College · St. Cloud

Saint Cloud State University

University or collegePublicSt. Cloud, MNwww.stcloudstate.edu ↗

Saint Cloud State University is a public university in St. Cloud, MN, with about 8,690 students on campus and 1,824 more studying only online. It admits 95% of applicants, the average family on aid pays $13,529 a year, and 40% of students graduate.

Students on campus

8,690

8,430 undergrad · 2,084 grad · 1,824 online only

Admission rate

95%

more selective than 14% of 4-year colleges

Net price a year

$13,529

costs less than 79% of 4-year colleges

Graduation rate

40%

higher than 23% of 4-year colleges

Earnings, 10 yrs later

$55,813

higher than 80% of U.S. colleges

Getting in

How hard is it to get into Saint Cloud State University?

95%of applicants admitted

SAT reading

200800

510–615

SAT math

200800

515–645

ACT composite

136

17–25

The middle 50% of admitted students who sent scores: a quarter scored below the range and a quarter above it. Average SAT: 1092.

What it costs

The sticker price, and what families really pay

Sticker price: $21,116 a year

Before any grants

$10,245

$10,596

Tuition & fees (in state) $10,245Room & board $10,596Books & supplies $1,400

What families on aid pay, by income

Average net price a year after grants and scholarships

$9k

$10k

$12k

$15k

$19k

Under $30k$30–48k$48–75k$75–110kOver $110k

Families earning under $30,000 pay about $8,909 a year; families over $110,000 pay about $18,989.

Who goes there

The students

Undergraduates by race and ethnicity

5,088 degree-seeking undergrads

White 59%Hispanic 5%Black 13%Asian 4%Two or more 4%International 14%

Women and men

undergraduates

Women 54%Men 46%

18 : 1students per teacher

22%get Pell grants (lower income)

13%undergrads 25 or older

21%study part time

Majors

The biggest programs, and what they pay

Bachelor’s programs with the most graduates, and their graduates’ median earnings four years later (one year later where that’s all that’s reported).

Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other106 graduates a year · typical debt $22,550

$56,5474 yrs out

Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing88 graduates a year · typical debt $24,525

$84,4704 yrs out

Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management77 graduates a year · typical debt $24,516

$80,3314 yrs out

Psychology, General74 graduates a year · typical debt $16,250

$52,0314 yrs out

Finance and Financial Management Services73 graduates a year · typical debt $22,250

$70,2594 yrs out

Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods57 graduates a year · typical debt $23,250

$45,3864 yrs out

Communication and Media Studies54 graduates a year · typical debt $23,250

$56,3884 yrs out

Computer Science48 graduates a year · typical debt $25,463

$103,7654 yrs out

Outcomes

Do students finish, and does it pay off?

Graduate

40%

within 6 years · Pell students 33%

Come back for year two

71%

full-time first-year students

Earnings, 10 years later

$55,813

median, students on federal aid

Typical debt

$21,058

about $223 a month over 10 years

Paying back loans

Federal student loans, this college

66%of borrowers had paid down at least some of their loan within three years, more than at 82% of U.S. colleges.

Almost none defaulted within three years of starting repayment (payments on federal loans were paused from 2020 to 2023, so recent default rates are near zero everywhere).

Earnings by family background

Median earnings 10 years after starting, by family income when they enrolled

Lower income (under $30k)$51,016

Middle income ($30–75k)$55,505

Higher income (over $75k)$59,464

The town around it

Living in St. Cloud

14% of St. Cloud’s 70,629 residents are enrolled in college. Here is what the town is like, from TownTapestry’s St. Cloud pages.

$1,003/momedian rent · 22% below the stateHousing in St. Cloud → $225,000median home value · 32% below the stateHousing in St. Cloud → 3° / 82°January low / July high · 48" of snowClimate in St. Cloud →

Other colleges within 30 miles

St Cloud Technical and Community College 2.1 mi Rasmussen University-Minnesota 2.6 mi College of Saint Benedict 8.1 mi Saint Johns University 11.8 mi

Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (institution and field-of-study files) and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023); town figures from the Census American Community Survey and NOAA climate normals. Graduation rates count first-time, full-time students; earnings are for students who received federal aid.