Best Small Colleges in Minnesota 2024

Badge for BEST IN MINNESOTA SMALL COLLEGES

Published: Apr 13, 2021
Updated: Mar 25, 2024

Small colleges in Minnesota are a great option for students interested in a more intimate campus experience, more personal attention from excellent professors, and more immediate access to support services. Whether the focus is on the technical or on the liberal arts, small colleges give you the chance to earn a bachelor’s degree or master’s degree while pursuing a well-rounded education, working closely with classmates and professors in a dynamic community atmosphere.

Key Takeaways

Minnesota has 22 of the best fully accredited small colleges with student bodies of less than 5000 students.
Small colleges in Minnesota are the perfect solution for students seeking a bachelor’s degree who are looking for a more intimate campus experience with lots of personal interactions with their professors.

10 Best Small Colleges in Minnesota 2024

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

Carleton College
St. Olaf College
Macalester College
Gustavus Adolphus College
Hamline University
College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University
Augsburg University
University of Minnesota Morris
Bemidji State University
St. Catherine 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%
Southwest Minnesota State University 92%
North Central University 91%
College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University 88%
Hamline University 81%
University of Minnesota Morris 78%

Crown College 17 to 1
University of Minnesota Crookston 17 to 1
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota 17 to 1
Bemidji State University 16 to 1
Southwest Minnesota State University 15 to 1
University of Northwestern – St. Paul 15 to 1
Augsburg University 14 to 1
Concordia University, St. Paul 13 to 1
Hamline University 13 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
St. Catherine University $47,870
Hamline University $46,616
Augsburg University $42,074
Bethel University $41,270
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota $41,150

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
Bethany Lutheran College $9,900

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
Southwest Minnesota State University
University of Minnesota Crookston
Bethel University

Crown College
Bethany Lutheran College
Dunwoody College of Technology
Concordia University, St. Paul
North Central University
College of St. Scholastica
Southwest Minnesota State University
University of Minnesota Crookston
Concordia College
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota

Carleton College 17%
Macalester College 28%
St. Olaf College 56%
University of Minnesota Crookston 57%
Bethany Lutheran College 58%
Concordia College 66%
Crown College 67%
Concordia University, St. Paul 69%
Bethel University 72%
Gustavus Adolphus College 74%

Carleton College 8 to 1
University of Minnesota Morris 9 to 1
College of St. Scholastica 10 to 1
Macalester College 10 to 1
St. Catherine University 10 to 1
Gustavus Adolphus College 11 to 1
North Central University 11 to 1
College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University 11 to 1
Bethany Lutheran College 12 to 1
St. Olaf College 12 to 1

Southwest Minnesota State University $10,122
Bemidji State University $10,130
University of Minnesota Morris $12,804
University of Minnesota Crookston $13,010
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

Concordia University, St. Paul $8,550
Southwest Minnesota State University $8,748
Bemidji State University $8,909
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

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

Did you know that you can still qualify for financial aid when attending a small college, as long as the school is fully accredited? Accreditation allows for the largest public colleges and the smallest colleges to be on a level playing field for financial aid. For more information, visit the Federal Student Aid website.

The following list of the best small colleges in Minnesota is composed mainly of four-year undergraduate schools offering a bachelor’s degree (though a handful also offer graduate programs). We’ve identified 22 small colleges in Minnesota. The list below of the 30 best small colleges in Minnesota. To be included schools must fully accredited, and must have student body populations below 5,000 students.

How do we determine Minnesota's best small 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.

Best Small Colleges in Minnesota 2023

Build your own college rankings

Minnesota’s Best Small College in Your Area of Interest

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.

Many states have great small colleges. If you’re interested in looking into what other states have to offer, check out the best small colleges in Michigan and Maryland.

Do you have a question about this topic? Ask it here

Best Small Colleges in Minnesota 2024

Key Takeaways

10 Best Small Colleges in Minnesota 2024

Colleges and Universities in Minnesota

What are Minnesota’s Colleges & Universities?

Best Small Colleges in Minnesota 2023

Career Outlook for degree at Carleton College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Macalester College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Hamline University

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at St. Olaf College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Gustavus Adolphus College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Concordia College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Augsburg University

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at University of Minnesota Morris

Career Outlook for degree at College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at St. Catherine University

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Bemidji State University

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Saint Mary's University of Minnesota

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Bethel University

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at University of Minnesota Crookston

Career Outlook for degree at Southwest Minnesota State University

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at College of St. Scholastica

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at University of Northwestern – St. Paul

Career Outlook for degree at North Central University

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Bethany Lutheran College

Career Outlook for degree at Dunwoody College of Technology

Career Outlook for degree at Concordia University, St. Paul

Career Outlook for degree at Crown College

Minnesota’s Best Small College in Your Area of Interest