University of Minnesota-Rochester Acceptance Rate, Admissions & Graduation

I am going to walk you through what official federal data say about this public university in Rochester, Minnesota. I am not going to tell you whether it is the right school for your child—that is not for me or the data to decide. But I will help you understand what kind of place it is so that, when you place it alongside other options on your list, you know exactly what you are comparing.

A small, specialized, and highly focused school

Let us start with the most important point: this university is not a place where your child will "find themself" by trying twenty different majors. It is a four-year institution that Carnegie classifies within a single academic field: other health professions. And when it reported its bachelor's degrees in 2022-23, all 159 that it awarded came from that same academic family. Across the country, there are 1,570 institutions that also award bachelor's degrees in that field, so it is not an unusual field. But here, it is practically the only one.

That does not mean other programs do not exist today. It means that, according to the latest reported information, the concentration is extremely high. If your child is interested in something other than health professions, this is the first thing you should verify directly with the school rather than assume based on the general catalog.

The university is a public four-year institution, and its highest reported level is the bachelor's degree. It is also very small: 588 students were enrolled in the official fall count, all of them undergraduates. Compared with 519 similar selective public schools, it is among the smallest: at least nine out of ten schools in that group have more students.

What does "small" mean in practice? Not that it is better or worse. It means you should ask something very specific: are the courses in your child's major offered every semester, or only once a year? At a school of this size, that answer can determine how long graduation takes.

Carnegie also identifies it as highly residential: at least half of its undergraduate students lived in institution-owned or institution-affiliated housing, and at least eight out of ten attended full time. It is in Rochester, in Olmsted County, within a metropolitan area. If your child is considering living at home, I recommend something simple: drive the route on a weekday at the actual time of their classes. A map almost never tells the whole story.

One point is worth clarifying right away: this university does not have any of three special designations—it is not a historically Black college or university, a tribal college or university, or a land-grant institution. Of the 3,012 universities in the federal directory, 138 do have at least one of those three designations. The fact that this university does not have them says nothing about whom it serves or how your child will feel there. Ask about that directly by speaking with current students.

Who will share the classroom with your child

In the fall of 2023, 8 out of every 100 undergraduate students were Hispanic or Latino. That is a small minority, and compared with similar schools, it is below the midpoint of the group. I am not saying that should remove the university from your list. I am saying that if your child will be one of the few, it is worth asking during the visit which student group, cultural center, or staff member speaks Spanish with them.

Women are a clear majority: 79 out of every 100. Adult students, ages 25 to 64, are few: 6 out of every 100. And 79 out of every 100 entering students came from Minnesota itself. Taken together, it is a small community that is predominantly female, predominantly in-state, and has few Latino students.

None of this makes the school good or bad. It simply describes who is enrolled today, according to the latest available report.

How the academic year works

The calendar follows semesters: two long terms of about 15 weeks each. The university accepts credits from AP exams and military training, but it did not indicate that it awards credit for life experience. It also enrolls high school students in college courses for credit through a formal dual-enrollment program.

Here is something tremendously valuable that many families learn too late: saying that the university accepts AP does not mean it awards credit for every exam or every score. This information does not tell us how many points are required or whether those credits apply to your child's specific major. Request a written transfer-equivalency evaluation before enrollment. Do not calculate time or money savings until you have that document in hand.

The student-to-instructional-staff ratio is 13 to 1, a low ratio compared with similar schools—it is in the lowest quarter of that group. But be careful: this figure is an institution-wide aggregate. It does not tell you the actual size of first-year classes or guarantee more individual attention. It is a clue, not a promise.

As for structured academic pathways, the university reports offering study abroad.

Getting in: what they require and what actually happens

This is not an open-admission school. It reviews several components before saying yes. Of nine possible considerations, it marked four as required: the high school record, high school GPA, completion of the required college-preparatory curriculum, and an English proficiency exam for applicants to whom it applies. If your child studied outside the United States or attended high school in Spanish, ask now whether that exam applies and what would qualify them for an exemption. It is one of those things families discover late, complicating their timelines.

Other components are not required but are considered if submitted: class rank, the personal essay, letters of recommendation, and work experience. The application fee is $30.

Now, the numbers that really matter when estimating the odds:

Seventy-two out of every 100 applicants were admitted. That is an accessible admission rate: compared with similar schools, it is on the less-selective side, meaning it admits a higher percentage than most of its peers. But that figure comes from a single cycle, not a fixed rule. When it is time for your child to apply, check the figure again for the relevant year.

Here is something that may surprise you: out of every 100 admitted students, only 19 ultimately enrolled. That means four out of five people who received acceptance letters decided to go elsewhere. Do not read that as a stain on the school. The federal record does not say why each person made that decision. What I can tell you is this: what other people decided tells you nothing about what your family will be offered. Wait for your own financial aid letter, with the actual net price, before deciding whether this school stays on the list.

The SAT and ACT are not required. Only 2 out of every 100 enrolled students submitted SAT scores; among those who submitted ACT scores, the median was 25. That low submission rate does not tell you whether the score was used for anything or whether it helped anyone gain admission.

One figure that changes how you should read graduation data

I want to pause here because this is one of those figures that, if you do not understand it correctly, can make everything else confusing. Out of every 100 first-time, full-time, bachelor's-degree-seeking students who entered in 2017, 38 transferred to another school without completing here within the expected time. That amounted to 71 people. Compared with similar schools, this is among those from which the largest proportion of students transfer.

Why does this matter? Because a student who transfers does not count as a University of Minnesota-Rochester graduate, even if that student completes a degree successfully at another institution. You will see this reflected later in the graduation rate, and I want you to keep it in mind now. A large number of students changing schools does not mean they did poorly here. The report tracks the movement, not each person's outcome.

Separately, in the fall of 2023, 31 students arrived as transfers from another institution.

The price: what the sticker says and what families actually pay

At University of Minnesota-Rochester, among 22 first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid, paid the in-state or in-district rate, and had EFC records showing family income below $30,000, the average net price was $3,010. Among 14 students in the same population with EFC family income from $48,001 to $75,000, it was $3,168; among 38 students with EFC family income above $110,000, it was $24,800. For dependent students, the bracket combines their parents' income with their own.

The difference between the average for the lowest-income bracket (22 students) and the average for the highest-income bracket (38 students) is $21,790. These are group averages, not a prediction of your family's price. Among first-year students who received any grant or scholarship aid, the average was $13,840.

Among the 519 schools of the same type and control included in this census that reported this figure with the same period coverage, this university falls within the least expensive quarter for the lowest-income families after grants and scholarships are subtracted. That does not mean it will be inexpensive for your family. It is information that carries weight when you build the list of schools to which your child will apply.

Because the price changes so much from one income bracket to another, identifying the right bracket is the first step. The income brackets in this profile describe first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid; at public institutions, they use the in-state or in-district rate. The overall average after grants and scholarships, when shown, describes first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal, state, local, or institutional grants or scholarships. The financial aid letter sent to you is what matters.

How it is paid for: grants, loans, and who assumes the debt

Out of every 100 degree-seeking students, 80 received some grant or scholarship aid that does not have to be repaid. Among those who received it, the average was $11,960. And 36 out of every 100 received a Pell Grant, the federal aid for low-income families.

Now the other side: 49 out of every 100 undergraduate students received a federal loan that year, and each borrowed an average of $6,015. Compared with similar schools, this share of students with loans is on the high side: seven out of ten similar schools had an equal or lower share.

Here, financing an education with debt is common, not the exception. If your child borrowed a similar amount in each of the four years, the total would be around $24,060, not counting interest. And that calculation should be considered before the first signature, not at the end of the journey. Moreover, that average covers only federal loans in the student's name: it does not include anything parents might borrow separately, credit card balances, or bank debt.

The university also reports offering an installment tuition payment plan and participating in a Promise-type program, options worth asking about directly if monthly cash flow is a real concern for your family.

Campus life and available support

The institution does control housing, with space for 717 students. It is not required for all first-time, full-time students, although that does not rule out the possibility that a specific program may require it. Meal plans are also available, with a fixed number of meals per week in the largest plan. Before removing room and board from your budget, request the year's rate, the application deadline, and whether housing is guaranteed or you will be placed on a waiting list, all in writing.

The university did not indicate any ROTC opportunities in its report. If your child's plan depends on that scholarship, ask admissions directly: an empty field does not prove that no pathway exists; it means only that none was reported there.

There is participation in intercollegiate athletics, although the university does not report belonging to any of the common national athletic associations (NCAA, NAIA, NJCAA, USCAA, NCCAA). This does not tell you which sports are available or whether any offer scholarships; ask about that directly.

Distance education is available at the undergraduate level, although only 3 out of every 100 students took all their courses that way; the other 97 took at least one class in person. The university does not report a complete program that can be taken entirely through distance education.

The library has employed staff, physical and digital materials, and interlibrary loan, with expenditures above the federal threshold of $100,000. That is a floor, not a guarantee that databases specific to your child's major are available: ask about them by program name.

For general support, the university reports combined academic and career counseling, employment services for current students, placement services after program completion, a point of contact for veterans and military personnel, and a webpage dedicated to services for people with disabilities.

How many stay, and how many graduate?

Of the cohort that entered in the fall of 2022, 72 out of every 100 were still enrolled here or had already completed a bachelor's degree one year later. That is slightly below the midpoint of the group compared with similar schools. Remember: this figure does not distinguish those still studying from those who have already graduated, and not returning to this school does not always mean leaving higher education.

As for graduation, this is where everything we saw earlier about transfers connects. Of the 188 full-time, bachelor's-degree-seeking students who entered in 2017:

At four years, the number who had graduated was already 53 out of every 100, just 4 points below the six-year figure. Compared with similar schools, it is at or above the midpoint of the group.

Do you see the connection? Nearly four out of ten students in that cohort left for another school without completing here. They do not count as University of Minnesota-Rochester graduates, although many may have completed their degrees elsewhere. The graduation rate of a small, highly specialized school like this one tells only part of the story if you do not read it alongside the transfer rate.

Finally, at eight years, following a different cohort that entered in 2015-16: 52 out of every 100 had earned a degree or certificate here. Among Pell Grant recipients, the figure fell to 41 out of every 100, eighteen points below the figure for those who did not receive one. If your family would qualify for Pell, it is worth asking directly what counseling, emergency aid, and internal scholarship renewal are available, in writing.

What you now know

You now know an important piece of the puzzle: what kind of university University of Minnesota-Rochester is, how it admits students, how much it costs on paper, how much it may actually cost based on your family's income, how most students finance it, and what its own numbers say about who stays and who leaves.

What this article cannot tell you is whether this is the right university for your child. That depends on three things only your family knows: what your child wants to study and what they have built so far, how far from home they are willing to live, and how much your family can and wants to pay, with or without loans.

If your child is interested in something outside the health professions, confirm directly what is offered today. And if the possibility of transferring before graduation concerns or reassures your child, you now know what question to ask during the visit.

Combine this piece with the other two. A real plan comes from that combination, not from this piece alone.

Source note: the information in this article comes from official IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) reports from the United States Department of Education, covering different years and cohorts as indicated in each section. Best College Aid does not represent University of Minnesota-Rochester or any government agency; this piece is for informational purposes only.