Best Community Colleges in Minnesota 2025

Badge for BEST IN MINNESOTA COMMUNITY COLLEGES

By Dr. James Barham
Reviewed By Chloe Dembski

Published: Apr 13, 2021
Updated: Oct 10, 2024

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.

Key Takeaways

Many Minnesota community colleges offer specialized programs in areas such as healthcare, information technology, and manufacturing, with hands-on training, internships, and certification opportunities that prepare students for immediate entry into the workforce.
Minnesota’s top community colleges have established seamless transfer agreements with major state universities like the University of Minnesota, allowing students to easily transfer credits and pursue bachelor’s degrees after completing their associate degrees.
Minnesota community colleges provide low-cost tuition, along with access to state financial aid programs like the Minnesota State Grant and scholarships, making higher education more affordable and accessible to a diverse range of students.

10 Best Community Colleges in Minnesota in 2025

Normandale Community College
Minneapolis Community and Technical College
+1
Riverland Community College
+6
Anoka-Ramsey Community College
+4
Saint Paul College
+7
Minnesota State Community and Technical College
–4
North Hennepin Community College
+3
Century College
–1
Leech Lake Tribal College
+6
Hennepin Technical College
+7

2025 Ranking Update

Our Influence Ranking Engine™ leverages machine learning to track the real-world influence of colleges and universities over time. Below you’ll see which schools gained or lost ground for the 2025 school year.

In 2025, the top ten schools in our ranking of the best community colleges in Minnesota saw a considerable amount of shuffling. Hennepin Technical College gained the most ranking positions as the college did more to develop the Advanced Manufacturing and Robotics Lab, providing students with cutting-edge equipment and training opportunities in fields such as automation, robotics, and precision machining.

The college has also enhanced its healthcare programs, adding new simulation labs for nursing and allied health students, offering hands-on experience with the latest medical technology. Additionally, Hennepin has upgraded its online learning platforms, making technical education more accessible to students through flexible course options and virtual labs. These updates reflect the college’s commitment to innovation, practical training, and student flexibility.

We’ve identified 30 community colleges in Minnesota. The following list shows the best community colleges and primarily associate degree granting colleges in Minnesota.