Most Selective Colleges in Minnesota
Ranked by acceptance rate (35 colleges with at least 500 undergraduates). Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, June 2026 release.
| # | College | Acceptance rate | Net price | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carleton College Northfield, MN · Private nonprofit | 20% | $25,407 | $75,525 |
| 2 | Crown College Saint Bonifacius, MN · Private nonprofit | 23% | $26,672 | $48,057 |
| 3 | Macalester College Saint Paul, MN · Private nonprofit | 29% | $32,149 | $63,878 |
| 4 | Bethany Lutheran College Mankato, MN · Private nonprofit | 39% | $20,148 | $46,110 |
| 5 | St Olaf College Northfield, MN · Private nonprofit | 48% | $23,874 | $65,543 |
| 6 | Minneapolis College of Art and Design Minneapolis, MN · Private nonprofit | 48% | $29,926 | $40,873 |
| 7 | Bemidji State University Bemidji, MN · Public | 56% | $15,261 | $53,755 |
| 8 | Minnesota State University Moorhead Moorhead, MN · Public | 59% | $17,997 | $50,527 |
| 9 | Gustavus Adolphus College Saint Peter, MN · Private nonprofit | 61% | $22,900 | $65,607 |
| 10 | Southwest Minnesota State University Marshall, MN · Public | 62% | $15,291 | $51,342 |
| 11 | Concordia College at Moorhead Moorhead, MN · Private nonprofit | 63% | $24,902 | $59,317 |
| 12 | University of Minnesota-Rochester Rochester, MN · Public | 71% | $13,744 | $69,020 |
| 13 | University of Minnesota-Morris Morris, MN · Public | 75% | $8,837 | $50,919 |
| 14 | Winona State University Winona, MN · Public | 75% | $17,503 | $58,532 |
| 15 | Concordia University-Saint Paul Saint Paul, MN · Private nonprofit | 79% | $18,462 | $59,871 |
| 16 | University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN · Public | 80% | $16,778 | $69,020 |
| 17 | Augsburg University Minneapolis, MN · Private nonprofit | 82% | $23,873 | $58,829 |
| 18 | University of St Thomas Saint Paul, MN · Private nonprofit | 85% | $29,155 | $73,739 |
| 19 | Martin Luther College New Ulm, MN · Private nonprofit | 87% | $18,463 | $47,491 |
| 20 | Hamline University Saint Paul, MN · Private nonprofit | 88% | $20,744 | $61,106 |
| 21 | Bethel University Saint Paul, MN · Private nonprofit | 88% | $28,556 | $63,764 |
| 22 | University of Minnesota-Crookston Crookston, MN · Public | 88% | $12,212 | $58,056 |
| 23 | Minnesota State University-Mankato Mankato, MN · Public | 88% | $19,139 | $56,922 |
| 24 | University of Minnesota-Duluth Duluth, MN · Public | 89% | $18,743 | $62,616 |
| 25 | Saint Johns University Collegeville, MN · Private nonprofit | 91% | $25,672 | $76,786 |
| 26 | College of Saint Benedict Saint Joseph, MN · Private nonprofit | 92% | $26,640 | $63,260 |
| 27 | St Catherine University Saint Paul, MN · Private nonprofit | 92% | $19,764 | $59,282 |
| 28 | Saint Mary's University of Minnesota Winona, MN · Private nonprofit | 93% | $11,704 | $58,170 |
| 29 | The College of Saint Scholastica Duluth, MN · Private nonprofit | 93% | $27,846 | $65,934 |
| 30 | University of Northwestern-St Paul Saint Paul, MN · Private nonprofit | 93% | $27,705 | $50,755 |
| 31 | Herzing University-Minneapolis St. Louis Park, MN · Private nonprofit | 94% | $16,670 | $36,909 |
| 32 | Saint Cloud State University Saint Cloud, MN · Public | 95% | $13,529 | $55,813 |
| 33 | Metropolitan State University Saint Paul, MN · Public | 99% | $16,863 | $64,705 |
| 34 | Dunwoody College of Technology Minneapolis, MN · Private nonprofit | 99% | $26,939 | $61,511 |
| 35 | North Central University Minneapolis, MN · Private nonprofit | 99% | $25,817 | $45,064 |