Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Minnesota 2023

Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Minnesota 2023

By James Barham

Published: Apr 13, 2021
Updated: May 22, 2023

Liberal arts colleges are a great option for students seeking a well-rounded education in an intimate campus setting. The best liberal arts colleges in Minnesota offer a diverse selection of degree programs with opportunities for a highly individualized educational experience.

10 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Minnesota

Carleton College

48%

Macalester College

41%

St. Olaf College

39%

Gustavus Adolphus College

36%

Hamline University

36%

University of Minnesota Duluth

35%

Minnesota State University, Mankato

32%

St. Cloud State University

29%

Minnesota State University Moorhead

28%

College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University

28%

Dunwoody College of Technology

99%

Saint Mary's University of Minnesota

98%

St. Cloud State University

94%

North Central University

94%

College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University

92%

Southwest Minnesota State University

91%

University of Northwestern – St. Paul

82%

University of Minnesota Duluth

80%

Winona State University

77%

Augsburg University

76%

Minnesota State University, Mankato

22 to 1

Concordia University, St. Paul

20 to 1

Bemidji State University

19 to 1

St. Cloud State University

19 to 1

University of Minnesota Crookston

18 to 1

Saint Mary's University of Minnesota

18 to 1

Minnesota State University Moorhead

18 to 1

University of Northwestern – St. Paul

18 to 1

Winona State University

17 to 1

University of Minnesota Duluth

17 to 1

Macalester College

$60,518

Carleton College

$60,225

St. Olaf College

$52,670

Gustavus Adolphus College

$50,490

College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University

$50,126

Hamline University

$46,221

Augsburg University

$41,007

Saint Mary's University of Minnesota

$39,410

University of Northwestern – St. Paul

$34,180

Bethany Lutheran College

$28,660

College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University

$19,920

University of Minnesota Duluth

$17,844

Augsburg University

$13,500

Saint Mary's University of Minnesota

$10,890

$10,350

North Central University

$10,260

Hamline University

$10,120

Minnesota State University Moorhead

$10,062

Concordia College

$9,990

Bethany Lutheran College

$9,900

Concordia University, St. Paul

14%

14%

Bethany Lutheran College

15%

Dunwoody College of Technology

16%

North Central University

20%

University of Minnesota Crookston

20%

Southwest Minnesota State University

21%

Concordia College

21%

University of Northwestern – St. Paul

23%

Saint Mary's University of Minnesota

24%

Carleton College

18%

Macalester College

31%

St. Olaf College

47%

University of Minnesota Crookston

48%

Bethany Lutheran College

61%

65%

Concordia University, St. Paul

68%

Minnesota State University, Mankato

69%

Minnesota State University Moorhead

72%

Concordia College

72%

Carleton College

8 to 1

Macalester College

10 to 1

Dunwoody College of Technology

10 to 1

Bethany Lutheran College

11 to 1

University of Minnesota Morris

11 to 1

Concordia College

11 to 1

Gustavus Adolphus College

12 to 1

College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University

12 to 1

St. Olaf College

12 to 1

Hamline University

13 to 1

St. Cloud State University

$7,839

Minnesota State University, Mankato

$8,072

Minnesota State University Moorhead

$8,096

Winona State University

$8,100

Southwest Minnesota State University

$9,482

Bemidji State University

$9,806

University of Minnesota Duluth

$12,420

University of Minnesota Crookston

$12,514

University of Minnesota Morris

$12,584

Dunwoody College of Technology

$23,863

Southwest Minnesota State University

$7,956

Winona State University

$8,000

St. Cloud State University

$8,009

Minnesota State University, Mankato

$8,506

Concordia University, St. Paul

$8,550

Bemidji State University

$8,608

University of Northwestern – St. Paul

$8,982

Bethany Lutheran College

$9,900

Concordia College

$9,990

Minnesota State University Moorhead

$10,062

Table of Contents

Colleges and Universities in Minnesota

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.

What are Minnesota’s Colleges & Universities?

Minnesota’s Best Overall

Related: Differences between research universities and teaching colleges

Minnesota's Best Liberal Arts Colleges Badge — Download Badge

How do we determine Minnesota's best colleges and universities?

The people affiliated with a school are ultimately what make it great! If you are serious about finding the best colleges and universities for a bachelor’s degree, you should be asking where the most influential professors are teaching and whether their graduates are themselves advancing the school’s reputation for academic excellence in their fields of study.

Most ranking sites rely on an opaque combination of reputation surveys and arbitrary performance metrics. Concentrated Influence provides a ranking that is freer from bias, insulated from manipulation, and reflective of real-world educational outcomes.

To rank the influence of schools, we first determine the influence of scholars and professionals based on the number of citations and publications they have had over the past 10 years. In addition to publications and citations, we consider the web links to and from these sources, and the page views of those sources. We then match the influential people to their alma maters and institutions of employment, so that their influence is attributed to those schools. Our machine-learning Influence Ranking algorithm produces a numerical score of academic achievements, merits, and citations across Wikipedia, wikidata, Crossref, Semantic Scholar and an ever-growing body of data. If you are interested in exploring how and why we rank by influence, explore our methodology in more depth.

A liberal arts college is a school that puts a premium on undergraduate studies and offers a broad range of subjects for students to study. A college of liberal arts typically provides smaller class sizes, more direct engagement with professors, and, most importantly, the opportunity to sample a wide range of subject areas on the way to a bachelor’s degree. We’ve identified 24 liberal arts colleges in Minnesota. To be ranked among the best liberal arts colleges in Minnesota, schools must fully accredited institutions.

Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Minnesota 2022

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Minnesota’s Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Your Area of Interest

Frequently Asked Questions About Research Universities, Liberal Arts Colleges, Online Colleges

In pursuing a bachelor’s degree, you will need to choose between three kinds of schools: research universities, liberal arts colleges, and online colleges.

Research universities are colleges and universities whose faculty are active in research and publishing. Research universities offer a wide array of doctoral programs, especially in the sciences. They tend to be big, with tens of thousands of students.

Do you prefer a larger university setting, such as largest public university in your state? Research universities are typically big, offering degrees in many different disciplines. Is a big high-powered research environment the thing for you. If not, you should think about a liberal arts college. In deciding on an undergraduate institution, ask yourself what sort of environment will best help you to be happy and excel.

Consider whether you are self motivated enough to be a face in the crowd for some classes and largely unknown on campus at a large university. Of course you can find clubs and friends at a large university, but often liberal arts colleges have a more personal quality to them. If you want the community feel, a research university may not fit you well.
Are you interested in STEM fields? Research universities have that name for a reason – real research is happening there. This can create an exciting atmosphere for students interested in STEM. Attending a research university can give you a better chance of getting into better programs for graduate degrees, although a lot of that depends on your performance.

Learn more about research universities by reading about the best research universities in the US.

Often referred to as “teaching colleges” liberal arts colleges put a premium on undergraduate studies and offers a broad range of subjects for students to study. A college of liberal arts typically provides smaller class sizes, more direct engagement with professors, and, most importantly, the opportunity to sample a wide range of subject areas on the way to a bachelor’s degree.

Do you want your professors to know you? Liberal arts colleges strive to cultivate campus cultures that encourage tight bonds between professors and students. Professors at these schools will typically conduct original research. Yet the best of these schools offer their faculty reduced teaching loads so that they can both be productive researchers and still have plenty of time for students (both in and outside the classroom).
Do you want to feel like you know everybody? One of the most enticing features of a liberal arts college is that in very little time, you can feel like you know who’s who, which can create strong friendships, but also more pleasurable walks across campus. While your sports teams may never be on ESPN, it’s more likely that you’ll know the athletes as your peers. Beyond student and faculty relationships, it’s not unusual for the school president and other administrators to learn who you are. When faced with problems with your student account or the need to switch classes, this can be comforting during a stressful moment.

Learn more about liberal arts colleges by reading about the best liberal arts colleges in the US.

Online colleges are typically the same colleges and universities you could attend in-person, but for certain degree programs the college or unviersity has made the degree programs available to be completed online. For over 5 million students, online degree programs allow students to earn their degrees in the most flexible format available. Online degrees are as respected as the on-campus degress you could earn from the same schools. There’s usually no disctinction between the two degrees, and your degree and transcript will not say that the degree was earned online. Online degree programs are offered by a vast majority of colleges and universities, and the number of offering continues to grow. Whehter you are searching for an associate, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctorate, there’s a good chance you can earn your degree online from a respectable online college.

Are you a self-driven student? Perhaps the hardest aspect of obtaining an online degree is whether you will be disciplined enough to manage your time and course demands. Many online students report that online college made them more disciplined in all areas of their lives, but the flexible, self-paced learning that makes online colleges attractive can often be the same qualities that make it difficult. If you tend to be a procrastinator, you need to be honest with yourself. You can change your habits and propensities, or you can throw money down the drain.
Do you need the flexibility of an online degree program? Most online students study online because of time demands balancing work and life, or becuase the online colleges afford them the chance to attend a better school without moving. If you are serious about earning your degree for career advancement, online colleges make it possible. The most flexible options among online degrees are those that are aynchronous, meaning you don’t have scheduled times to meet with your class online. However, many students seek synchronous online degree programs so that they have some structure – set meeting times, scheduled exams, etc.
The good news is that attending an online college doesn’t mean you will miss out on getting to know your professors and classmates. In fact, many online students who have experienced both online and on-campus courses report having easier access to their professors. Since most communication with your professor is expected to be in text – via email or your class learning management system – it makes asking your questions easier. The same students also report that they got to better know the thoughts of their classmates. While in-person course conversations can be dominated by a few extroverts, online courses that require online discussions make it so that you see all of your classmates’ thoughts and questions.

If you’re interested in an online bachelor’s degree, check out what the best online colleges offer, or search our online degrees for the exact program that interests you. In either case, you will find well respected colleges and universities that offer online degrees.

2021 Ranking Archive

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.

Check out our directory of liberal arts colleges throughout the U.S. for a look at the top liberal arts schools in every state.