Resources › For Students and Parents Top Minnesota Colleges and Universities Share Flipboard Email Print For Students and Parents College Admissions College Rankings College Admissions Process College Profiles Choosing A College Application Tips Essay Samples & Tips Testing Graphs College Financial Aid Advanced Placement Homework Help Private School Test Prep College Life Graduate School Business School Law School Distance Learning View More By Allen Grove Allen Grove Facebook Twitter College Admissions Expert Ph.D., English, University of Pennsylvania M.A., English, University of Pennsylvania B.S., Materials Science & Engineering and Literature, MIT Dr. Allen Grove is an Alfred University English professor and a college admissions expert with over 20 years of experience helping students transition to college. Learn about our Editorial Process Updated on December 15, 2017 From a huge public university like the University of Minnesota in the Twin Cities to a small liberal arts college like Macalester, Minnesota offers a great range of options for higher education. The top Minnesota colleges listed below vary greatly in size and mission, so I have simply listed them alphabetically rather than force them into any sort of artificial ranking. The schools were chosen based on factors such as academic reputation, curricular innovations, first-year retention rates, six-year graduation rates, selectivity, financial aid and student engagement. Carleton is the most selective college on the list. Bethel University Bethel University Commons Building. Jonathunder / Wikimedia Commons Location: Saint Paul, Minnesota Enrollment: 4,016 (2,964 undergraduates) Type of Institution: Comprehensive evangelical Christian private university Distinctions: Minutes from downtown St. Paul and Minneapolis; high graduation rate; 67 majors to choose from; popular programs in business and nursing; new commons building; good financial aid; NCAA Division III athletics For acceptance rate, test scores, costs and other information, visit the Bethel University profile Carleton College Carleton College Skinner Chapel. TFDuesing / Flickr Location: Northfield, Minnesota Enrollment: 2,105 (all undergraduates) Type of Institution: private liberal arts college Distinctions: Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strengths in the liberal arts and sciences; 9 to 1 student/faculty ratio; one of the nation's ten best liberal arts colleges; beautiful campus with a 880-acre arboretum; extremely high graduation and retention rates For acceptance rate, test scores, costs and other information, visit the Carleton College profile College of Saint Benedict / Saint John's University College of Saint Benedict. Bobak / Wikimedia Commons Location: St. Joseph and Collegeville, Minnesota Enrollment: Saint Benedict: 1,958 (all undergraduate); Saint John's: 1,849 (1,754 undergraduates) Type of Institution: women's and men's Catholic liberal arts colleges, respectively Distinctions: The two colleges share a single curriculum; 12 to 1 student/faculty ratio; median class size of 20; NCAA Division III athletics; strong graduation and retention rates; strong job and graduate school placement rates; Saint John's has an impressive 2,700-acre campus For acceptance rate, test scores, costs and other information, visit the Saint John's University profile and the College of Saint Benedict profile College of St. Scholastica College of St. Scholastica. 3Neus / Flickr Location: Duluth, Minnesota Enrollment: 4,351 (2,790 undergraduates) Type of Institution: private Benedictine Catholic university Distinctions: 14 to 1 student/faculty ratio; average class size of 22; campus features attractive stone architecture and a view of Lake Superior; popular programs in business and the health sciences; NCAA Division III athletics For acceptance rate, test scores, costs and other information, visit the College of St. Scholastica profile Concordia College at Moorhead Concordia College Moorhead. abbamouse / Flickr Location: Moorhead, Minnesota Enrollment: 2,132 (2,114 undergraduates) Type of Institution: private liberal arts college affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Distinctions: 13 to 1 student/faculty ratio; 78 majors and 12 preprofessional programs to choose from; popular biological and health science programs; easily cross-registration program with North Dakota State University and Minnesota State University at Moorhead; NCAA Division III athletics For acceptance rate, test scores, costs and other information, visit the Concordia College at Moorhead profile Gustavus Adolphus College Gustavus Adolphus College. Jlencion / Wikimedia Commons Location: Saint Peter, Minnesota Enrollment: 2,250 (all undergraduate) Type of Institution: private liberal arts college affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Distinctions: Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strengths in the liberal arts and sciences; 11 to 1 student/faculty ratio; average class size of 15; students can choose from 71 majors; good financial aid; high graduation and retention rate; NCAA Division III athletics For acceptance rate, test scores, costs and other information, visit the Gustavus Adolphus College profile Hamline University Hamline University. erin.kkr / Flickr Location: Saint Paul, Minnesota Enrollment: 3,852 (2,184 undergraduates) Type of Institution: private university affiliated with the United Methodist Church Distinctions: Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strengths in the liberal arts and sciences; strong undergraduate legal studies program; 14 to 1 student/faculty ratio; good financial aid; NCAA Division III athletics For acceptance rate, test scores, costs and other information, visit the Hamline University profile Macalester College Macalester College. Mulad / Flickr Location: Saint Paul, Minnesota Enrollment: 2,146 (all undergraduate) Type of Institution: liberal arts college Distinctions: Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strengths in the liberal arts and sciences; 10 to 1 student/faculty ratio; average class size of 17; diverse student population; high retention and graduation rates; one of the country's best liberal arts colleges; NCAA Division III athletics For acceptance rate, test scores, costs and other information, visit the Macalester College profile St. Olaf College St. Olaf College Old Main. Calebrw / Wikimedia Commons Location: Northfield, Minnesota Enrollment: 3,040 (all undergraduate) Type of Institution: private liberal arts college affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Distinctions: Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strengths in the liberal arts and sciences; 12 to 1 student/faculty ratio; featured in Lauren Pope's Colleges That Change Lives; high graduation and retention rates; good financial aid; NCAA Division III athletics For acceptance rate, test scores, costs and other information, visit the St. Olaf College profile University of Minnesota (Twin Cities) University of Minnesota Pillsbury Hall. Mulad / Flickr Location: Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota Enrollment: 51,579 (34,870 undergraduates) Type of Institution: large public research university Distinctions: Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strengths in the liberal arts and sciences; membership in the Association of American Universities for strong research programs; member of the NCAA Division I Big Ten Conference; many strong academic programs, especially in economics, the sciences, and engineering; one of the country's best public universities For acceptance rate, test scores, costs and other information, visit the University of Minnesota profile University of Minnesota (Morris) University of Minnesota Morris Recital Hall. resedabear / Flickr Location: Morris, Minnesota Enrollment: 1,771 (all undergraduate) Type of Institution: public liberal arts college Distinctions: 13 to 1 student/faculty ratio; average class size of 16; strong student - faculty interaction; popular programs in business, English and psychology; high rate of graduate school attendance; good financial aid For acceptance rate, test scores, costs and other information, visit the University of Minnesota Morris profile University of St. Thomas University of St. Thomas. Noeticsage / Wikimedia Commons Location: Saint Paul, Minnesota Enrollment: 9,920 (6,048 undergraduates) Type of Institution: private Catholic university Distinctions: 15 to 1 student/faculty ratio; average class size of 21; largest private university in Minnesota; member of a consortium with Augsburg, Hamline, Macalester, and St. Catherine; good financial aid For acceptance rate, test scores, costs and other information, visit the University of St. Thomas profile Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Grove, Allen. "Top Minnesota Colleges and Universities." ThoughtCo, Apr. 5, 2023, thoughtco.com/top-minnesota-colleges-and-universities-788318. Grove, Allen. (2023, April 5). Top Minnesota Colleges and Universities. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/top-minnesota-colleges-and-universities-788318 Grove, Allen. "Top Minnesota Colleges and Universities." 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