institutions in Minnesota. Schools are ordered by Azimuth's return pillar for Minnesota, highest first.
University of St Thomas ranks 1st on this list and reports $82,136 in median earnings for its graduates four years after completing. The list includes 10 public and 21 private nonprofit colleges.
Public colleges make up 32% of the list. University of Minnesota-Twin Cities ranks 107th on Azimuth's composite ranking among the 1,467 public and private nonprofit four-year institutions Azimuth ranks nationally.
Carleton College graduates 90% within six years, the highest six-year completion rate on the page. University of Minnesota-Morris posts the lowest average net price at $8,837.
The ranked list
| Rank | School | Median earnings, 4 years after completion | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of St Thomas · Saint Paul, MN | $82,136 | $29,155 | $28,131 | 85.4% |
| University of St Thomas ranks 1st on this list and reports median earnings of $82,136 for its graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 2 | The College of Saint Scholastica · Duluth, MN | $75,595 | $27,846 | $14,433 | 93.0% |
| The College of Saint Scholastica admits 93% of applicants and posts a six-year completion rate of 71%. | |||||
| 3 | Saint Mary's University of Minnesota · Winona, MN | $72,502 | $11,704 | $16,182 | 92.8% |
| With an average net price of $11,704, Saint Mary's University of Minnesota ranks 3rd on this page. | |||||
| 4 | Augsburg University · Minneapolis, MN | $68,350 | $23,873 | $21,318 | 82.0% |
| Augsburg University reports median earnings of $68,350 for its graduates four years after completing and an average net price of $23,873. | |||||
| 5 | University of Minnesota-Twin Cities · Minneapolis, MN | $71,941 | $16,778 | $6,642 | 79.8% |
| University of Minnesota-Twin Cities holds an Azimuth composite rank of 107th among nonprofit four-year institutions and graduates 85% of its students within six years. | |||||
| 6 | St Catherine University · Saint Paul, MN | $65,829 | $19,764 | $17,890 | 91.9% |
| St Catherine University reports an average net price of $17,890 for families earning under $30,000 and median earnings of $65,829 for its graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 7 | Concordia University-Saint Paul · Saint Paul, MN | $68,250 | $18,462 | $16,406 | 78.9% |
| Concordia University-Saint Paul admits 79% of applicants and reports median earnings of $68,250 for its graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 8 | Bethel University · Saint Paul, MN | $70,633 | $28,556 | $22,218 | 87.8% |
| Bethel University ranks 8th on this list, with a six-year completion rate of 71%. | |||||
| 9 | Saint Johns University · Collegeville, MN | $72,829 | $25,672 | $10,354 | 90.6% |
| Saint Johns University reports median earnings of $72,829 for its graduates four years after completing and an average net price of $10,354 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
| 10 | Carleton College · Northfield, MN | $66,841 | $25,407 | $7,881 | 20.4% |
| Carleton College admits 20% of applicants and reports median earnings of $66,841 for its graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 11 | College of Saint Benedict · Saint Joseph, MN | $63,895 | $26,640 | $12,981 | 91.5% |
| College of Saint Benedict ranks 11th on this list and posts a six-year completion rate of 77%. | |||||
| 12 | University of Minnesota-Crookston · Crookston, MN | $62,786 | $12,212 | $5,758 | 87.9% |
| University of Minnesota-Crookston reports an average net price of $5,758 for families earning under $30,000 and median earnings of $62,786 for its graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 13 | Minnesota State University-Mankato · Mankato, MN | $64,235 | $19,139 | $12,339 | 88.4% |
| Minnesota State University-Mankato reports median earnings of $64,235 for its graduates four years after completing, and an average net price of $19,139. | |||||
| 14 | University of Minnesota-Duluth · Duluth, MN | $66,056 | $18,743 | $7,256 | 88.8% |
| University of Minnesota-Duluth admits 89% of applicants and graduates 65% of its students within six years. | |||||
| 15 | Hamline University · Saint Paul, MN | $61,017 | $20,744 | $15,371 | 87.6% |
| Hamline University, a private nonprofit university in Saint Paul, ranks 15th on this list and 736th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions. | |||||
| 16 | Macalester College · Saint Paul, MN | $58,560 | $32,149 | $13,772 | 28.5% |
| With a six-year completion rate of 87%, Macalester College posts median earnings of $58,560 for its graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 17 | Saint Cloud State University · Saint Cloud, MN | $59,194 | $13,529 | $8,909 | 94.8% |
| Saint Cloud State University records an average net price of $8,909 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
| 18 | University of Northwestern-St Paul · Saint Paul, MN | $57,471 | $27,705 | $26,696 | 93.5% |
| University of Northwestern-St Paul reports median earnings of $57,471 for its graduates four years after completing, alongside a six-year completion rate of 68%. | |||||
| 19 | Winona State University · Winona, MN | $60,533 | $17,503 | $10,224 | 75.5% |
| Winona State University admits 75% of applicants and ranks 579th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions. | |||||
| 20 | Gustavus Adolphus College · Saint Peter, MN | $61,015 | $22,900 | $12,015 | 61.0% |
| Gustavus Adolphus College reports median earnings of $61,015 for its graduates four years after completing, and an average net price of $22,900. | |||||
| 21 | Martin Luther College · New Ulm, MN | $49,182 | $18,463 | $11,233 | 87.2% |
| Martin Luther College graduates 72% of its students within six years, and its graduates earn a median of $49,182 four years after completing. | |||||
| 22 | Bemidji State University · Bemidji, MN | $60,307 | $15,261 | $10,073 | 56.0% |
| Bemidji State University has an average net price of $15,261 and admits 56% of applicants. | |||||
| 23 | St Olaf College · Northfield, MN | $56,323 | $23,874 | $10,404 | 48.3% |
| St Olaf College admits 48% of applicants and reports median earnings of $56,323 for its graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 24 | Minnesota State University Moorhead · Moorhead, MN | $55,083 | $17,997 | $11,129 | 58.8% |
| Minnesota State University Moorhead ranks 24th on this list, with a six-year completion rate of 57% and median earnings of $55,083 for its graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 25 | University of Minnesota-Morris · Morris, MN | $51,631 | $8,837 | $1,694 | 74.9% |
| University of Minnesota-Morris reports median earnings of $51,631 for its graduates four years after completing, alongside an average net price of $8,837. | |||||
| 26 | Southwest Minnesota State University · Marshall, MN | $55,009 | $15,291 | $10,559 | 62.2% |
| Southwest Minnesota State University, a public institution in Marshall, ranks 26th on this list and shows a six-year completion rate of 45%. | |||||
| 27 | Concordia College at Moorhead · Moorhead, MN | $56,802 | $24,902 | $20,950 | 62.7% |
| Concordia College at Moorhead admits 63% of applicants and posts median earnings of $56,802 for its graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 28 | North Central University · Minneapolis, MN | $47,587 | $25,817 | $20,450 | 99.0% |
| North Central University ranks 1315th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions, with an admission rate of 99%. | |||||
| 29 | Crown College · Saint Bonifacius, MN | $50,863 | $26,672 | $24,270 | 22.8% |
| Crown College graduates 45% of its students within six years and reports an average net price of $26,672. | |||||
| 30 | Bethany Lutheran College · Mankato, MN | $47,456 | $20,148 | $12,571 | 39.0% |
| Bethany Lutheran College lists median earnings of $47,456 for its graduates four years after completing, and an average net price of $12,571 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
| 31 | Minneapolis College of Art and Design · Minneapolis, MN | $41,825 | $29,926 | $23,662 | 48.5% |
| Minneapolis College of Art and Design ranks 31st on this list, with a six-year completion rate of 51% and an admission rate of 48%. | |||||
How this list is ordered
Schools are ordered by Azimuth's return pillar for Minnesota, highest first. The pillar measures four-year earnings, modeled value added and program earnings relative to national benchmarks, as set out on Azimuth's methodology page. The metric is based on the median earnings of federally aided completers at each institution, across all fields, who were working and not enrolled four years after completing. It does not measure earnings in any one major, nor does it adjust for graduate school enrollment or who enrolls, and it is not a measure of teaching quality. University of St Thomas leads the list, with The College of Saint Scholastica in second. The list includes 10 public and 21 private nonprofit schools.