Welcome back to the PNPI Explorer blog series, where we examine higher education data in different states. This week’s spotlight is on Minnesota.

In 2021 in Minnesota, there were 81 institutions serving 217,455 full-time equivalent (FTE) students. Using the College Cost report, we can examine how much Minnesota institutions charge for tuition and fees for in-district, in-state, and out-of-state students. In-state students pay an average of $17.7K for tuition and fees, compared to $22.9K for out-of-state students.

We can use the Comparison Tool to determine if these average tuition and fee prices are high relative to other states. Minnesota is in the top quartile for average tuition and fees for in-state students, being nearly $2K more per year than the national average. They also charge more than their neighboring states, being higher than Iowa, Wisconsin, South Dakota, and North Dakota.

These relatively high tuition and fees may explain, in part, why Minnesota ranks sixth in undergraduate federal unsubsidized Direct Loan borrowing. In 2021, 37.2% of Minnesota undergraduates received an unsubsidized Direct Loan from the Department of Education, compared to 24.4% nationally.

Find something interesting about Minnesota that you would like to share with us? Drop us a note via our feedback page or discuss your findings on LinkedIn! Check back next week when we explore data insights about Mississippi.

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