Public · University

Saint Cloud State University

Saint Cloud, Minnesota · Small city

#4 best value in Minnesota
94.8%
Admit rate
$13,529
Avg net price
40%
Graduation rate
$55,813
Median earnings

Saint Cloud State University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Saint Cloud, Minnesota (small city setting), enrolling 5,088 undergraduates.

PublicMidsize · 5,088 undergradsSmall cityAccessible · 95% admitNCAA Division II without footballCold wintersSnowy

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Saint Cloud State University's admitted students.

Admit rate
94.8%
SAT (mid 50%)
1025–1260
Avg GPA (est.)
3.12

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

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

About Saint Cloud, Minnesota

St. Cloud or Saint Cloud is a city in Stearns County, Minnesota, United States. The Minnesota Territory was organized in 1849. The St. Cloud area opened up to homesteading after the Treaty of Traverse des Sioux was signed with the Dakota people in 1851. St. Cloud is home to a variety of notable sites and institutions that reflect its cultural and recreational significance. The St. Cloud Area Convention and Visitors Bureau promotes an area events calendar, dining and lodging information. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Small city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To Great Lakes shore
129 miles
Nearest airport
5 miles to Saint Cloud (STC)

How Saint Cloud State University compares

Selectivity94.8%

More selective than 14% · #33 most selective of 35 in Minnesota

SAT average1092

Higher than 29%

Graduation rate40%

Higher than 23% · #36 of 39 in Minnesota

First-year retention71%

Higher than 32%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$55,813

Higher than 56% · #23 of 38 in Minnesota

Average net price$13,529

Cheaper than 78% · #4 cheapest of 39 in Minnesota

Median debt at graduation$21,058

Lower than 66%

Student–faculty ratio18 : 1

Lower than 18%

Undergraduate enrollment5,088

Larger than 78%

Percentiles compare Saint Cloud State University 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

7,082students
  • Undergraduate5,08872%
  • Graduate1,99428%

Undergraduates by gender

5,088undergrads
  • Women2,79755%
  • Men2,29145%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White59%
  • Black13%
  • Hispanic5.3%
  • Asian4.2%
  • Other or multiracial19%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
5,088
Graduate enrollment
1,994
Student–faculty ratio
18 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
22%
First-generation students
27%
Students over 25
13%
Median family income
$51,641
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$106,767
Endowment
$47,158,000

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

Admissions

Admission rate
94.8%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1025–1260
SAT average
1092
SAT reading
510–615
SAT math
515–645
ACT composite
17–25
Average GPA (estimated)
3.12

Cost

In-state tuition
$10,245
Room & board
$10,596
Books & supplies
$1,400
Total cost of attendance
$21,116
Average net price
$13,529

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)
40%
Graduated on time (4 years)
25%
First-year retention
71%
Transferred to another college
34%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$47,215
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$55,813
Median debt at graduation
$21,058
Students with federal loans
24%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
62%

About 16% 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
25%
Low-income (Pell)
37%
First-generation
37%

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
1,116
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
22%
Housing charge (year)
$5,980
Meal plan (year)
$3,650
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division II without football
Varsity athletes
420 (201 men · 219 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)

Swimming and Diving (combined)79
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)69
Soccer58
Ice Hockey53
Wrestling45
Baseball39
Basketball31
Softball21
Volleyball18
Tennis7

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)
12
Property offenses (2022–2024)
7

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 3 campuses (10,732 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.

6.3reported offenses a year
4.0 violent a year2.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
1.7
Aggravated assault
1.3
Burglary
1.3
Motor vehicle theft
1.0
Fondling
0.7
Robbery
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
$8,909
$30–48k
$9,871
$48–75k
$12,034
$75–110k
$14,781
$110k+
$18,989

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
$55,129

$12,034/year × about 4.6 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.

52%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$3,340
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 52% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $3,340. 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 736 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)
$55,813
Typical debt at graduation
$21,058
Debt vs. one year's pay
38%
Out-earn a HS grad
70%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.8 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
$50,858
Men
$61,478

Men out-earn women by $10,620 (21%) 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
3°F
Annual rain
28.5″
Annual snow
47.9″

Average temperature

HighLow
-10°40°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.04.0JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, ST Cloud Rgnl AP, MN US station (4.9 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 Saint Cloud State University

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

Colleges near Saint Cloud State University

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.