Public · University

Minnesota State University Moorhead

Moorhead, Minnesota · Midsize suburb

58.8%
Admit rate
$17,997
Avg net price
57%
Graduation rate
$50,527
Median earnings

Minnesota State University Moorhead is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Moorhead, Minnesota (midsize suburb setting), enrolling 3,072 undergraduates.

PublicMidsize · 3,072 undergradsMidsize suburbSelective · 59% admitNCAA Division II with football · Northern Sun Intercollegiate ConferenceCold wintersSnowy

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Minnesota State University Moorhead's admitted students.

Admit rate
58.8%
ACT (mid 50%)
18–25
Avg GPA (est.)
3.19

Enter a test score to see where you land against Minnesota State University Moorhead's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Minnesota State University Moorhead's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Moorhead, Minnesota

Moorhead is a city in and the county seat of Clay County, Minnesota, United States, on the banks of the Red River of the North. The former Moorhead Armory on 5th Street South was the site of the intended concert destination for musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper before their fatal plane crash a few miles north of Clear Lake, Iowa, around 1 a.m. on February 3, 1959. The Rourke Art Gallery and the Rourke Art Museum are native Moorhead cultural institutions hosting the annual Midwestern Invitational Exhibition. The museum displays an important art collection from local, regional, and national artists. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Midsize suburb
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
2 miles to Fargo, ND
To Great Lakes shore
220 miles
Nearest airport
5 miles to Hector (FAR)

How Minnesota State University Moorhead compares

Selectivity58.8%

More selective than 78% · #8 most selective of 35 in Minnesota

SAT average1090

Higher than 27%

Graduation rate57%

Higher than 56% · #22 of 39 in Minnesota

First-year retention75%

Higher than 45%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$50,527

Higher than 40% · #28 of 38 in Minnesota

Average net price$17,997

Cheaper than 59% · #13 cheapest of 39 in Minnesota

Median debt at graduation$20,000

Lower than 75%

Student–faculty ratio17 : 1

Lower than 23%

Undergraduate enrollment3,072

Larger than 69%

Percentiles compare Minnesota State University Moorhead with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Minnesota.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

4,083students
  • Undergraduate3,07275%
  • Graduate1,01125%

Undergraduates by gender

3,072undergrads
  • Women1,83260%
  • Men1,24040%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White76%
  • Black5.5%
  • Hispanic5.5%
  • Asian1.6%
  • Other or multiracial11%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
3,072
Graduate enrollment
1,011
Student–faculty ratio
17 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
28%
First-generation students
20%
Students over 25
18%
Median family income
$64,366
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$96,561
Endowment
$38,924,000

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Admissions

Admission rate
58.8%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
1090
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite
18–25
Average GPA (estimated)
3.19

Cost

In-state tuition
$10,428
Room & board
$10,994
Books & supplies
$1,000
Total cost of attendance
$25,197
Average net price
$17,997

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 (within 6 years)
57%
Graduated on time (4 years)
40%
First-year retention
75%
Transferred to another college
24%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$45,873
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$50,527
Median debt at graduation
$20,000
Students with federal loans
48%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
62%

About 17% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
40%
Low-income (Pell)
47%
First-generation
48%

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
Yes
Dorm capacity
1,482
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
48%
Housing charge (year)
$6,830
Meal plan (year)
$3,764
Application fee
$20
Athletics
NCAA Division II with football
Football conference
Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference
Varsity athletes
446 (264 men · 182 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 (10)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)170
Football116
Soccer30
Basketball29
Wrestling29
Volleyball22
Swimming and Diving (combined)19
Softball17
Tennis8
Golf6

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.4 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
11
Property offenses (2022–2024)
7

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (4,386 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.

6.0reported offenses a year
3.7 violent a year2.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
2.3
Motor vehicle theft
1.3
Fondling
1.0
Burglary
0.7
Incest
0.3
Arson
0.3

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.

< $30k
$11,129
$30–48k
$11,547
$48–75k
$13,907
$75–110k
$18,644
$110k+
$22,420

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.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$61,793

$13,907/year × about 4.4 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

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.

84%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$3,173
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 84% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $3,173. 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 624 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)
$50,527
Typical debt at graduation
$20,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
40%
Out-earn a HS grad
67%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.0 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

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.

Women
$48,009
Men
$54,971

Men out-earn women by $6,962 (15%) 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
82°F
Winter low
0°F
Annual rain
26.1″
Annual snow
52.7″

Average temperature

HighLow
-10°40°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.44.7JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Moorhead, MN US station (1.5 mi from campus).

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 Minnesota State University Moorhead

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Minnesota State University Moorhead side by side →

Colleges near Minnesota State University Moorhead

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.