College Azimuth

Research brief & institution hub

Saint Cloud State University

MNMedium public institution · Overall rank #619 nationally

Data snapshot Updated

Azimuth ranks Saint Cloud State University #619 nationally.

Who it’s a good fit for

Saint Cloud State University is a public university in Saint Cloud, Minnesota, where the degree mix is led by Business and Health Professions. Affordability is well above average, and the admission rate is above the median for comparable schools.

So the fit is less about clearing a bar and more about whether the programs and price work for you. Graduates out-earn what predicts for students like them.

The model attributes that gap to the factors it measures. Those factors — field of study, enrollment and the local labor market — add to expected earnings.

A remainder it does not explain subtracts from them. Return is around the average, and the typical graduate earns above the median at comparable schools, so the raw and adjusted results point the same way.

The price case is straightforward: what families in the lowest income band pay after aid sits well below the published cost, and affordability is well above average. Pell students complete at a rate above the overall cohort, and mobility is above average.

Most graduates are estimated to go into work rather than on to further study. A student drawn to the largest programs should know that the highest-earning ones — in engineering and nursing — are smaller.

Saint Cloud State University at a glance

Admissions and outcomes

Admission rate[1]
94.8%
Six-year completion[2]
40.3%
Four-year earnings[3]
$59,194

Cost and family borrowing

Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[6]
$12,034
Median student debt[4]
$21,058
Median Parent PLUS debt[7]
$11,598

Saint Cloud State University rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[5]

Saint Cloud State University is a public university in Saint Cloud, Minnesota, enrolling 5,088 undergraduates. Its composite standing in the Azimuth ranking sits near the middle of the field (58th percentile).

The university admits 94.8% of applicants, against a median of 85.9% for comparable institutions of the same type and size. Of students who start full time, 70.7% return for a second year and 40.3% finish within six years.

Peer medians are 73.7% for retention and 49.1% for completion. An estimated 43.8% of undergraduates arrive as transfers or part-time students, and the six-year rate describes only the first-time full-time cohort.

The four spread across a wide range. Affordability is the strongest, at the 82nd percentile, while access is the weakest, at the 27th percentile.

Mobility and return sit between them, with mobility at the 56th percentile and return at the 51st percentile.

Affordability is the strongest pillar for Saint Cloud State University, landing in the 82nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The mobility pillar follows in the 56th percentile, and the return pillar sits in the 51st percentile.

The access pillar is the weakest, in the 27th percentile. The spread between the strongest and weakest pillars is wide, but the affordability position gives families a clear starting point for the cost conversation.

The middle 50% of submitted SAT scores fell between 1,025 and 1,260. For the ACT, the middle 50% of submitted scores ranged from 17 to 25.

Undergraduates receiving Pell Grants make up 21.7% of the student body. Among nonprofit four-year institutions, Azimuth ranks Saint Cloud State University #1,066 for access.

That Pell cohort completes at 45.8% within six years, a rate that exceeds the overall cohort figure by 5.5 percentage points. Azimuth ranks the university #645 for mobility among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $2,005 more than the model expects for similar students.

How value-added outcomes are assessed · How to interpret program rankings

Saint Cloud State University rankings in context
GeographyRank
National#619

Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group.

National pillar percentiles

Economic mobility
National percentile: 56
Access & reach
National percentile: 27
Affordability
National percentile: 82
Return on investment
National percentile: 51

01 / Saint Cloud State University briefing

Saint Cloud State University cost & financial aid[6][7]

Affordability is the strongest pillar at Saint Cloud State University. The university lists a cost of attendance of $21,116 for a standard budget, which includes in-state tuition and fees at $10,245 and room and board at $10,596.

The average net price, which is what aid recipients actually pay after grants and scholarships, is $13,529. That amount is $7,587 below the sticker price, and aid covers about 36% of the published cost for the average aid recipient.

Against comparable institutions (same type and size), the sits below the peer median of $14,068 by $539. For affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions, Azimuth ranks the university #252.

Saint Cloud State University publishes a cost of attendance of $21,116, with in-state tuition and fees of $10,245 and room and board at $10,596. After grants and scholarships, the average net price—what aid recipients actually pay—is $8,909 for families earning under $30,000, $12,034 for the $48,001–$75,000 band, and $18,989 for families earning over $110,000.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $10,080. Azimuth ranks the university #252 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Aid covers about 36% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, a savings of $7,587 against the sticker price. The average net price across all aid recipients is $13,529, which sits below the peer median of $14,068 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $539.

The university charges the same tuition and fees for out-of-state students as it does for residents, a notable feature for a public university. Among federal-loan borrowers who completed, the median federal student debt is $21,058.

About 86.9% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. That debt is below the peer median of $21,229 by $171, and corresponds to an estimated payment of $239 a month if repaid over ten years.

Parents who borrow through Parent PLUS carry a separate median of $11,598.

Your family income

Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.

Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$12,034

After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Borrowing and repayment at Saint Cloud State University

Federal borrowing is common at Saint Cloud State University, where 86.9% of federal aid recipients take federal loans, yet the amounts that completers carry are close to the norm. The median federal student debt at graduation is $21,058.

That median is below the $21,229 median for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $171, a narrow gap. Parent borrowers, a separate population, carry a median Parent PLUS loan of $11,598.

Affordability is the strongest pillar at Saint Cloud State University, and the investment picture shows it. Borrowers who complete leave with a median of $21,058 in federal student loans, $171 below the $21,229 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $239 a month. Four years after completion, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $59,194, at the 48th percentile.

That figure is $1,893 above the $57,301 median for comparable institutions. Graduates earn about $2,005 more than the model expects for similar students, an outcome at the 62nd percentile.

Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix range from $47,559 in a downside case to $86,881 in an upside case, with $59,194 as the typical scenario.

Median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $11,598. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $239.

How Financial GPS measures payment burden · The four risk-and-reward zones

Financial GPS

What does repayment look like?

Institution median student debt
$21,058
Institution Parent PLUS debt
$11,598

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

Estimated student payment · monthly
$239/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
$147/mo

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

Payment assumptions

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.

Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS
Read the full cost & aid brief

02 / Saint Cloud State University briefing

Saint Cloud State University career outcomes & earnings[3][8][9]

Azimuth places the return pillar at the 51st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $59,194, in the 48th percentile.

That is $1,893 above the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Graduates earn about $2,005 more than the model expects for similar students.

That places the gap at the 62nd percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $6,547.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $4,542. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $2,163.

Saint Cloud State University graduates who are working and not enrolled four years after completion earn a median of $59,194 from a cohort of 2,284 federally aided completers. That is $1,893 above the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth places that earnings level at the 48th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $2,005 more than the model expects for similar students.

Earnings beyond expectations measure the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students. That result sits at the 62nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix span from $47,559 on the downside to $86,881 on the upside, with a typical scenario of $59,194. An estimated 28.4% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.

Four years after completion, graduates of Saint Cloud State University earn a median of $59,194, which places the university in the 48th percentile nationally. That figure is above the peer median of $57,301 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $1,893.

Graduates earn about $2,005 more than the model expects for similar students, a result that sits in the 62nd percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $6,547.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $4,542. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $2,163.

The return pillar overall ranks #717 among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix show a downside of $47,559 and an upside of $86,881, a wide spread that reflects the range of fields the university offers.

The largest program, Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management, awarded 101 degrees and shows median earnings of $80,331 four years after completion. The highest-earning program is Computer Engineering, where graduates earn a median of $107,133 from 30 degrees awarded.

Nursing, with 88 degrees awarded, also reaches a strong median of $84,470, while Finance graduates earn $70,259 from 94 degrees. The earnings spread across these programs is substantial.

Outcomes range from six-figure medians in engineering and computer science to more moderate medians in interdisciplinary and communication fields. That pattern mirrors the wide scenario range at the institution level.

The spread between the downside and upside earnings scenarios at Saint Cloud State University is wide: from $47,559 to $86,881 four years after completion. That range reflects the variation in outcomes across the university's 36 programs with published earnings data.

The highest-earning programs show what is possible at the upper end. Computer Engineering graduates earn a median of $107,133, Computer Science completers reach $103,765, and Electrical Engineering graduates earn $90,009.

Affordability is the strongest pillar at Saint Cloud State University, and the debt figures bear that out. Borrowers who finish carry a median of $21,058 in federal student loans, which is $171 below the $21,229 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $239 a month. Graduates earn about $2,005 more than the model expects for similar students.

The combination of a debt load that sits below the peer median and earnings that exceed the model's prediction points to a return that is attainable without heavy borrowing.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$6,547
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
-$4,542
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
+$2,005

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

Read the full outcomes brief

03 / Saint Cloud State University briefing

Saint Cloud State University acceptance rate & admissions[1][10][11]

Saint Cloud State University admits 94.8% of applicants, a rate that admits most who apply. The median of 85.9% for comparable institutions (same type and size) sits below that figure.

SAT: approximate enrolled-student range
Admission rate
94.8%
Approximate lower endpoint
1025
Reported average
1092
Approximate upper endpoint
1260

Enrolled students who submitted scores. This range is not an admission cutoff. The endpoints add section percentiles; they are not verified composite-score percentiles. A separate SAT-equivalent average is not plotted as a median. Source: College Scorecard; sum of section 25th/75th percentiles; enrolled score-submitters.

Read the full admissions brief

04 / Saint Cloud State University briefing

What are the largest majors at Saint Cloud State University?[12]

Engineering and computing programs earn the most at Saint Cloud State University, while large fields in business and communication sit at moderate levels. Computer Engineering leads at $107,133 four years after completion on 30 degrees awarded.

Computer Science follows at $103,765 on 39 degrees awarded, and Electrical Engineering reaches $90,009 on 16 degrees awarded. The university awards the most degrees in broader fields where earnings are more moderate.

Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies shows a median of $56,547 four years after completion on 98 degrees awarded. Communication and Media Studies reaches $56,388 on 81 degrees awarded.

Finance lands at $70,259 (94 degrees awarded). The distance between the top program median and these large programs reflects the range of early pay across fields.

Saint Cloud State University publishes earnings data for 36 bachelor's programs. The five largest by degrees awarded span technology, business, health, and communication, and their median earnings four years after completion range from $56,388 in Communication and Media Studies to $84,470 in Nursing.

The highest-earning program is Computer Engineering, where completers earn a median of $107,133 four years after completion, with 30 degrees awarded. Computer Science follows at $103,765 (39 degrees awarded), and Electrical Engineering at $90,009 (16 degrees awarded).

The largest program, Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management, awarded 101 degrees and shows a median of $80,331, which sits just below the national field median.

The degree mix at Saint Cloud State University is led by Business, which accounts for 20.1% of bachelor's degrees awarded, followed by Health Professions at 11.4% and Computer & Information Sciences at 8.8%. The university has 36 programs with published four-year earnings data.

The largest single program is Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management, at 101 degrees awarded, with Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies close behind at 98 and Finance at 94. The highest-earning programs are concentrated in engineering and technology.

Computer Engineering graduates report the top median earnings four years after completion at $107,133, from 30 degrees awarded. Computer Science follows at $103,765 with 39 degrees awarded, and Electrical Engineering at $90,009 from 16 degrees awarded.

Mechanical Engineering rounds out the top earners at $87,503 from 34 degrees awarded. Nursing, the fourth-largest program at 88 degrees awarded, also sits among the five highest-earning programs, while the largest program, Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management, earns $80,331.

The pattern shows a practical mix where the largest programs are not the best-paid ones. Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies and Communication and Media Studies are two of the largest fields.

They sit near the national median for their fields at 1.01x and 1.00x respectively. The engineering programs that lead in earnings are smaller.

23.1% of degrees awarded are in STEM fields, a share that includes the engineering and computer science programs at the top of the earnings distribution.

Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields
Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management 101 degrees awarded
$80,331
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other 98 degrees awarded
$56,547
Finance and Financial Management Services 94 degrees awarded
$70,259
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 88 degrees awarded
$84,470
Communication and Media Studies 81 degrees awarded
$56,388
Psychology, General 76 degrees awarded
$52,031

Fields selected by reported completions. Counts describe credentials awarded, not unique students or the earnings sample. Bars show median four-year earnings.

Read the full majors brief

05 / Saint Cloud State University briefing

How does Saint Cloud State University serve students from different backgrounds?

Pell recipients in the first-time full-time cohort at Saint Cloud State University complete at a rate of 45.8%, above the overall six-year graduation rate of 40.3% by 5.5 percentage points. Azimuth places the mobility pillar in the 56th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $2,005 more than the model expects for similar students, a result that sits in the 62nd percentile nationally.

Saint Cloud State University is a public university in Saint Cloud, Minnesota, where an estimated 43.8% of the 5,088 undergraduates arrive as transfers or part-time students. The university admits 94.8% of applicants, above the median of 85.9% for comparable institutions.

Pell Grant recipients account for 21.7% of the undergraduate body. Azimuth places the access pillar in the 27th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

06 / Saint Cloud State University briefing

What colleges are similar to Saint Cloud State University?[15]

Azimuth groups alternatives by admissions, location, cost and earnings, then orders candidates within each group. Peer earnings use the matched four-year cohort. How matching works.

A shortlist for different decisions

Choose a row to compare the figures with Saint Cloud State University.

Admissions peerMinnesota State University-Mankato88.4% admitted
Comparison with Saint Cloud State University
MeasureSaint Cloud State UniversityMinnesota State University-Mankato
Peer earnings · 4 years$59,194$64,235+$5,041 vs Saint Cloud State University
Average annual net price$13,529$19,139+$5,610 vs Saint Cloud State University · higher cost
Admission rate94.8%88.4%
Explore Minnesota State University-Mankato →
Nearby alternativeMinnesota State University-MankatoNearby option · MN
Comparison with Saint Cloud State University
MeasureSaint Cloud State UniversityMinnesota State University-Mankato
Peer earnings · 4 years$59,194$64,235+$5,041 vs Saint Cloud State University
Average annual net price$13,529$19,139+$5,610 vs Saint Cloud State University · higher cost
Admission rate94.8%88.4%
Explore Minnesota State University-Mankato →
Higher-earnings alternativeMichigan Technological University$84,560 earnings
Comparison with Saint Cloud State University
MeasureSaint Cloud State UniversityMichigan Technological University
Peer earnings · 4 years$59,194$84,560+$25,366 vs Saint Cloud State University
Average annual net price$13,529$14,182+$653 vs Saint Cloud State University · higher cost
Admission rate94.8%92.4%
Explore Michigan Technological University →
Lower-cost alternativeUniversity of Minnesota-Morris$8,837 average net price
Comparison with Saint Cloud State University
MeasureSaint Cloud State UniversityUniversity of Minnesota-Morris
Peer earnings · 4 years$59,194$51,631-$7,563 vs Saint Cloud State University
Average annual net price$13,529$8,837-$4,692 vs Saint Cloud State University · lower cost
Admission rate94.8%74.9%
Similar profileWinona State UniversityMatched across several measures
Comparison with Saint Cloud State University
MeasureSaint Cloud State UniversityWinona State University
Peer earnings · 4 years$59,194$60,533+$1,339 vs Saint Cloud State University
Average annual net price$13,529$17,503+$3,974 vs Saint Cloud State University · higher cost
Admission rate94.8%75.5%
Explore Winona State University →

Each school is the first-ranked match in its category, not a recommendation across every measure. The same college may lead more than one category. Figures use the matching snapshot; earnings reflect the matched four-year cohort. — means unavailable.

Read the full similar schools brief

Data scope & methodology

Structured payloads generated Governed hub narrative Governed spoke corpus

Four-year earnings describe cohorts of completers. Figures for other horizons describe different cohorts and are not joined into a career-growth projection.

Azimuth's overall rank and pillar percentiles come from the school profile. Absolute pillar ranks, city, enrollment and official-site links are shown only when structured data supplies them.

Detailed earnings, cost, admissions and program values come from the endpoint responsible for each measure. Missing values are not replaced with zero. Value-added estimates are model associations, not causal effects.

Figures are refreshed with each data release, at most a quarter apart. The underlying source dates can be earlier than the release.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.

Read the ranking methodology, data definitions and limitations · About College Azimuth

Read the analysis behind value-added earnings and the change to four-year graduate earnings. These articles are published on collegeazimuth.com.

Data notes & source fields

Scorecard field codes identify the underlying measure; Azimuth-derived values are labeled separately. Snapshot dates are not measurement years. Source populations and reporting periods differ across measures. Field definitions are in the U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation; notes with a different source link it below.

  1. Admission rate. Reported applicants admitted; not a transfer-specific or individual admission probability.

    Source fields: ADM_RATE

  2. Six-year completion. First-time, full-time students completing at the institution within 150% of normal time, typically six years for a bachelor’s degree.

    Source fields: C150_4

  3. Four-year institutional earnings. Median earnings of graduates in the reported cohort who are working and not enrolled, four years after completion.

    Source fields: MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

  4. Median federal student debt. Federal student-loan debt among completers in the reported borrowing cohort. Excludes Parent PLUS and is not total debt across all students.

    Source fields: GRAD_DEBT_MDN

  5. National, regional and state ranks; pillar percentiles; major ranks. Derived scores within the stated eligible comparison set, not raw Scorecard fields. Major ranks compare institutions within a field; their denominators differ.

    Source fields: Azimuth rankings

    College Azimuth · Ranking methodology

  6. Annual net price by family income. Average annual cost after grants and scholarships for the eligible first-time, full-time aid-recipient cohort. Public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. Includes living costs; these are averages, not medians or individual offers.

    Source fields: NPT4_PUB/PRIV; NPT41_PUB/PRIV through NPT45_PUB/PRIV

  7. Parent PLUS debt, payments and GPS illustration. Stored payments use Financial GPS loan and repayment assumptions. The adjustable spectrum applies the published framework to annual student payments divided by earnings minus an expense allowance; its initial allowance uses the frozen 2024 framework baseline. It is an illustration rather than a school rating. Parent PLUS uses the completer median where available, otherwise the all-borrower median; these describe different borrowing populations.

    Source fields: PLUS_DEBT_ALL_COMP_MD; fallback PLUS_DEBT_ALL_MD; Azimuth Financial GPS calculations

    College Azimuth · Financial GPS methodology

  8. Downside and upside earnings; yellow band. The band spans the modeled lower and higher scenarios. It is not the P25–P75 interval for individual graduates. The median marker is the separately reported institutional median.

    Source fields: Azimuth modeled program-mix scenarios

    College Azimuth · Earnings scenario methodology

  9. Value added and its components. Observed-factor attribution plus the unexplained remainder equals total modeled value added. These are associations, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

    Source fields: Azimuth statistical model

    College Azimuth · Value-added methodology

  10. SAT score range and reported midpoint. Reported scores of enrolled score-submitters, not admission cutoffs. The midpoint field is not necessarily the middle of the displayed range.

    Source fields: SATVR25 + SATMT25; SATVR75 + SATMT75; SAT_AVG

  11. First-year retention. Retention of the reported full-time cohort at four-year institutions.

    Source fields: RET_FT4

  12. Program earnings, completion counts and major-mix dots. Included bachelor’s programs have at least five reported completions. Counts are aggregated credentials, not unique people or an earnings sample. Major-mix dots group those counts by field of study; excluded programs are not zero activity.

    Source fields: EARN_MDN_4YR; IPEDSCOUNT1; CIPCODE

    College Scorecard · Field-of-study technical documentation

  13. Pell recipients. Share of undergraduates receiving a Pell Grant in the reported academic year.

    Source fields: PCTPELL

  14. Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group. This is not an observed transfer-in rate. It includes part-time entrants and other entering-student attendance patterns.

    Source fields: 1 − PFTFTUG1_EF

  15. Peer earnings and signed differences. Differences are peer minus this school, from the same matching snapshot. A positive earnings difference does not mean the peer is better on every measure.

    Source fields: Azimuth peer model using MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

    College Azimuth · Comparison methodology

How to interpret program rankings