Public · Community college
Central Lakes College-Brainerd
Brainerd, Minnesota · Remote town
- 13%
- Transfer rate
- $13,869
- Avg net price
- 53%
- Grad / completion
- $42,162
- Median earnings
Central Lakes College-Brainerd is a public associate-granting institution in Brainerd, Minnesota (remote town setting), enrolling 1,614 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.
About Brainerd, Minnesota
Brainerd is a city in and the county seat of Crow Wing County, Minnesota, United States. Brainerd was first seen by European settlers on Christmas Day in 1805, when Zebulon Pike stopped there while searching for the headwaters of the Mississippi River. The Brainerd Lakes Area has a classical music festival during the summers called Lakes Area Music Festival. According to its website, the festival's mission is to connect the nation's best performers and audiences through excellent classical music and inspiring education. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Remote town
- Highest degree offered
- Associate
- Nearest big city
- 105 miles to Duluth, MN
- To Great Lakes shore
- 104 miles
- Nearest airport
- 6 miles to Brainerd Lakes (BRD)
How Central Lakes College-Brainerd compares
Higher than 40% · #15 of 42 in Minnesota
Higher than 41%
Higher than 77% · #26 of 40 in Minnesota
Cheaper than 55% · #25 cheapest of 43 in Minnesota
Lower than 36%
Lower than 29%
Larger than 79%
Percentiles compare Central Lakes College-Brainerd with the nation's 3,519 two-year and certificate schools, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count two-year and certificate schools in Minnesota.
Student body
Undergraduates by gender
- Women79950%
- Men81550%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White82%
- Black5.3%
- Hispanic4.1%
- Asian0.6%
- Other or multiracial8.4%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 1,614
- Student–faculty ratio
- 20 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 14%
- First-generation students
- 32%
- Students over 25
- 12%
- Median family income
- $30,464
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $86,634
- Endowment
- $11,028,000
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $6,249
- Room & board
- —
- Books & supplies
- $1,000
- Total cost of attendance
- $19,543
- Average net price
- $13,869
Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.
Outcomes
- Graduated
- 53%
- First-year retention
- 69%
- Transferred to another college
- 13%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $39,389
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $42,162
- Median debt at graduation
- $11,000
- Students with federal loans
- 12%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 45%
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- No
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- NJCAA Division III
- Varsity athletes
- 131 (89 men · 42 women)
Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.
Varsity sports (6)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- A
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 0.3 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 4
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (4,981 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.
Reported offenses in an average year
The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.
By offense type, per year
Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.
What you'll actually pay, by family income
Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.
College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.
Does the school pay you to attend?
Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.
Modest institutional aid: 38% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $790. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.
Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 360 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $42,162
- Typical debt at graduation
- $11,000
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 26%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 53%
Typical debt would take roughly 2.6 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.
Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.
The pay gap here
Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.
Men out-earn women by $12,405 (34%) a decade out.
Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.
Campus climate
- Summer high
- 80°F
- Winter low
- -2°F
- Annual rain
- 30.6″
- Annual snow
- 48.2″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Brainerd, MN US station (0.4 mi from campus).
What Central Lakes College-Brainerd graduates study — and earn
Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.
Colleges similar to Central Lakes College-Brainerd
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Central Lakes College-Brainerd side by side →
Northland Community and Technical College
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- Students
- 1,554
- Tuition
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- Transfer
- 11%
- Earnings
- $44k
Minnesota State College Southeast
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- Transfer
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- Earnings
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Minnesota West Community and Technical College
Granite Falls, Minnesota · Remote rural · 105 mi to Sioux Falls
- Students
- 1,762
- Tuition
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- Transfer
- 15%
- Earnings
- $45k
Ridgewater College
Willmar, Minnesota · Remote town · 89 mi to Minneapolis
- Students
- 2,162
- Tuition
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- Transfer
- 14%
- Earnings
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Minnesota North College
Hibbing, Minnesota · Remote town · 58 mi to Duluth
- Students
- 2,013
- Tuition
- $6k
- Transfer
- 18%
- Earnings
- $46k
Lake Superior College
Duluth, Minnesota · Small city · 2 mi to Duluth
- Students
- 2,471
- Tuition
- $6k
- Transfer
- 14%
- Earnings
- $46k
Colleges near Central Lakes College-Brainerd
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College of Saint Benedict
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Saint Cloud State University
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Rasmussen University-Minnesota
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Alexandria Technical & Community College
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Pine Technical & Community College
Pine City, MN · Public · Certificate · 574 students
Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.