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2021 Top Public Universities in MinnesotaAbout this List

The Top Public Universities ranking is based on rigorous analysis of academic, admissions, financial, and student life data from the U.S. Department of Education along for millions of reviews from students and alumni. The ranking compares over 500 public colleges and state universities. Read more on how this ranking was calculated.

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A critical mass of the student body falls within the specified group, low and middle income students pay a reasonable net price, the school participates in tuition relief programs for veterans, and the school's overall Niche Grade is above a B-.

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1 – 12 of 12

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University of Minnesota Twin Cities
4 Year
Minneapolis, MN
4,367 reviews
#1 Top Public Universities in Minnesota
Freshman: My experience with the University of Minnesota so far has been excellent. There are many things that I enjoy about the school, some examples being the location and campus of the school, the challenging four year nursing program that is offered to incoming freshman, and the countless activities that one can participate inside and outside of school grounds. The location of the University of Minnesota is great because you are in the center of Minneapolis and there are plenty of things to do everyday such as museums, sporting events, and concerts. The campus and architecture is beautiful and gives students a wonderful university feel. The nursing program is awesome because it admits you immediately as a freshman and begins your career preparation right away! There are so many different clubs and activities that are available to all students at the U such as art clubs, book clubs, and intermural sports. I would not change one thing about this university!
Read 4,367 Reviews
A
Overall Niche Grade
52% Acceptance Rate
$16,691 Net Price
1270-1480 SAT Range
Will You Get In?Compare
University of Minnesota - Crookston
4 Year
Crookston, MN
172 reviews
#2 Top Public Universities in Minnesota
Junior: UMC was not on my radar or even in my research, but I'm SO grateful I ended up here. The online experience is immersive, collaborative and insightful. Each of my instructors maintains regular communication and provides feedback and truly cares about my success beyond the classroom. All of this and it's affordable too! If you are considering an online degree, I cannot recommend University of Minnesota enough.
Read 172 Reviews
B+
Overall Niche Grade
66% Acceptance Rate
$12,135 Net Price
1000-1180 SAT Range
Will You Get In?Compare
Virtual Tour
University of Minnesota Duluth
4 Year
Duluth, MN
1,100 reviews
#3 Top Public Universities in Minnesota
Graduate Student: The University of Minnesota Duluth is an excellent University. As a Psychology major at the University, I truly felt supported by all the faculty and staff that I was in contact with on a daily basis. The professors are more than willing to work with you on anything and help you out in any way possible. The academic advisors are another great resource on campus. Even if you don't have an a question about classes per say, the academic advisors are great resources to bounce ideas about your future plans off, and they are always more than happy to help. The campus coffee shop is also excellent if you are an avid coffee drinker like me. The climate of the University of Minnesota Duluth is continually evolving to incorporate all peoples and ensure all people feel welcome and safe on campus, which is awesome! Also, because UMD is a partner school with the U of M, it offers the big campus feel while allowing for the smaller more intimate class sizes which cultivate a better education.
Read 1,100 Reviews
B+
Overall Niche Grade
74% Acceptance Rate
$16,993 Net Price
1120-1340 SAT Range
Will You Get In?Compare
Virtual Tour
University of Minnesota - Rochester
4 Year
Rochester, MN
163 reviews
#4 Top Public Universities in Minnesota
Senior: I love the classroom style! The focus is on group work where you learn together and try to solve problems rather than attending a lecture and taking notes. Classrooms always have more than one teacher in them so students can get more individualized help and different view points from different teachers. Sometimes, classrooms will have teachers from different departments all teaching one topic (for example, a math teacher, a psych teacher, and a chemistry teacher all talking about the distributions of Skittles flavors, the recognition of Skittles and their flavors, and the sour acids in the Skittles respectively).
Read 163 Reviews
B+
Overall Niche Grade
50% Acceptance Rate
$15,469 Net Price
1030-1140 SAT Range
Will You Get In?Compare
University of Minnesota - Morris
4 Year
Morris, MN
431 reviews
#5 Top Public Universities in Minnesota
Senior: It's a great college to become an adult at! The town is small and safe so it's not overwhelming. The class sizes are often small and the professors care about you and want you to succeed. I had a professor who offered me tea every time I went to office hours.
Read 431 Reviews
B
Overall Niche Grade
63% Acceptance Rate
$11,403 Net Price
1080-1350 SAT Range
Will You Get In?Compare
Virtual Tour
Winona State University
4 Year
Winona, MN
887 reviews
#6 Top Public Universities in Minnesota
Sophomore: While I love WSU, there's a lot that needs to be fixed within the community. The minute you get off-campus there are no lights, nothing keeping you from getting taken or hurt. While all three of the campus housing centers are relatively careful, security can only do so much off campus, and the police only come in the event of a call.

On Main campus there are so many resources available! But not on West or East, you have to come onto main if you want anything done, which I get! Main has all the classrooms, and therefore there will be more resources available because there are more people that stay on Main.
Read 887 Reviews
B
Overall Niche Grade
66% Acceptance Rate
$16,401 Net Price
1000-1190 SAT Range
Will You Get In?Compare
Minnesota State University, Mankato
4 Year
Mankato, MN
1,147 reviews
#7 Top Public Universities in Minnesota
Senior: The best thing about MNSU is that you learn a lot , there are a lot of opportunities to expand your knowledge both in class and outside class, the school tries as much as possible to provide entertainment for students through student activities, and so you never get bored. There is also great help from the career development center where they helped me write my first resume. Through machine, I was hired by a hospital at the beginning of my senior year.Also during winter time, you don’t need to walk outside buildings . Most are connected and warm. In the summer there is a bike rental program where the school rents out bikes to students which is nice. And also the parties are too good! You have a blast . The only downside is that cops bust most of the parties. But MNSU is an ultimate college experience.
Read 1,147 Reviews
B
Overall Niche Grade
61% Acceptance Rate
$14,519 Net Price
886-1106 SAT Range
Will You Get In?Compare
Virtual Tour
Metropolitan State University - Minnesota
4 Year
Saint Paul, MN
450 reviews
#8 Top Public Universities in Minnesota
Alum: Metro State offers an affordable yet superb education. The programs/courses cater to a diverse range of nontraditional students including students from various cultural backgrounds, current/former military members, students with disabilities, full-time workers, those with children, and students of all ages. The professors exhibit consistent dedication to delivering a high quality, relevant education while simultaneously cultivating students' abilities to think for themselves. Metro State's urban St. Paul location makes it an optimal choice for commuting students. The main St. Paul campus has a clean, fresh, and organized feel with an excellent library. Additionally, a well-executed parking ramp mitigates urban parking difficulties. While sports are not a primary focus for this institution, there are dozens of student groups/activities available. Overall, Metro State is an exceptional institution to obtain a college degree.
Read 450 Reviews
B
Overall Niche Grade
54% Acceptance Rate
$14,900 Net Price
— SAT Range
Will You Get In?Compare
Minnesota State University Moorhead
4 Year
Moorhead, MN
748 reviews
#9 Top Public Universities in Minnesota
Freshman: I like Minnesota State University Moorhead because they offers in-state tuition to all student. They have an average class size of 24 with 17:1 student -faculty ratio which helps facilitate one on one interactions with professors. Taking about facilities, MSUM has one of the best State-of-the-art facilities Langseth Hall and Hagen Hall which are modern facilities providing experiential, student-centered learning in interesting spaces that are devoted to research and discovery. In addition to outstanding labs on campus, you can learn and do research at a field station at the MSUM Regional Science Center.
Furthermore, faculty-mentored research is the hallmark of the Biosciences department. Faculty and student collaborators regularly publish in academic peer-reviewed journals and present at regional and national conferences. Faculty and student researchers meet regularly to discuss research. These are but a few reasons why I like Minnesota State University Moorhead.
Read 748 Reviews
B
Overall Niche Grade
60% Acceptance Rate
$16,397 Net Price
920-1190 SAT Range
Will You Get In?Compare
Bemidji State University
4 Year
Bemidji, MN
531 reviews
Freshman: I am basing this on my orientation and my first week of school. The three words I can think of is I Love it here. Very welcoming, organized, awesome atmosphere, the city is beautiful and I love the outdoors.

That’s about all I can say since I’ve only been here for almost a week now!
Go Beavers!
Read 531 Reviews
B-
Overall Niche Grade
67% Acceptance Rate
$14,814 Net Price
— SAT Range
Will You Get In?Compare
Southwest Minnesota State University
4 Year
Marshall, MN
306 reviews
Senior: Southwest Minnesota State University is a large scale school with a small-town feel. The school has lots of great employees. The school offers student employment. It has affordable learning!
Read 306 Reviews
B-
Overall Niche Grade
60% Acceptance Rate
$14,604 Net Price
860-1030 SAT Range
Will You Get In?Compare
St. Cloud State University
4 Year
Saint Cloud, MN
1,138 reviews
Freshman: Even though Saint Cloud State was not my first pick for a college, I rather enjoy campus life and being a college student there. The dorms are nice and almost everyone around campus is super friendly! I've met a lot of cool people and it's been a really nice experience overall! The only part I'm not too big on is the campus dining hall, the food is okay at best, but most of the time it's pretty bland. I'm not too much of a picky eater though, so it doesn't bother me too much.
Read 1,138 Reviews
C+
Overall Niche Grade
86% Acceptance Rate
$13,816 Net Price
960-1240 SAT Range
Will You Get In?Compare
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Roanoke College
4 Year
Salem, VA
723 reviews
Sophomore: I love Roanoke College! I didn't ever expect to go here and it sort of just happened. It was originally my backup school, but I loved it so much and everything fell into place. The size of the college is wonderful-- you'll never have a professor who doesn't know who you are. It's big enough that you see new people every day, and small enough that you'll wave hi to at least one person you know walking across campus. The environment is welcoming, and campus safety does a great job in their dealings with students and with the more serious issues that occur on all college campuses. Academics at Roanoke are no joke! Don't expect to come here and not do any work... the low retention rate is because of freshman who either drop out mid-year or they don't come back for sophomore year. But don't let that scare you-- if you find something that you love to do, that studying and work all ties together and the payoff is amazing!
Read 723 Reviews
B+
Overall Niche Grade
72% Acceptance Rate
$28,155 Net Price
1040-1230 SAT Range
Will You Get In?Compare
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About This List

The Top Public Universities ranking is based on rigorous analysis of academic, admissions, financial, and student life data from the U.S. Department of Education along for millions of reviews from students and alumni. The ranking compares over 500 public colleges and state universities. Read more on how this ranking was calculated.

Where Niche Grades come from and how Niche calculates rankings.

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