Public · Community college

Riverland Community College

Austin, Minnesota · Distant town

#4 best value in Minnesota

15%
Transfer rate: $7,427
Avg net price: 52%
Grad / completion: $45,247
Median earnings

Riverland Community College is a public certificate-granting institution in Austin, Minnesota (distant town setting), enrolling 2,003 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicMidsize · 2,003 undergradsDistant townNJCAA Division IIICold wintersSnowy

About Austin, Minnesota

Austin is a city in and the county seat of Mower County, Minnesota, United States. Fertile land, trapping, and ease of access brought first trappers and then the early pioneers to this region. The rich gameland attracted Austin Nichols, a trapper who built the first log cabin in 1853. Austin is home to several long-standing performing arts organizations, including the Austin Symphony Orchestra, which was established in 1957. The Austin Artist Series, one of the Midwest's largest and longest-running concert and performance series, was established in 1945. (Wikipedia)

Setting: Distant town
Highest degree offered: Associate
Nearest big city: 91 miles to Minneapolis, MN
To Great Lakes shore: 214 miles
Nearest airport: 29 miles to Rochester (RST)

How Riverland Community College compares

Graduation rate52%

Higher than 39% · #16 of 42 in Minnesota

First-year retention75%

Higher than 54%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$45,247

Higher than 83% · #20 of 40 in Minnesota

Average net price$7,427

Cheaper than 80% · #4 cheapest of 43 in Minnesota

Median debt at graduation$12,000

Lower than 29%

Student–faculty ratio20 : 1

Lower than 29%

Undergraduate enrollment2,003

Larger than 82%

Percentiles compare Riverland Community College 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

Women1,08654%
Men91746%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White64%
Black7.5%
Hispanic17%
Asian4.3%
Other or multiracial7.6%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 2,003
Student–faculty ratio: 20 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 24%
First-generation students: 36%
Students over 25: 24%
Median family income: $31,963
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $84,411
Endowment: $2,207,000

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

Cost

In-state tuition: $6,298
Room & board: —
Books & supplies: $1,600
Total cost of attendance: $14,442
Average net price: $7,427

Outcomes

Graduated: 52%
First-year retention: 75%
Transferred to another college: 15%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $41,043
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $45,247
Median debt at graduation: $12,000
Students with federal loans: 14%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 41%

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing: No
Application fee: Free
Athletics: NJCAA Division III
Varsity athletes: 98 (83 men · 15 women)

Varsity sports (4)

Baseball37

Basketball30

Soccer25

Volleyball6

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

Campus safety

Safety grade: B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students: 0.6 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024): 2
Property offenses (2022–2024): 5

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

2.3reported offenses a year

0.7 violent a year1.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Fondling

0.7

Burglary

0.7

Arson

0.7

Motor vehicle theft

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

$6,612

$30–48k

$6,402

$48–75k

$7,274

$75–110k

$8,827

$110k+

$12,676

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.

15%

of first-years get a grant from the school

$1,307

average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 15% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,307. 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 310 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): $45,247
Typical debt at graduation: $12,000
Debt vs. one year's pay: 27%
Out-earn a HS grad: 55%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.7 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

$40,514

Men

$50,831

Men out-earn women by $10,317 (25%) 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: 81°F
Winter low: 5°F
Annual rain: 36.2″
Annual snow: 43.4″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Austin Waste Wtp Facility, MN US station (1.9 mi from campus).

What Riverland Community College graduates study — and earn

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssoc.

216 grads$39k 1 yr— 5 yr$15k debt

216$38,856—$15,375 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssoc.

55 grads$69k 1 yr— 5 yr$25k debt

55$69,481—$25,000 Electrical and Power Transmission InstallersCert.

47 grads$47k 1 yr— 5 yr$12k debt

47$47,288—$12,000 Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing AssistantsCert.

39 grads$45k 1 yr— 5 yr$22k debt

39$44,726—$22,356 Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies/TechniciansCert.

35 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

35———Precision Metal WorkingCert.

35 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

35———Ground TransportationCert.

34 grads$46k 1 yr— 5 yr$5k debt

34$45,619—$4,750 Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/TechniciansCert.

28 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

28———Agricultural Business and ManagementCert.

24 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

24———Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsAssoc.

19 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

19———Business/Commerce, GeneralAssoc.

18 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr$15k debt

18——$14,913 Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming ServicesCert.

16 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

16———

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 Riverland Community College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Riverland Community College side by side →

South Central College

Public

North Mankato, Minnesota · Small suburb · 68 mi to Minneapolis

Students: 1,946
Tuition: $6k
Transfer: 14%
Earnings: $45k

Ridgewater College

Public

Willmar, Minnesota · Remote town · 89 mi to Minneapolis

Students: 2,162
Tuition: $6k
Transfer: 14%
Earnings: $44k

Minnesota North College

Public

Hibbing, Minnesota · Remote town · 58 mi to Duluth

Students: 2,013
Tuition: $6k
Transfer: 18%
Earnings: $46k

St Cloud Technical and Community College

Public

Saint Cloud, Minnesota · Small city · 61 mi to Minneapolis

Students: 3,113
Tuition: $6k
Transfer: 16%
Earnings: $47k

Minnesota West Community and Technical College

Public

Granite Falls, Minnesota · Remote rural · 105 mi to Sioux Falls

Students: 1,762
Tuition: $6k
Transfer: 15%
Earnings: $45k

Hennepin Technical College

Public

Brooklyn Park, Minnesota · Large suburb · 10 mi to Minneapolis

Students: 3,157
Tuition: $6k
Transfer: 9%
Earnings: $49k

Colleges near Riverland Community College

Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science

Rochester, MN · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 309 students

36 mi

University of Minnesota-Rochester

Rochester, MN · Public · Bachelor's · 568 students

36 mi

North Iowa Area Community College

Mason City, IA · Public · Certificate · 1,320 students

37 mi

Rochester Community and Technical College

Rochester, MN · Public · Associate · 3,365 students

37 mi

Nova Academy of Cosmetology

Rochester, MN · Private for-profit · Certificate · 205 students

37 mi

La James College of Hairstyling and Cosmetology

Mason City, IA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 56 students

38 mi

Waldorf University

Forest City, IA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,827 students

43 mi

Carleton College

Northfield, MN · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 2,086 students

55 mi

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.