Best colleges for education in Minnesota
Martin Luther College ranks first in Minnesota for education value (#54 nationally, value score 74.4): graduates earn $56,435 4 years after the bachelor's degree, and the average net price is $18,652 a year.
Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition · Source: College Scorecard field of study, reporting year 2025 · 18 Minnesota colleges ranked · Updated November 4, 2026
Best education colleges in Minnesota
Martin Luther College ranks first in Minnesota for education value (#54 nationally, value score 74.4): graduates earn $56,435 4 years after the bachelor's degree, and the average net price is $18,652 a year. 18 Minnesota colleges qualify. At the median one, education graduates earn $48,746 and the average net price is $19,396 a year.
Source: U.S. College Scorecard field of study, 2025
What the data shows
Key findings
- 18 Minnesota colleges qualify. At the median one, education graduates earn $48,746 and the average net price is $19,396 a year.
- The lowest average net price among them is at Saint Cloud State University: $16,062 a year.
- Median earnings
- $48,746
- National: $48,822
- Median net price
- $19,396
- National: $17,201
- Median federal debt
- $22,105
- education graduates
- Public colleges
- 9 of 18
- in this list
18 colleges
The Minnesota ranking
Ordered by the national value score; the national rank is shown with each college. Earnings are medians 4 years after the bachelor's degree.
- Earnings
- $56,435
- Net price
- $18,652
- Federal debt
- $19,500
- Graduation rate
- 75%
- Rank in Minnesota 2
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN · Public · #67 nationally
72.7Value- Earnings
- $53,276
- Net price
- $17,330
- Federal debt
- $18,875
- Graduation rate
- 85%
- Earnings
- $51,909
- Net price
- $21,546
- Federal debt
- $25,335
- Graduation rate
- 83%
- Rank in Minnesota 4
Saint Joseph, MN · Private nonprofit · #216 nationally
53.8Value- Earnings
- $51,487
- Net price
- $25,301
- Federal debt
- $24,525
- Graduation rate
- 83%
- Earnings
- $48,923
- Net price
- $16,062
- Federal debt
- $19,500
- Graduation rate
- 44%
- Rank in Minnesota 6
Moorhead, MN · Private nonprofit · #248 nationally
50.8Value- Earnings
- $51,840
- Net price
- $22,280
- Federal debt
- $27,000
- Graduation rate
- 70%
- Rank in Minnesota 7
Saint Paul, MN · Private nonprofit · #249 nationally
50.8Value- Earnings
- $48,822
- Net price
- $19,090
- Federal debt
- $21,710
- Graduation rate
- 67%
- Rank in Minnesota 8
Minnesota State University-Mankato
Mankato, MN · Public · #263 nationally
49.4Value- Earnings
- $48,632
- Net price
- $19,702
- Federal debt
- $19,500
- Graduation rate
- 56%
- Rank in Minnesota 9
Saint Paul, MN · Private nonprofit · #271 nationally
48.7Value- Earnings
- $51,866
- Net price
- $30,995
- Federal debt
- $25,687
- Graduation rate
- 72%
- Earnings
- $48,669
- Net price
- $17,395
- Federal debt
- $25,786
- Graduation rate
- 64%
- Earnings
- $46,863
- Net price
- $17,413
- Federal debt
- $21,380
- Graduation rate
- 59%
- Rank in Minnesota 12
Metropolitan State University-Minnesota
Saint Paul, MN · Public · #328 nationally
43.4Value- Earnings
- $49,025
- Net price
- $26,556
- Federal debt
- $18,000
- Graduation rate
- 46%
- Rank in Minnesota 13
The College of Saint Scholastica
Duluth, MN · Private nonprofit · #332 nationally
43.0Value- Earnings
- $47,432
- Net price
- $26,830
- Federal debt
- $19,606
- Graduation rate
- 67%
- Rank in Minnesota 14
University of Northwestern-St Paul
Saint Paul, MN · Private nonprofit · #339 nationally
42.3Value- Earnings
- $48,082
- Net price
- $23,688
- Federal debt
- $24,659
- Graduation rate
- 75%
- Rank in Minnesota 15
Southwest Minnesota State University
Marshall, MN · Public · #380 nationally
37.6Value- Earnings
- $43,904
- Net price
- $16,501
- Federal debt
- $18,233
- Graduation rate
- 48%
- Rank in Minnesota 16
Minnesota State University Moorhead
Moorhead, MN · Public · #403 nationally
34.6Value- Earnings
- $45,142
- Net price
- $17,601
- Federal debt
- $22,500
- Graduation rate
- 53%
- Rank in Minnesota 17
University of St Thomas-Minnesota
Saint Paul, MN · Private nonprofit · #404 nationally
34.5Value- Earnings
- $47,712
- Net price
- $31,532
- Federal debt
- $27,000
- Graduation rate
- 74%
- Earnings
- $44,719
- Net price
- $16,327
- Federal debt
- $23,448
- Graduation rate
- 51%
Method: the same value score as the national education ranking (earnings, debt relative to earnings, average net price and graduation rate, each a national percentile). Data: College Scorecard, reporting year 2025; 2026–27 edition, verified Nov 2026.
Questions about education colleges in Minnesota
What are the best colleges for education in Minnesota?
By CollegesRef value score, the top 3 Minnesota colleges for education are Martin Luther College (value score 74.4), University of Minnesota-Twin Cities (value score 72.7) and St Olaf College (value score 57.1). The score weighs graduate earnings, debt relative to earnings, average net price and graduation rate.
Which Minnesota college has the highest earnings for education graduates?
Martin Luther College: its education graduates have median earnings of $56,435 4 years after the bachelor's degree.
What is the most affordable education college in Minnesota on this list?
Saint Cloud State University has the lowest average net price of the ranked Minnesota colleges, $16,062 a year after grants. A family's own price depends on income and aid.
How many Minnesota colleges are ranked for education?
18 Minnesota colleges have a education bachelor's program with enough graduates and reported earnings, plus a published net price and graduation rate. Ranks shown are national; the state rank is their order within Minnesota.