There are nearly 200 post-secondary institutions in the U.S. state of

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

. The

Twin Cities Twin cities are a special case of two neighboring cities or urban centres that grow into a single conurbation – or narrowly separated urban areas – over time. There are no formal criteria, but twin cities are generally comparable in sta ...

campus of the

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichk ...

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public land-grant research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. ...

is the largest university in the state with 51,721 enrolled for fall 2010, making it the sixth-largest American campus by enrollment size. The

University of Minnesota system The University of Minnesota system is a public university system with five campuses spread across the U.S. state of Minnesota. The university system has five campuses, in the Twin Cities, Crookston, Duluth, Morris, and Rochester. The univers ...

has four other campuses in Crookston,

Duluth , settlement_type = City , nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City , motto = , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...

Morris Morris may refer to: Places Australia *St Morris, South Australia, place in South Australia Canada * Morris Township, Ontario, now part of the municipality of Morris-Turnberry * Rural Municipality of Morris, Manitoba ** Morris, Manitob ...

, and

Rochester Rochester may refer to: Places Australia * Rochester, Victoria Canada * Rochester, Alberta United Kingdom *Rochester, Kent ** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area ** History of Rochester, Kent ** HM Prison ...

. The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system comprises 37 public universities and on 54 campuses.

Minnesota State University Minnesota State University, Mankato (MNSU, MSU, or Minnesota State) is a public university in Mankato, Minnesota, United States. It is Minnesota's second-largest university and has over 123,000 living alumni worldwide. Founded in 1868, it is t ...

, referred to as the flagship of the Minnesota State system, is the second-largest university in the state. The University of St. Thomas in

St. Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

is Minnesota's largest private university or college with a fall 2010 enrollment of 10,815 students. Center City-based Hazelden Graduate School of Addiction Studies is the state's smallest postsecondary institution, while Century College in White Bear Lake is Minnesota's largest

community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, ...

and

technical college An institute of technology (also referred to as: technological university, technical university, university of technology, technological educational institute, technical college, polytechnic university or just polytechnic) is an institution of te ...

. The majority of Minnesota's post-secondary institutions are

accredited Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

by the

Higher Learning Commission The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is an institutional accreditor in the United States. It has historically accredited post-secondary education institutions in the central United States: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa ...

(HLC), but 22 have received accreditation from the

Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools The Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) is a non-profit education corporation that was recognized until 2021 by the United States Department of Education as an independent and autonomous national accrediting body. ...

(ACICS). Most are accredited by multiple agencies, such as the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), the

National League for Nursing The National League for Nursing (NLN) is a national organization for faculty nurses and leaders in nurse education. It offers faculty development, networking opportunities, testing services, nursing research grants, and public policy initiative ...

(NLNAC), and the

American Psychological Association The American Psychological Association (APA) is the largest scientific and professional organization of psychologists in the United States, with over 133,000 members, including scientists, educators, clinicians, consultants, and students. It ha ...

(APA). While the University of Minnesota was chartered by the state in 1851, it did not operate as a place of higher education for nearly two decades. St. Paul-based

Hamline University Hamline University is a private liberal arts college in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Founded in 1854, Hamline is known for its emphasis on experiential learning, service, and social justice. The university is named after Bishop Leonidas Lent Hamline ...

is considered the state's oldest private college or university, being founded in 1854 as a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...

coeducational institution.

Mayo Medical School The Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine (MCASOM), formerly known as Mayo Medical School (MMS), is a research-oriented medical school based in Rochester, Minnesota, with additional campuses in Arizona and Florida. MCASOM is a school within the M ...

, the

, and

University of Minnesota Duluth The University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) is a public university in Duluth, Minnesota. It is part of the University of Minnesota system and offers 16 bachelor's degrees in 88 Academic major, majors, graduate programs in 25 different fields, and a ...

feature the only medical schools in the state.

Mitchell Hamline School of Law Mitchell Hamline School of Law is a private law school in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It is accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) and offers full- and part-time legal education for its Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree. History Mitchell Hamlin ...

, the

University of Minnesota Law School The University of Minnesota Law School is the law school of the University of Minnesota, located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The school confers four law degrees: a Juris Doctor (J.D.), a Master of Laws (LL.M.), a Master of Science in Patent L ...

, and the University of St. Thomas School of Law are

American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. Founded in 1878, the ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of aca ...

-accredited law schools.

Extant institutions

Defunct institutions

{, class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:left; width:100%; font-size:95%" , - ! scope="col" width="240" , Institution ! scope="col" width="100" , Location(s) ! scope="col" width="100" , Control ! scope="col" width="80" , Founded ! scope="col" width="80" , Closed ! scope="col" width="80" , Ref , - !scope="row" , Albert Lea College , align="center",

Albert Lea Albert Lea may refer to: *Albert Lea, Minnesota, U.S. * Albert Lea Township, Freeborn County, Minnesota, U.S. *Albert Miller Lea Albert Miller Lea (July 23, 1808 – January 16, 1891) was an American engineer, soldier, and topographer with th ...

, align="center", Private
(

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

) , align="center", 1885 , align="center", 1973 , align="center", , - !scope="row" ,

Argosy University Argosy University was a system of for-profit colleges owned by Dream Center Education Holdings (DCEH), LLC and Education Management Corporation. On February 27, 2019, the US Department of Education stated that they were cutting off federal fu ...

, align="center", Eagan , align="center", Private for-profit , align="center", 2001 , align="center", 2019 , align="center", , - !scope="row" , College of Visual Arts , align="center",

, align="center", Private
( not-for-profit) , align="center", 1924 , align="center", 2013 , align="center", , - !scope="row" , Duluth Business University , align="center",

Duluth , settlement_type = City , nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City , motto = , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...

, align="center", Private for-profit , align="center", 1891 , align="center", 2018 , align="center", , - !scope="row" , Fairlakes State Junior College , align="center", Fairmont , align="center", Public , align="center", 1973 , align="center", 1975 , align="center", , - !scope="row", Golden Valley Lutheran College , align="center", Golden Valley , align="center", Private
(

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...

) , align="center", 1919 , align="center", 1985 , align="center", , - !scope="row", International Center for Naturobioholistic Health and Medicine , align="center",

Bemidji, Minnesota Bemidji ( ) is a city and the county seat of Beltrami County, in northern Minnesota, United States. The population was 14,574 at the 2020 census. According to 2021 census estimates, the city is estimated to have a population of 15,279, making i ...

, align="center", Private for-profit accredited ACICS , align="center", 1978 , align="center", 1984 , align="center", , - !scope="row",

Lea College Lea College was a private liberal arts college that operated from 1966 to 1973 in Albert Lea, Minnesota, United States. Lea was one of several Midwestern colleges established by local civic leaders with the support and encouragement of Parsons Coll ...

, align="center",

, align="center", Private , align="center", 1965 , align="center", 1973 , align="center", , - !scope="row",

Pillsbury Baptist Bible College Pillsbury Baptist Bible College was an independent Baptist college in Owatonna, Minnesota, United States (1957–2008). Pillsbury described itself as a " biblical arts college." It offered a four-year program leading to the degrees of Bachelor of ...

, align="center", Owatonna , align="center", Private
(

Independent Baptist Independent Baptist churches (some also called Independent Fundamental Baptist or IFB) are Christian congregations, generally holding to conservative (primarily fundamentalist) Baptist beliefs. Although some Independent Baptist churches refuse af ...

) , align="center", 1957 , align="center", 2008 , align="center", , - !scope="row", College of Saint Teresa , align="center", Winona , align="center", Private
(

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

) , align="center", 1907 , align="center", 1989 , align="center", , - !scope="row",

Southern Minnesota Normal College Southern Minnesota Normal College, was a normal school and business school located in Austin, Minnesota that operated from 1897 to 1925. It was founded with the Austin School of Commerce. The school was founded in 1896 by Charles Boostrom, and ...

, align="center", Austin , align="center", Public , align="center", 1897 , align="center", 1925 , align="center", , - !scope="row", Minnesota Central University , align="center",

Hastings Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...

, align="center", Public , align="center", 1857 , align="center", 1867 , , - !scope="row", University of Minnesota Waseca , align="center", Waseca , align="center", Public , align="center", 1971 , align="center", 1992 , align="center", , - !scope="row" , Brown College , align="center", Mendota Heights,

Brooklyn Center Brooklyn Center is a first-ring suburban city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area. In 1911, the area became a village formed from parts of Brooklyn Township and Crystal Lake Township. I ...

, align="center", Private for-profit , align="center", 1946 , align="center", 2015 , align="center", , - !scope="row" , Crossroads College , align="center",

, align="center", Private
( Church of Christ) , align="center", 1913 , align="center", 2016 , align="center", , - !scope="row" , Globe University and Minnesota School of Business , align="center", multiple , align="center", Private for-profit , align="center", 1877 , align="center", 2016 , align="center", , - !scope="row" ,

McNally Smith College of Music McNally Smith College of Music was a private for-profit music school in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Initially founded in 1984 as the Guitar Center of Minneapolis, it was renamed Musictech College and moved to St. Paul in 2001. The school was renamed ...

, align="center",

, align="center", Private for-profit , align="center", 1985 , align="center", 2017 , align="center", , - , colspan="6", * National for-proft institution

National American University National American University (NAU) is a private for-profit online university with locations at Ellsworth Air Force Base and Naval Submarine Base King's Bay. It is owned by National American University Holdings, Inc. (NAUH). In 2018, NAU a ...

operated campuses in Bloomington,

, Burnsville,

and Roseville that offered associate's and bachelor's degrees. * National for-profit institution the

University of Phoenix University of Phoenix (UoPX) is a private for-profit university headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. Founded in 1976, the university confers certificates and degrees at the certificate, associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree level ...

formerly operated a campus in St. Louis Park that offers bachelor's and master's degrees.

Out-of-state institutions

* National for-profit institution Anthem Education Group has a campus in St. Louis Park that offers

associate's degree An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of Tertiary education, post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of qualification above a high school diploma, GED, or matriculation, and below a bachelo ...

s. * National for-profit institution

DeVry University DeVry University () is a private for-profit university with its headquarters in Naperville, Illinois. It was founded in 1931 by Herman A. DeVry and is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. DeVry is predominantly an online educator but ...

operates a campus in Edina that offers associate's, bachelor's, and

master's degrees A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

. * National for-profit institution

Herzing University Herzing University is a private university with its headquarters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and several locations throughout the United States. The university offers degrees in professions including nursing, technology, business, and healthcare. H ...

operates a campus in

Crystal A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituents (such as atoms, molecules, or ions) are arranged in a highly ordered microscopic structure, forming a crystal lattice that extends in all directions. In addition, macro ...

that offers associate's, bachelor's, and master's degrees. * National for-profit institution

ITT Technical Institute ITT Technical Institute (ITT Tech) was a private for-profit technical institute with its headquarters in Carmel, Indiana and many campuses throughout the United States. Founded in 1969 and growing to 130 campuses in 38 states of the United Stat ...

operates a campus in Eden Prairie that offers associate's and bachelor's degrees.{{sfn, Peterson's, 2010, pp={{cite web , url=http://www.national.edu/history-nau , title=History of NAU , publisher=

, access-date=October 22, 2011 , url-status=dead , archive-url=https://archive.today/20120805070440/http://www.national.edu/history-nau , archive-date=August 5, 2012

Key

{, class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:left; width:auto; font-size:90%" , - ! scope="col" , Abbreviation ! scope="col" , Accrediting agency , - , AAMFT ,

American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy The American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) is a professional association in the field of marriage and family therapy representing more than 50,000 marriage and family therapists throughout the United States, Canada, and abroad. ...

, - , AANA , American Association of Nurse Anesthetists , - , ABA ,

, - , ACICS ,

, - , ACME , Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education , - , ACPE ,

Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) is a non-profit accreditation national agency recognized by Council on Higher Education Accreditation and the US Department of Education. It was established in 1932 as the American Council on Pha ...

, - , ADA , American Dental Association , - , ADA ,

American Dietetic Association The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is a 501(c)(6) trade association in the United States. With over 112,000 members, the association claims to be the largest organization of food and nutrition professionals. It has registered dietitian nut ...

, - , AOTA ,

American Occupational Therapy Association The American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) is the national professional association established in 1917 to represent the interests and concerns of occupational therapy practitioners and students and improve the quality of occupational t ...

, - , APA ,

, - , APTA ,

American Physical Therapy Association The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) is a U.S-based individual membership professional organization representing more than 100,000 member physical therapists, physical therapist assistants, and students of physical therapy. The nonpr ...

, - , ASHA ,

American Speech–Language–Hearing Association The American Speech–Language–Hearing Association (ASHA) is a professional association for speech–language pathologists, audiologists, and speech, language, and hearing scientists in the United States The United States of Ame ...

, - , CCNE , Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education , - , JRCERT , Joint Review Committee on Education Programs in Radiologic Technology , - , LCME ,

Liaison Committee on Medical Education The Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) is an accrediting body for educational programs at schools of medicine in the United States and Canada.''Glossary.'' ACGME website. The LCME is sponsored by the Association of American Medical Co ...

, - , MSCHE , Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools , - , NASAD ,

National Association of Schools of Art and Design The National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD), founded in 1944, is an accrediting organization of colleges, schools and universities in the United States. The organization establishes standards for graduate and undergraduate degrees ...

, - , NASD , National Association of Schools of Dance , - , NASM ,

National Association of Schools of Music The National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) is an association of post-secondary music schools in the United States and the principal U.S. accreditor for higher education in music. It was founded on October 20, 1924, and is based in Reston ...

, - , NAST , National Association of Schools of Theatre , - , HLC ,

, - , NCATE , National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education , - , NLNAC ,

Notes

{{Reflist, group="note"

References

{{Reflist, colwidth=24em

Bibliography

* {{cite book, first=Merrill E. , last=Jarchow , title=Private Liberal Arts Colleges in Minnesota: Their History and Contributions , publisher=Minnesota Historical Society , year=1973 , isbn=0-87351-081-X , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=C_pPIKcRXikC * {{cite book, title=Colleges in the Midwest: Compare Colleges in Your Region, 24th edition , location= Lawrence Township, New Jersey , publisher=

Peterson's Peterson's, founded in 1966, is an American company that has a wide range of print and digital products and services, including test preparation, career exploration tools, memory retention techniques, and school, financial aid, and scholarship se ...

, year=2009 , isbn=978-0-7689-2690-3 , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4mc4PN1nxFEC , ref={{SfnRef, Peterson's, 2009 * {{cite book, title=Two-Year Colleges 2011, 41st edition , location= Lawrence Township, New Jersey , publisher=

, year=2010 , isbn=978-0-7689-2835-8 , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xc0vIsjDrtIC , ref={{SfnRef, Peterson's, 2010

External links

Department of Education listing of accredited institutions in Minnesota
{{Lists of colleges and universities in the United States {{Colleges and universities in Minnesota {{Minnesota {{featured list

Colleges and universities