The best community colleges provide an effective springboard into higher education, offering students high-quality two-year degree programs in a wide range of disciplines. The top-rated community colleges in Minnesota offer a broad selection of associate’s degrees, affordable tuition rates, and strong partnerships with public four-year schools so that students can easily transfer their credits into accredited bachelor’s degree programs.
One of largest public higher education institutes in the country, the University of Minnesota has main campuses in both of the Twin Cities, Saint Paul and Minneapolis. This school costs about $15,000 in tuition, and provides its students with competitive programs in fields like nursing, education, economics, and psychology. And the options don’t stop there. There are more than 20 schools in the state with religious affiliations, including larger schools like the University of St. Thomas, which campuses in both Twin Cities, and smaller schools like Oak Hills Christian College in Bemidji.
Find college admissions consultants in your state.
For students striving to keep costs low in a smaller school environment, Southwest Minnesota State University offers tuition below the national average and serves about 3,500 students. Additionally, those on track to become a teacher or health care provider may be eligible for one of Minnesota’s loan forgiveness programs after graduation. Minnesota also boasts a large network of private colleges, two of which, Walden University and Capella University, primarily cater to online students.
Ever heard the phrase, There’s an app for that?
Well, in Minnesota they say something similar, There’s a festival for that.
This fun state doesn’t hold back when it comes to celebrating. With events like the Grumpy Old Men Festival, World Festival, and the Perham Turtle Fest, students earning their degrees at one of Minnesota’s more than 70 colleges won’t miss out on a good time.
Discover some of Minnesota’s top programs and learn how you can earn your associate, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree while cashing in on some of this state’s unique experiences.
We’ve identified 30 community colleges in Minnesota. The following list shows the best community colleges and primarily associate degree granting colleges in Minnesota.
Tuition + fees
$6K
Graduation
24%
Student body
7K
Normandale Community College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$6K
Graduation
44%
Student body
3K
Minnesota State Community and Technical College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$6K
Graduation
19%
Student body
4K
Minneapolis Community and Technical College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$6K
Graduation
54%
Student body
2K
Dakota County Technical College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$6K
Graduation
37%
Student body
<1K
Minnesota North College – Vermilion’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$6K
Graduation
32%
Student body
3K
Lake Superior College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$6K
Graduation
22%
Student body
6K
Century College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$6K
Graduation
24%
Student body
5K
Anoka-Ramsey Community College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$6K
Graduation
42%
Student body
2K
Riverland Community College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$5K
Graduation
14%
Student body
4K
North Hennepin Community College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$6K
Graduation
45%
Student body
<1K
Northwest Technical College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$6K
Graduation
29%
Student body
4K
Saint Paul College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$6K
Graduation
30%
Student body
<1K
Minnesota North College – Itasca’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$6K
Graduation
43%
Student body
<1K
Tuition + fees
$5K
Graduation
27%
Student body
<1K
Leech Lake Tribal College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$6K
Graduation
30%
Student body
2K
South Central College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$6K
Graduation
32%
Student body
3K
Hennepin Technical College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$6K
Graduation
46%
Student body
1K
Tuition + fees
$6K
Graduation
41%
Student body
2K
Minnesota West Community and Technical College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$6K
Graduation
24%
Student body
3K
Inver Hills Community College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$6K
Graduation
26%
Student body
<1K
Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$6K
Graduation
39%
Student body
<1K
Minnesota North College – Mesabi Range Virginia’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$6K
Graduation
43%
Student body
2K
Northland Community & Technical College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$6K
Graduation
48%
Student body
3K
Central Lakes College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$4K
Graduation
31%
Student body
<1K
Tuition + fees
$6K
Graduation
33%
Student body
3K
St. Cloud Technical and Community College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$6K
Graduation
62%
Student body
2K
Alexandria Technical and Community College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$5K
Graduation
26%
Student body
<1K
Tuition + fees
$6K
Graduation
36%
Student body
<1K
Tuition + fees
$7K
Graduation
38%
Student body
1K
Minnesota State College Southeast’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Many of our 2022 undergraduate focused rankings look considerably different than 2021. That’s because we took a fundamentally different apporach. For 2021 we utilized our Concentrated Influence algorithm, designed to take away the size advantage larger schools have when we rank their faculty and alumni’s academic influence. Concentrated influence highlights smaller schools that are proportionally as successful as larger universities at cultivating influential alumni and faculty.