Best-Value Colleges in Minnesota
13 Minnesota 4-year colleges ranked by return on investment — 10-year graduate earnings per dollar of net price — among schools that beat the state median on earnings and graduation rate.
Quick answer
The best-value college in Minnesota is Saint Mary's University of Minnesota, Winona — a net price of $11,704 against $58,170 in median 10-year earnings, an ROI of 5.0×, with a 68% graduation rate. Every school here turns a modest cost into outsized, above-median earnings.
| # | School | Net price /yr | 10-yr earnings | ROI (earn ÷ price) | Grad rate | In-state tuition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Saint Mary's University of Minnesota Winona, MN | $11,704 | $58,170 | 5.0× | 68% | $45,080 |
| 2 |  University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN | $16,778 | $69,020 | 4.1× | 85% | $17,214 |
| 3 |  University of Minnesota-Duluth Duluth, MN | $18,743 | $62,616 | 3.3× | 64% | $14,610 |
| 4 |  St Catherine University Saint Paul, MN | $19,764 | $59,282 | 3.0× | 65% | $51,454 |
| 5 |  Saint Johns University Collegeville, MN | $25,672 | $76,786 | 3.0× | 76% | $55,816 |
| 6 |  Carleton College Northfield, MN | $25,407 | $75,525 | 3.0× | 91% | $68,892 |
| 7 |  Gustavus Adolphus College Saint Peter, MN | $22,900 | $65,607 | 2.9× | 76% | $56,076 |
| 8 |  St Olaf College Northfield, MN | $23,874 | $65,543 | 2.7× | 84% | $59,760 |
| 9 |  University of St Thomas Saint Paul, MN | $29,155 | $73,739 | 2.5× | 75% | $54,398 |
| 10 |  Concordia College at Moorhead Moorhead, MN | $24,902 | $59,317 | 2.4× | 72% | $31,170 |
| 11 |  College of Saint Benedict Saint Joseph, MN | $26,640 | $63,260 | 2.4× | 83% | $55,756 |
| 12 |  The College of Saint Scholastica Duluth, MN | $27,846 | $65,934 | 2.4× | 63% | $41,778 |
| 13 |  Macalester College Saint Paul, MN | $32,149 | $63,878 | 2.0× | 90% | $68,104 |
How we ranked this
From every Minnesota four-year college that publishes net price, 10-year median earnings, and graduation rate, we keep only those that beat the state median on earnings and that graduate at least 45% of students (or the state median grad rate, whichever is higher). We then rank by ROI = 10-year median earnings ÷ average annual net price — the dollars of graduate earnings each dollar of net price buys — highest first. This rewards genuine return on investment rather than the cheapest sticker price, and the 4-year + outcome guards keep out the low-completion and 2-year outliers a pure price sort surfaces. Colleges missing any of the three figures are excluded, never estimated. Minimum 5 qualifying schools required to publish a page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best-value college in Minnesota?+
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota in Winona has the highest return on investment among Minnesota 4-year colleges that beat the state median on outcomes: a net price of $11,704 against $58,170 in 10-year median earnings — an ROI of 5.0× (dollars earned per dollar of annual net price) — with a 68% graduation rate.
What does "net price" mean?+
Net price is the average annual cost students actually pay after grants and scholarships are subtracted from the full cost of attendance — a far better affordability measure than sticker tuition. We use the College Scorecard average net price.
How is "best value" defined here?+
Value means return on investment, not cheapness. Among Minnesota four-year colleges that beat the state median on BOTH 10-year graduate earnings and graduation rate (and graduate at least 45% of students), we rank by the ROI ratio = 10-year median earnings ÷ average annual net price. The school that turns each tuition dollar into the most graduate earnings ranks first.
Is the cheapest college always the best value?+
No. A rock-bottom price that leads to low earnings is worse value than a moderate price that leads to high earnings. That is exactly why we rank by the earnings-to-net-price ratio rather than by lowest price, and require above-median earnings and graduation rates first. Colleges missing net price, earnings, or graduation data are excluded rather than estimated.
Keep exploring
Data sources: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard · IPEDS. Figures are the most recent values published in each federal dataset; cells with no published value are shown as “—” and never estimated. Education does not sell rankings or accept placement fees.