Every figure is for a student starting in fall 2027. We work each one out again whenever we update the site.
Paying for college in Minnesota
What the state and its colleges give families, who gets it, and how to apply. See every Minnesota college priced for your income
From the state
Across state lines
From the colleges
Pay less for college
A SmartTuition plan shows what to pay from where, each semester.
In our Minnesota scenarios, with good parent credit, a SmartTuition plan saves a median of about $7,100 over four years. How we worked this out ↓
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From the state
Minnesota's programs. Most come through the FAFSA or the state's own aid application; a few have their own.
North Star Promise
A last-dollar scholarship for Minnesota residents with a family adjusted gross income below $80,000. It covers the tuition and fees left after other grants and scholarships at a Minnesota public college or university or a tribal college.
Source: Ridgewater College (a Minnesota State college), North Star Promise Scholarship Program, quoting the Office of Higher Education
“a student must have a family AGI below $80,000”
“as a “last-dollar” program by covering the balance of eligible tuition and fees after other scholarships, grants, stipends and tuition waivers have been applied”
“Attend a Minnesota public higher education institution or Tribal College”
Minnesota State Grant
A need-based grant for Minnesota residents at public and private colleges. The student, the family and the state share the cost; the smallest award is $100 a year, and the state pays grants as funds allow.
Source: Minnesota Statutes 136A.121
“The grant stipend shall be based on a sharing of responsibility for covering the recognized cost of attendance by the applicant, the applicant's family, and the government.”
“The minimum financial stipend is $100 per academic year.”
“Grants must be awarded on a funds available basis to those applicants who meet the office's requirements.”
Minnesota's 529 tax deduction
Money you put into any state's 529 plan comes off your Minnesota income, up to $1,500 a year, or $3,000 for a married couple filing jointly. Use the money for anything other than school costs and you may pay the benefit back.
Source: Minnesota Department of Revenue, Education Savings Account Contribution Subtraction
“The maximum subtraction is $3,000 for Married Filing Jointly and $1,500 for all other filing statuses.”
“Contributions to qualified plans are eligible regardless of which state administers it.”
“You may need to pay back some or all of the benefits received if you claim this credit and use the account funds for nonqualified expenses.”
Minnesota Indian Scholarship
For Minnesota residents who are enrolled members or citizens of a federally recognized tribe, or of one-fourth or more Indian ancestry. The student qualifies for a Pell Grant or State Grant and takes nine or more credits a term.
Source: Minnesota Statutes, section 136A.126
“is of one-fourth or more Indian ancestry or is an enrolled member or citizen of a federally recognized American Indian or Canadian First Nations tribe”
“if enrolled in an undergraduate program, is eligible or would be eligible to receive a federal Pell Grant or a state grant based on the federal needs analysis and is enrolled for nine semester credits per term or more, or the equivalent”
Postsecondary Child Care Grant
Money toward child care for Minnesota students with a child 12 or younger, under an income limit, enrolled in at least one credit, for up to ten semesters.
Source: Minnesota Statutes, section 136A.125
“The program makes money available to eligible students to reduce the costs of child care while attending an eligible postsecondary institution.”
“has a child 12 years of age or younger”
“has not received child care grant funds for a period of ten semesters or the equivalent”
Fostering Independence Grant
Grants toward college costs for up to five years for young people who are or were in foster care, at Minnesota State, the University of Minnesota and eligible private colleges. The state tells eligible students.
Source: Minnesota Statutes, section 136A.1241
“This program is established to provide an individual who is currently or was formerly in foster care with foster grants for up to five years for higher education costs.”
“the office shall identify and inform eligible individuals”
“"Eligible institution" means an eligible public institution or an eligible private institution.”
Minnesota also has programs for future teachers and other careers, and Dream Act aid for students who are not citizens. See the Office of Higher Education's site.
From the colleges
What each college gives for grades, what it promises on aid, and its full price.
| College | Merit scholarships | Promise on aid | Full price a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bethel University (Minnesota) private | None published | — | $44,169 |
| Carleton College private | None published | Says it covers 100% of what a family cannot pay | $99,971 |
| College of Saint Benedict private |
| — | $77,097 |
| Concordia College at Moorhead private |
| Concordia Promise: full tuition for newly admitted students with an adjusted gross income under $90,000 | $48,422 |
| Gustavus Adolphus College private |
| — | $77,147 |
| Hamline University private | None published | — | $70,818 |
| Macalester College private | None published | Says it covers 100% of what a family cannot pay; Macalester Tuition Promise: a full-tuition scholarship for admitted U.S. students with a family income of $100,000 or less | $97,034 |
| Saint Johns University private |
| — | $77,097 |
| St. Olaf College private |
| St. Olaf’s commitment: full tuition for families with an income of $100,000 or less St. Olaf’s commitment: at least $53,000 a year in grants and scholarships for families with an income of $100,000 to $175,000 St. Olaf’s commitment: at least $48,000 a year in grants and scholarships for families with an income of $175,001 to $250,000 St. Olaf’s commitment: at least $41,000 a year in grants and scholarships for families with an income of $250,001 to $325,000 | $85,530 |
| The College of Saint Scholastica private | None published | — | $61,805 |
| UMN Crookston public | None published | — | $27,779 |
| UMN Duluth public |
| — | $28,926 |
| University of Minnesota public |
| — | $36,940 |
| University of St Thomas (Minnesota) private | None published | — | $78,397 |
Each college's page has a promise's conditions, in the college's own words. “Worth asking about” marks a program the college describes in words that stop short of a promise.
Full price: tuition and fees, housing and food, and books; in state at a public university. What your family would pay after grants depends on your income: the finder shows it.
12 more Minnesota colleges have no page here. For 0 of them, the federal data has no cost or no price by income. The rest mainly teach graduate students or run online programs. Show them
- Augsburg University
- Bemidji State University
- Concordia University-Saint Paul
- Metropolitan State University
- Minnesota State University Moorhead
- Minnesota State University-Mankato
- Saint Cloud State University
- Saint Mary's University of Minnesota
- Southwest Minnesota State University
- St Catherine University
- University of Northwestern-St Paul
- Winona State University
Across state lines
The Midwest Student Exchange Program, run by the Midwestern Higher Education Compact.
Coming to Minnesota from another Midwest exchange state
Students from Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio and Wisconsin can pay no more than 150% of resident tuition at the public colleges that take part, for the programs each chooses. Private colleges take 10% off.
A student applies to the college, not to the exchange.
In Minnesota, Minnesota State University, Mankato takes part.
Going from Minnesota to another Midwest exchange state
A Minnesota student can use it the other way, at the colleges that take part in the other seven states. Each college's exchange contact explains how to apply.
Source: Midwestern Higher Education Compact, Midwest Student Exchange Program
“Through the MSEP, participating public institutions agree to charge students no more than 150% of the in-state resident tuition rate for selected programs, and private institutions offer a 10% reduction on their tuition rates.”
“Eight of MHEC’s member states participate in this voluntary program: Indiana, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, and Wisconsin.”
“You must be a legal resident of one of these eight states and enrolling as a non-resident at a participating institution in one of the other participating states.”
“You apply directly to the school, not to the MSEP.”
Paying the rest
Your SmartTuition plan uses your savings, your 529, your loans and your award letter.
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How we worked these out
What a SmartTuition plan saves
The $7,100 in the “Pay less for college” box near the top of this page is the median saving over our Minnesota scenarios. Each scenario is a household in Minnesota at one of its colleges. Its income is one of 8 from $45,000 to $200,000, and its savings are none, $40,000 or $100,000 in a 529. We price each college at the aid it reports for the income.
Every scenario has parents with good credit and $500 a month toward college. A saving is the difference, over four years, between a SmartTuition plan and the standard approach: savings first, then loans for the rest. It counts loan interest, the federal tax credit and Minnesota's tax deduction for money you put through its 529 plan. Credit matters: parents with fair credit borrow at a higher rate, which changes the saving.
A scenario where the parents would borrow more than $65,000 is left out, as is one at a college that reports no aid for the income. The figure is for a household that lives in Minnesota.
Costs: each college's own published price where it has one, otherwise the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard, carried forward to fall 2027. Grants: each program’s own page. Scholarships: each college's own page, read by us and checked against it. SmartTuition.ai is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any institution named here.