Best Online Colleges in Minnesota of 2025

University Headquarters (HQ) is an industry-leading, independent educational organization that provides independent college rankings using a proprietary formula to create first class, unbiased rankings. The team at University HQ strives to provide accurate and trustworthy rankings that highlight the best programs in Minnesota.

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Employment in Minnesota between the last quarter of 2021 and the first quarter of 2022 maintained a steady upward trend. In September 2021, the number of residents who held employment was 2,929,000. In November, this number had moved up and, in February of 2022, it increased again. Accordingly, unemployment fell during this same period; the low hitting 2.7% in February.

This is great news for those who are currently earning a college degree in this state or surrounding areas. It means that those who graduate with worthwhile degrees can expect to find a job. The lower the unemployment rate, the more growing companies will be clamoring to hire new graduates.

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Online Higher Education in Minnesota

What is the average cost of tuition for online education versus on-campus?

On average, the tuition, including fees, for in-state students is $8,616. For out-of-state students, it’s closer to $9,000. The most expensive tuition and fees are around $60,500, and the absolute lowest are $3,515/year. However, the highest tuition for students earning their graduate degrees is $48,180 and the lowest is $16,910. Tuition and fees cover the cost per credit hour, room and board, books, supplies, and even parking costs, and more.

With 122 colleges in Minnesota, students interested in online learning should have no problem finding the college and degree program they are seeking. Forty-five of these schools are public schools, meaning your education should be less expensive if you are attending from within the state, and 77 are private.

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What is the number or percentage of online learners?

The number of online-only Minnesota college students is 189,355. Students who took some online classes or degree programs numbered 97,339.

Breaking it down, the distance learning enrollment of undergraduate students was 103,446. For graduate students, this was lower at 85,909. In many cases, those who attend graduate school prefer to attend at least some of their classes online so that they can take advantage of networking opportunities. Those who earn bachelor’s degrees online are usually focused on gaining the education they need to get started in their career and are less worried about networking and other perks of the on-campus system.

Our School Rankings Methodology

As an organization working hard to rank colleges and universities across the country, we do our best to use objective rather than subjective data. This includes specific numbers and statistics that students and their families can rely on as they aim to choose the best college they can.

While subjective student reviews are helpful to get a feel for the campus culture, our rankings try to focus on these numbers as much as possible. For example, the cost of tuition lets you know how affordable a school can be, both before and after financial aid is applied. The retention rate tells you the percentage of first-year students who returned to the school for their second year. A higher percentage may indicate the school meets the needs of a larger portion of the student population.

The 4-year and 6-year graduation rates indicate how many students reach graduation within the “normal” time frame. The graduating salary or return on investment indicate that the salary previous students earned offered a good return on their investment.

We also consider whether or not colleges and universities offer more online courses and degree programs as many students are looking for these offerings. Schools which offer this to students indicate they are working to meet the needs of more students from around the country.