Best Private Colleges in Minnesota 2024

Badge for BEST IN MINNESOTA PRIVATE COLLEGES

Published: Apr 13, 2021
Updated: Oct 16, 2023

Private colleges, unlike large public institutions, can be a great option for students wanting a more intimate campus experience, more personal attention from excellent professors, and more immediate access to support services. Here is our list of the best private colleges in Minnesota.

10 Best Private Colleges in Minnesota

Carleton College
Macalester College
University of St. Thomas
Hamline University
St. Olaf College
Gustavus Adolphus College
Concordia College
Augsburg University
College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University
St. Catherine University

Carleton College
St. Olaf College
Macalester College
Gustavus Adolphus College
Hamline University
University of St. Thomas
College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University
Augsburg University
St. Catherine University
Bethel University

Dunwoody College of Technology 98%
College of St. Scholastica 97%
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota 97%
St. Catherine University 93%
University of Northwestern – St. Paul 93%
North Central University 91%
College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University 88%
Hamline University 81%
University of St. Thomas 77%
Augsburg University 77%

Saint Mary's University of Minnesota 17 to 1
Crown College 17 to 1
University of Northwestern – St. Paul 15 to 1
Augsburg University 14 to 1
Hamline University 13 to 1
Concordia University, St. Paul 13 to 1
University of St. Thomas 13 to 1
St. Olaf College 12 to 1
Bethel University 12 to 1
Bethany Lutheran College 12 to 1

Carleton College $62,634
Macalester College $62,500
St. Olaf College $54,650
Gustavus Adolphus College $53,030
College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University $52,108
University of St. Thomas $50,366
St. Catherine University $47,870
Hamline University $46,616
Augsburg University $42,074
Bethel University $41,270

University of St. Thomas $26,619
St. Catherine University $17,550
College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University $14,910
Augsburg University $13,732
College of St. Scholastica $13,551
Bethel University $11,981
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota $11,835
Crown College $10,620
Hamline University $10,321
North Central University $10,260

Crown College
Concordia University, St. Paul
Dunwoody College of Technology
Bethany Lutheran College
North Central University
University of Northwestern – St. Paul
College of St. Scholastica
Bethel University
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota
St. Catherine University

Crown College
Bethany Lutheran College
Dunwoody College of Technology
Concordia University, St. Paul
North Central University
College of St. Scholastica
Concordia College
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota
University of Northwestern – St. Paul
Bethel University

Carleton College 17%
Macalester College 28%
St. Olaf College 56%
Bethany Lutheran College 58%
Concordia College 66%
Crown College 67%
Concordia University, St. Paul 69%
Bethel University 72%
Gustavus Adolphus College 74%
Augsburg University 77%

Carleton College 8 to 1
College of St. Scholastica 10 to 1
Macalester College 10 to 1
St. Catherine University 10 to 1
College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University 11 to 1
North Central University 11 to 1
Gustavus Adolphus College 11 to 1
St. Olaf College 12 to 1
Bethel University 12 to 1
Bethany Lutheran College 12 to 1

Concordia University, St. Paul $24,400
Dunwoody College of Technology $24,611
North Central University $28,000
Concordia College $28,916
Bethany Lutheran College $29,010
Crown College $29,230
University of Northwestern – St. Paul $35,340
College of St. Scholastica $39,410
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota $41,150
Bethel University $41,270

Concordia University, St. Paul $8,550
University of Northwestern – St. Paul $9,360
Concordia College $9,638
Bethany Lutheran College $9,900
North Central University $10,260
Hamline University $10,321
Crown College $10,620
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota $11,835
Bethel University $11,981
College of St. Scholastica $13,551

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

What is the difference between public and private colleges?

Public and private colleges and universities operate under different business models. Public colleges and universities are owned by the state and receive both state and federal funding to operate. Private colleges and universities are private companies with private funding. If you’re looking at the pros and cons of private vs. public colleges, consider that many public colleges provide diverse course offerings, influential professors, and an excellent return on your investment.

Public colleges are schools that receive most of their funding from tax revenues. As a result, the cost of a bachelor’s degree at a public university is often lower than the equivalent cost at a private college — especially for students attending a public school in their home state. Attending a college in-state is usually the cheapest option. Private universities and colleges can be very competitive with their funding opportunities, so do not simply believe that private colleges are always going to be more expensive. According to National Center for Educational Statistics, the average annual cost (tuition, fees, room and board for full-time students) at a public university was slightly over $20,000. In contrast, private universities cost, on average, nearly $43,000 annually. But in the end, the cost of college comes down to each student’s academic and financial situation.

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

Methodology

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.

This list is composed entirely of private colleges and universities that offer bachelor’s degrees. We’ve identified 19 private universities in Minnesota. To be included in the list below of the best private universities in Minnesota, schools must be fully accredited, private, non-profit institution, and must offer a broad range of bachelor’s degrees.