I am going to walk you through what the official data actually say about this university: what kind of institution it is, how people get in, how much it costs, how much aid students receive, and what happens to students once they are enrolled. I am not going to tell you whether it is the right school for your family. That is not for me—or any article—to decide. But if you finish reading this with a real understanding of what kind of institution it is, you will have a solid piece of your plan.
What Kind of University It Is, in a Few Words
Carnegie—the system that categorizes the nation’s universities based on what they do—classifies University of Minnesota-Twin Cities among doctoral universities with the highest level of research activity. It is a public, four-year institution that offers programs through the doctoral level. IPEDS, the federal database underlying this entire article, also identifies it as a Land Grant institution, a historic designation it shares with just 80 of the 3,012 institutions in this census. That label does not tell you which program your child will study or how much it will cost. It tells you only that this is how the government classified it in the 2023 file.
It is in Minneapolis, Minnesota, within Hennepin County, in the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington metropolitan area. It is a large city, with a population of 250,000 or more according to the census code. If your child is thinking about living at home, the recommendation is simple and practical: drive the route yourself on a weekday at the exact time of your child’s classes. The actual travel time is almost never what the map promises.
Carnegie also describes it as primarily nonresidential: this means that, when that measurement was made using data from 2019-20, fewer than one in four undergraduate students lived in institution-provided housing, or fewer than half studied full time. The data do not clarify which of those two conditions applied, and they also do not say there are no residence halls—there are, as we will see later. They tell you only that if your child will be commuting, you need to budget for the bus, gas, and hours spent traveling.
One more fact worth remembering now: Carnegie places this university among those that receive many transfer students. If your child plans to arrive here after studying somewhere else, ask in writing, from the very first contact, which courses will count and which will not. The label confirms that many transfer students arrive; it does not say how many credits they bring or how many they lose along the way.
A School the Size of a Small City
In the most recent fall, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities reported enrollment of 54,890 students. It is one of the largest schools in existence: among the 519 selective public institutions in this census, no more than one in ten enrolls more students.
But that large number conceals something your family needs to separate carefully: 39,556 are undergraduate students and 15,334 are graduate students. If your child is entering a bachelor’s-degree program, the number that matters is not 54,890. It is 39,556. Everyone else has already completed a bachelor’s degree and is pursuing further study.
And who makes up that undergraduate population? Out of every 100 students, 55 are women—the numbers of men and women are nearly even. Only 4 out of every 100 are between 25 and 64 years old: there are very few adult students returning to the classroom. And 66 out of every 100 first-time students had a permanent address in Minnesota when they applied, so slightly more than half of their classmates will be from the same state.
Here is a fact I want to give you directly, without cushioning it: 7 out of every 100 undergraduate students are Hispanic or Latino. It is a small minority, and compared with the 519 selective public schools in this census, the university falls below the comparison-group midpoint. That does not remove the school from your list or put it on the list. It is information. If your child will be among the few, ask during the visit what Latino student organization exists, whether there is a cultural center, and whether anyone in the office speaks Spanish. The number I am giving you covers the entire school; your child’s experience in a specific major may look different. Talk with a student there before deciding.
How the Academic Year Is Organized
The academic year at University of Minnesota-Twin Cities is organized into semesters: two long terms of about 15 weeks each. The dates are fixed and the same for everyone.
The university reported accepting two forms of prior credit: credit for AP exams and what IPEDS calls credit for life experience—independent study, adult courses, work experience, portfolios, licenses, certifications, or military training. It also offers formal dual enrollment for high school students who want to begin taking college classes before graduating.
Here is an extremely valuable truth that almost no one verifies in time: the fact that the university says it accepts AP does not mean it grants credit for every exam. The report does not say what scores are required, how many credits are awarded, or whether those credits count toward your child’s specific major. Ask for the equivalency evaluation in writing before enrolling. Do not budget for the savings until you have it in hand.
What You Can Study There
In a single year, this university awarded 7,640 bachelor’s degrees across 25 program families under the federal Classification of Instructional Programs, or CIP. The range is very broad: no single family accounts for a large share. The most popular was biological and biomedical sciences, and even it represented only 12 out of every 100 degrees awarded that year. Compared with 514 similar schools in this census, the university falls within the quarter with the most program families represented in its offerings.
Pay attention to an important distinction: 25 families represented in the report do not mean 25 majors in the catalog, nor did all of them necessarily award degrees—some rows may report zero. A CIP family groups several programs together. If your child already knows what they want to study, verify the exact program, not just the general family.
As for group size, the reported student-to-faculty ratio is 16 to 1. It is in the middle, neither among the lowest nor the highest compared with similar schools. And here is the clarification that is always necessary: this number does not tell you the actual size of your child’s classes. It is an institution-wide ratio based on full-time equivalents, not a measurement of how many students fit into a first-year classroom.
The university also reports structured academic opportunities worth knowing about: study-abroad programs, cocurricular undergraduate research, a complete program that can be taken only in the evenings or on weekends, and preparation and certification pathways for people who want to become teachers. The fact that these opportunities exist on paper does not tell you how they work in practice for your child’s major; ask about each one by name when you visit.
What the Admission Process Is Like
This university does not have open admission: it reviews specific components before saying yes. Of nine possible considerations, it identifies three as required: the high school record, completion of the college-preparatory coursework the university requires, and an English-proficiency exam for applicants to whom it applies. If your child studied outside the United States or completed high school in Spanish, ask now whether that exam is required and what qualifies for an exemption. It is one of those things families discover late, complicating their plans.
Other components are not required but are considered if submitted: the high school GPA, class rank, personal essay, letters of recommendation, and work experience. The report does not say how much weight each carries in the final decision.
The undergraduate application fee is $55.
Now for the question every family wants answered first: how difficult is it to get in? In the most recent cycle, out of 39,863 first-time applicants, 30,705 received an offer of admission. That is 77 out of every 100. It is an accessible admission rate that sits slightly below the midpoint of the comparison table for similar schools. Put another way, there are thousands of applicants, yet nearly 8 out of every 10 still receive a yes. Your child has reason to apply. Your child also has reason to prepare a complete application and submit it on time, because that figure comes from a single cycle, not a permanent rule of the institution. When it is your child’s turn, check the figure again for the applicable year.
Here is a distinction many families confuse: receiving a yes is not the same as enrolling. Out of every 100 admitted students, only 22 ultimately enrolled here that fall. The other 78 had a place but did not take it. That is not a mark against the school—the federal record does not say why each person chose what they chose. What matters to you is this: what other people decided does not tell you what the university will offer your child. Wait for your child’s letter showing the actual net price before deciding whether this school stays on the list.
Regarding standardized tests, neither the SAT nor the ACT is required. If your child submits scores, they are considered; if not, the application remains active just the same. Among those who did submit SAT scores—only 8 out of every 100 enrolled students—the middle half scored between 640 and 720 in reading and writing, and between 670 and 760 in mathematics. Those numbers describe students who had already enrolled, not all applicants. That 640 is not a minimum, and that 720 does not guarantee anything either.
And for families considering transfer: only 9 out of every 100 students in a first-time entering cohort transferred from here to another school without earning a degree—a low share compared with similar schools. At the same time, many transfer students arrive from other institutions: 1,708 in a single fall. If your child will arrive that way, the recommendation bears repeating because it matters: with the course list in hand, ask in writing which credits will be accepted before your child makes the move.
What It Costs and What Students Actually Pay
At University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, among 424 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 $7,262. Among 474 students in that same population with EFC family income from $48,001 to $75,000, it was $10,861; among 1,082 students with EFC family income above $110,000, it was $26,623. For dependent students, the income band combines their parents’ income with their own.
There is a difference of $19,361 between the average for the lowest-income band, which included 424 students, and the average for the highest-income band, which included 1,082 students. 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 $16,730.
Among the 519 schools of the same type and control included in this census that reported this figure with the same time coverage, this university ranks in 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 a fact 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 band to another, correctly identifying your band is the first step. The income bands 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 with grant or scholarship aid, when shown, describes first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal, state, local, or institutional grants or scholarships. The aid letter you receive is what ultimately governs.
The Aid Students Do—and Do Not—Receive
Some form of grant or aid that does not have to be repaid reached 64 out of every 100 degree-seeking students here. That is more than half, but not everyone. Among similar schools in this census, that coverage falls within the quarter where grant aid reaches fewer students; among those who did receive it, the annual average was $11,410.
The federal Pell Grant—the grant specifically intended for families with low incomes—reached 22 out of every 100 students. That is a lower share than for aid overall. The difference between the two figures may come from state, institutional, or other sources of aid; the report does not make it possible to determine the exact source. When your child’s letter arrives, separate it by hand into three piles: money that does not have to be repaid, money that must be repaid with interest, and money that must be earned through work. Many letters mix them into a single column, and that is where families become confused.
Regarding loans, 29 out of every 100 undergraduate students received a federal loan during the reported academic year—more than two out of ten, but fewer than half. Among those who borrowed, the average amount borrowed that year was $6,251. Compared with similar schools, this university falls on the lower side: seven out of ten similar schools, or more, had a higher share of students with debt.
That average covers only one year and counts only federal loans taken out in the student’s name. It does not include Parent PLUS loans that parents sometimes sign for, bank debt, or credit-card debt. Nor is it the total debt someone has when leaving after graduation—that would require adding together every year, and that number is not in this report. This percentage does not determine how much your child would need to borrow or which of these groups your child falls into. The financial aid letter your child receives in writing determines that. Wait for it before ruling out the school or committing to it.
The university also offers an installment tuition-payment plan and participates in a Promise program.
Housing, Campus Life, and Support
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities does have its own housing, with a reported capacity of 7,558 students on or off campus. Not all first-year students are required to live there—this rules out a universal requirement but does not mean no individual program has one. It also offers meal plans, although the number of meals per week varies by the plan selected. The existence of rooms does not guarantee an available bed when your child needs one: ask in writing for the rate for the applicable year, the application deadline, and whether a place is guaranteed or your child will enter a waiting list.
ROTC is available for all three service branches—the Army, Navy, and Air Force, along with the Marine Corps option within Navy. Reporting all three is uncommon: of the 3,012 universities in this census, only 135 do so. But a reported offering does not confirm that the program is conducted on this specific campus, that spaces are available, or that a scholarship is offered. Ask about each pathway by name.
The university competes in intercollegiate athletics and is affiliated with the NCAA, with membership reported in football, basketball, baseball, and cross-country or track and field. If your child wants to play, write directly to the coach for that sport and ask about roster space, division, and athletic scholarships. Get the answer in writing.
It offers distance education at the undergraduate and graduate levels, although almost no one uses it exclusively: only 2 out of every 100 undergraduate students took all their classes at a distance; the other 98 took at least one class in person.
The library operates with employed staff. It has physical and digital materials. It also participates in interlibrary lending. And the university reports a broad list of support services: combined academic and career counseling, employment services, on-campus child care, a dedicated point of contact for veterans and military personnel, a student veterans’ organization, and a services page for people with disabilities. The fact that these services are reported does not tell you how accessible they are or how effective they are for each student. Ask about each by name, including its hours and who provides the service.
What Happens to Students Once They Are Enrolled
This is perhaps the most candid information federal data can offer, because the question here is no longer who gets in, but who stays and who finishes.
Of the cohort of full-time students who entered in 2022, 91 out of every 100 were still enrolled here or had already graduated one year later. That is a very high figure compared with similar schools—among the institutions that retain the largest share of their students. But be careful: that number combines two different groups, those still studying and those who had already finished. The report does not separate how many belonged to each group.
Of the cohort that entered bachelor’s-degree study in 2017, 85 out of every 100 earned a bachelor’s degree within six years. With a four-year time frame, the figure falls to 74 out of every 100. Compared with its peers, it is among the schools where the largest share earn degrees.
And when a broader cohort is followed—including full-time and part-time students, first-time students, and those who arrived with credits from somewhere else—83 out of every 100 had earned a degree or certificate from here within eight years of entering. Among those who received a Pell Grant, the figure was slightly lower: 77 out of every 100, seven percentage points below the group without Pell.
Those are high figures, among the highest for similar schools. But a high percentage describes what happened to an earlier cohort, not what will happen to your child. What is within your family’s control is making sure your child enters with credits in order and, from the first semester, knows who the academic advisor is and when registration opens for courses in the major.
Putting the Complete Map Together
You now know, in considerable depth, one of the three pieces you need to make a decision: what University of Minnesota-Twin Cities really is, what it requires for admission, what it costs, what aid it distributes, and what happens to its students.
The other two pieces do not exist in any federal report. One is what your child wants to study, what your child has built so far, and how far from home your child is willing to live.
No figure in this article makes the decision for you. What the figures can do is keep you from reaching an important decision without seeing the complete map. A real plan grows from that combination—what the school is, what your child wants, and what the family can manage. And with a clear map in hand, it is much harder to miss an important exit along the way.
This article is based on official data from IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) and the United States Department of Education, corresponding primarily to the 2022-23 and 2023-24 cycles, as indicated in each section. Best College Aid does not represent University of Minnesota-Twin Cities or any government agency; this piece is informational and intended to support families’ research.