2021 Best Colleges for the Money (With No Aid) in Minnesota
Choosing which college to attend may be one of the most important decisions in your life. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our Best Minnesota Schools For The Money For Those With No Aid ranking is part of that endeavor.
After analyzing 33 schools, we came up with our list of those that were the best for overall value for the money with no aid in Minnesota. This ranking doesn't just identify the colleges with the lowest costs. Rather, it highlights those institutions that offer excellent educational experiences for a lower cost than other schools of roughly the same caliber. Thus, one college may rank better than another, but the second school could have a lower average cost.
Learn more about our ranking methodology.
Our average cost calculation adds up all expenses, such as tuition, fees, room and board, books and supplies, and other expenses. So it is an approximation of how much you will have to pay out-of-pocket each year on average.
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Since one ranking on its own is not enough to give you a complete understanding of your educational options, you can refine this list by location and field of study. We've also developed a number of other tools and rankings based on other factors. These other rankings highlight colleges that excel in other factors such as overall quality or diversity as well as schools that excel in serving different groups of students such as veterans or returnings adults.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head!
Top Colleges for the Money (Without Aid) in Minnesota
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities tops this year’s ranking as the best school for overall value for the money with no aid in Minnesota. UMN Twin Cities is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota and has a large student population. In 2018-2019, this school awarded 8,988 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at UMN Twin Cities is 4.2 years, and it costs students who receive no aid about $28,819 per year to attend the school. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from UMN Twin Cities is about $121,328. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, UMN Twin Cities is ranked #3 for overall quality in Minnesota.
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A rank of #2 on our Best Colleges for the Money in Minnesota list means Winona State University is a great place for students working on their bachelor’s degree. Winona State is a medium-sized public school situated in Winona, Minnesota. It awarded 1,822 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The average student at Winona State graduates in less than 4.5 years, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $22,304 for students who receive no aid. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from Winona State is about $99,922. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Minnesota - Morris. The school came in at #3 in Minnesota on this year’s best value ranking. Morris, Minnesota is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 385 students in 2018-2019.
The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at UMN Morris is 4.2 years, and the average full-time cost to attend the school for students who receive no aid is around $24,680. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from UMN Morris is about $104,643. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Minnesota - Rochester. The school came in at #4 in Minnesota on this year’s best value ranking. Rochester, Minnesota is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 84 students in 2018-2019.
At UMN Rochester, the average time it takes a student to graduate is 4.1 years, and it costs students who receive no aid about $26,504 per year to attend the school. Thus, the average cost to get a bachelor’s degree from the UMN Rochester is $109,462. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
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Out of the 33 schools in Minnesota that were part of this year’s ranking, Martin Luther College landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in New Ulm, Minnesota, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 190 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes the average student at MLC about 4.4 years to graduate, and it costs students who receive no aid about $27,230 per year to attend the school. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from MLC is about $120,901. When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
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With a ranking of #6, University of Minnesota - Duluth did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for the Money in Minnesota list. UMN Duluth is a fairly large public school situated in Duluth, Minnesota. It awarded 2,162 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes about 4.5 years for the average student at UMN Duluth to complete their degree, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $25,574 for students who receive no aid. This means that the average student pays around $114,316 to get a bachelor’s degree from UMN Duluth. When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.
The low student loan default rate of 3.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
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Minnesota State University - Mankato landed the #7 spot on the 2021 Best Value Colleges in Minnesota ranking. Located in Mankato, Minnesota, the fairly large public school awarded 2,479 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2018-2019.
It takes the average student at Minnesota State University - Mankato about 4.6 years to graduate, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $21,278 for students who receive no aid. Thus, the average cost to get a bachelor’s degree from the Minnesota State University - Mankato is $97,666. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.
The low student loan default rate of 4.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
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Minnesota State University - Moorhead came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money in Minnesota ranking. Minnesota State University - Moorhead is a medium-sized public school located in Moorhead, Minnesota that handed out 1,242 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at Minnesota State University - Moorhead is 4.4 years, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $23,000 for students who receive no aid. Thus, the average cost to get a bachelor’s degree from the Minnesota State University - Moorhead is $101,660. The sooner a student graduates, the more money they can save.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
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With a ranking of #9, Bemidji State University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for the Money in Minnesota list. Bemidji State University is a small public school situated in Bemidji, Minnesota. It awarded 1,036 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at Bemidji State University is 4.4 years, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $21,490 for students who receive no aid. This makes the estimated cost of a bachelor’s degree from Bemidji State University be around $94,556. The sooner a student graduates, the more money they can save.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
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Saint Cloud State University did quite well in the 2021 Best Value Colleges in Minnesota ranking, coming in at #10. St. Cloud State University is a public institution located in Saint Cloud, Minnesota. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 2,065 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes the average student at St. Cloud State University about 4.7 years to graduate, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $21,356 for students who receive no aid. Putting this cost and the average time to graduate together, we find that the average amount you’ll pay to get a bachelor’s degree from St. Cloud State University is $99,733. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
The low student loan default rate of 4.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
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With a ranking of #11, University of Minnesota - Crookston did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for the Money in Minnesota list. UMN Crookston is a public institution located in Crookston, Minnesota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 448 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at UMN Crookston is 4.1 years, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $24,242 for students who receive no aid. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from UMN Crookston is about $99,635. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.
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Southwest Minnesota State University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in Minnesota list. Southwest Minnesota State University is a medium-sized public school located in Marshall, Minnesota that handed out 484 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes about 4.3 years for the average student at Southwest Minnesota State University to complete their degree, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $21,282 for students who receive no aid. This makes the estimated cost of a bachelor’s degree from Southwest Minnesota State University be around $92,577. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
The low student loan default rate of 4.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
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Dunwoody College of Technology landed the #13 spot on the 2021 Best Value Colleges in Minnesota ranking. Dunwoody College of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 63 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at Dunwoody College of Technology is 4.0 years, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $37,405 for students who receive no aid. Thus, the average cost to get a bachelor’s degree from the Dunwoody College of Technology is $149,620. The sooner a student graduates, the more money they can save.
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Concordia College at Moorhead landed the #14 spot on the 2021 Best Value Colleges in Minnesota ranking. Concordia College at Moorhead is a small private not-for-profit school located in Moorhead, Minnesota that handed out 540 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at Concordia College Moorhead is 4.1 years, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $54,046 for students who receive no aid. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from Concordia College Moorhead is about $219,967. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
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Gustavus Adolphus College landed the #15 spot on the 2021 Best Value Colleges in Minnesota ranking. Gustavus Adolphus is a private not-for-profit institution located in Saint Peter, Minnesota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 621 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
At Gustavus Adolphus, the average time it takes a student to graduate is 4.0 years, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $59,270 for students who receive no aid. This means that the average student pays around $238,265 to get a bachelor’s degree from Gustavus Adolphus. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Gustavus Adolphus also took the #5 spot in our Best Colleges in Minnesota rankings.
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Saint Johns University landed the #16 spot on the 2021 Best Value Colleges in Minnesota ranking. Located in Collegeville, Minnesota, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 410 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The average student at SJU graduates in less than 4.1 years, and it costs students who receive no aid about $59,572 per year to attend the school. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from SJU is about $245,437. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, SJU also is in the top 20% of our Best Colleges in Minnesota ranking.
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Bethany Lutheran College came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money in Minnesota ranking. BLC is located in Mankato, Minnesota and has a small student population. In 2018-2019, this school awarded 135 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
It takes the average student at BLC about 4.2 years to graduate, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $38,820 for students who receive no aid. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from BLC is about $161,879. When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.
With a student-to-faculty rate of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
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College of Saint Benedict came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money in Minnesota ranking. CSB is located in Saint Joseph, Minnesota and has a small student population. In 2018-2019, this school awarded 419 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
At CSB, the average time it takes a student to graduate is 4.1 years, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $60,388 for students who receive no aid. Thus, the average cost to get a bachelor’s degree from the CSB is $248,195. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.
The low student loan default rate of 1.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. CSB also claimed a spot on our Best Colleges in Minnesota list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.
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Bethel University Minnesota landed the #19 spot on the 2021 Best Value Colleges in Minnesota ranking. Bethel University Minnesota is located in Saint Paul, Minnesota and has a small student population. In 2018-2019, this school awarded 831 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
It takes the average student at Bethel University Minnesota about 4.1 years to graduate, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $53,200 for students who receive no aid. Thus, the average cost to get a bachelor’s degree from the Bethel University Minnesota is $219,184. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
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St Olaf College landed the #20 spot on the 2021 Best Value Colleges in Minnesota ranking. St Olaf College is a small private not-for-profit school located in Northfield, Minnesota that handed out 920 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The average student at St. Olaf graduates in less than 4.0 years, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $62,880 for students who receive no aid. Thus, the average cost to get a bachelor’s degree from the St. Olaf is $254,664. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.
The student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. St. Olaf also made our Best Colleges in Minnesota list, coming in at #4.
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St Catherine University did quite well in the 2021 Best Value Colleges in Minnesota ranking, coming in at #21. Located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 597 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2018-2019.
At St. Kate’s, the average time it takes a student to graduate is 4.2 years, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $45,866 for students who receive no aid. Thus, the average cost to get a bachelor’s degree from the St. Kate’s is $194,472. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
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The College of Saint Scholastica came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money in Minnesota ranking. St. Scholastica is located in Duluth, Minnesota and has a small student population. In 2018-2019, this school awarded 902 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
It takes about 4.1 years for the average student at St. Scholastica to complete their degree, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $51,866 for students who receive no aid. Putting this cost and the average time to graduate together, we find that the average amount you’ll pay to get a bachelor’s degree from St. Scholastica is $214,725. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
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University of St Thomas Minnesota did quite well in the 2021 Best Value Colleges in Minnesota ranking, coming in at #23. UST MN is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It awarded 1,561 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes about 4.2 years for the average student at UST MN to complete their degree, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $60,458 for students who receive no aid. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from UST MN is about $252,714. The sooner a student graduates, the more money they can save.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
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Macalester College did quite well in the 2021 Best Value Colleges in Minnesota ranking, coming in at #24. Macalester is located in Saint Paul, Minnesota and has a small student population. In 2018-2019, this school awarded 679 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
At Macalester, the average time it takes a student to graduate is 4.1 years, and the average full-time cost to attend the school for students who receive no aid is around $71,053. Thus, the average cost to get a bachelor’s degree from the Macalester is $288,475. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
The student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Macalester also took the #2 spot in our Best Colleges in Minnesota rankings.
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With a ranking of #25, Carleton College did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for the Money in Minnesota list. Carleton is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Northfield, Minnesota. It awarded 512 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at Carleton is 4.1 years, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $74,275 for students who receive no aid. Putting this cost and the average time to graduate together, we find that the average amount you’ll pay to get a bachelor’s degree from Carleton is $301,556. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
With a student-to-faculty rate of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Carleton not only placed well in our value rankings, but it is also #1 on our Best Colleges in Minnesota list.
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- For our state-specific rankings, we use in-state tuition to calculate average cost. For our national and regional rankings, we use a weighted average of in-state and non-resident tuition.
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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