Match #1
Saint Cloud State University
Saint Cloud, MN
Profile closeness84/100
Admit rate95%
- 5,088 students
- Public
- City: Small
- Graduation rate 44%, close to 46%
- Enrollment 5,088 students, close to 5,616
The colleges most similar to Metropolitan State University-Minnesota are Saint Cloud State University, Winona State University, and Minnesota State University-Mankato. Metropolitan State University-Minnesota admits 99% of applicants and has an average net price of $26,556 a year; 10 of its 10 alternatives cost less and 1 admit a larger share of applicants, in the CollegesRef 2026–27 edition.
Profile closeness (0–100) compares graduation rate, size, admit rate, net price, Carnegie class, and control with Metropolitan State University-Minnesota. The order also uses CollegesRef matching tiers, so a later match can score higher. Admit-rate bars use a 0–100% scale.
Top 10 alternatives to Metropolitan State University-Minnesota
Row-wise results ranked by similarity. No curated AI list exists for this school.
Match #2
Winona State University
Winona, MN
Profile closeness73/100
Admit rate75%
- 5,144 students
- Public
- Town: Distant
- Enrollment 5,144 students, close to 5,616
- Same Carnegie classification
Match #3
Minnesota State University-Mankato
Mankato, MN
Profile closeness71/100
Admit rate88%
- 11,703 students
- Public
- City: Small
- Same control type (public)
Match #4
Minnesota State University Moorhead
Moorhead, MN
Profile closeness64/100
Admit rate59%
- 3,072 students
- Public
- Suburb: Midsize
- Graduation rate 53%, close to 46%
- Same control type (public)
Match #5
Southwest Minnesota State University
Marshall, MN
Profile closeness64/100
Admit rate62%
- 2,315 students
- Public
- Town: Remote
- Graduation rate 48%, close to 46%
- Same control type (public)
Match #6
Bemidji State University
Bemidji, MN
Profile closeness64/100
Admit rate56%
- 3,139 students
- Public
- Town: Remote
- Graduation rate 51%, close to 46%
- Same control type (public)
Match #7
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Main Campus
Minneapolis, MN
Profile closeness25/100
Admit rate80%
- 31,855 students
- Public
- City: Large
- Same control type (public)
Match #8
Dakota State University
Madison, SD
Profile closeness77/100
Admit rate88%
- 2,071 students
- Public
- Town: Distant
- Graduation rate 49%, close to 46%
- Same Carnegie classification
Match #9
University of South Dakota
Vermillion, SD
Profile closeness75/100
Admit rate99%
- 5,439 students
- Public
- Town: Distant
- Enrollment 5,439 students, close to 5,616
- Acceptance rate 99%, close to 99%
Match #10
Black Hills State University
Spearfish, SD
Profile closeness74/100
Admit rate96%
- 1,928 students
- Public
- Town: Distant
- Graduation rate 42%, close to 46%
- Acceptance rate 96%, close to 99%
Questions about Metropolitan State University-Minnesota alternatives
What colleges are similar to Metropolitan State University-Minnesota?
The closest matches to Metropolitan State University-Minnesota are Saint Cloud State University, Winona State University, Minnesota State University-Mankato, Minnesota State University Moorhead, and Southwest Minnesota State University. CollegesRef ranks them on admissions, cost, graduation rate, size, and campus profile using IPEDS and College Scorecard data.
Is Metropolitan State University-Minnesota hard to get into?
Metropolitan State University-Minnesota admitted 99% of its 650 applicants in the CollegesRef 2026–27 edition, so it is not very selective: it admits most applicants. 1 of its 10 closest alternatives admit a larger share of applicants.
Which Metropolitan State University-Minnesota alternatives cost less?
10 of the 10 closest alternatives have a lower average net price than Metropolitan State University-Minnesota ($26,556 a year), including Saint Cloud State University ($16,062), Bemidji State University ($16,327), and Southwest Minnesota State University ($16,501). Net price is what first-time, full-time students paid after grants; your own price depends on family income.
