Private nonprofit · University

Saint Mary's University of Minnesota

Winona, Minnesota · Distant town

#2 best value in Minnesota
92.8%
Admit rate
$11,704
Avg net price
66%
Graduation rate
$58,170
Median earnings

Saint Mary's University of Minnesota is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Winona, Minnesota (distant town setting), enrolling 1,073 undergraduates. It has a Roman Catholic religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 1,073 undergradsDistant townAccessible · 93% admitNCAA Division III without footballCold wintersSnowy

About Winona, Minnesota

Winona is a city in and the county seat of Winona County, Minnesota, United States. European immigrants settled the area in 1851 and laid out the town into lots in 1852 and 1853. The original settlers were immigrants from New England. The population increased from 815 in December 1855, to 3,000 in December 1856. In 1856, German immigrants arrived as well. Winona is home to the headquarters to many companies including Fastenal, Thern Inc., Knitcraft Corporation, RTP Company, We-No-Nah Canoe, United Building Centers, Badger Equipment Company, Winona Lighting, Hal Leonard Music, WinCraft Sports, and Winona Pattern & Mold. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Distant town
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To Great Lakes shore
180 miles
Nearest airport
25 miles to La Crosse (LSE)

How Saint Mary's University of Minnesota compares

Selectivity92.8%

More selective than 18% · #28 most selective of 35 in Minnesota

Graduation rate66%

Higher than 70% · #15 of 39 in Minnesota

First-year retention75%

Higher than 44%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$58,170

Higher than 63% · #20 of 38 in Minnesota

Average net price$11,704

Cheaper than 86% · #2 cheapest of 39 in Minnesota

Median debt at graduation$21,500

Lower than 63%

Student–faculty ratio18 : 1

Lower than 18%

Undergraduate enrollment1,073

Larger than 39%

Percentiles compare Saint Mary's University of Minnesota 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

3,646students
  • Undergraduate1,07329%
  • Graduate2,57371%

Undergraduates by gender

1,073undergrads
  • Women64160%
  • Men43240%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White58%
  • Black9.1%
  • Hispanic8.8%
  • Asian3.4%
  • Other or multiracial21%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,073
Graduate enrollment
2,573
Student–faculty ratio
18 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
25%
First-generation students
26%
Students over 25
13%
Median family income
$54,772
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$67,599
Endowment
$70,711,184

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

Admissions

Admission rate
92.8%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$45,080
Room & board
$11,200
Books & supplies
$1,600
Total cost of attendance
$57,380
Average net price
$11,704

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)
66%
Graduated on time (4 years)
60%
First-year retention
75%
Transferred to another college
25%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$54,549
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$58,170
Median debt at graduation
$21,500
Students with federal loans
46%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
64%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
60%
Low-income (Pell)
58%
First-generation
57%

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
1,049
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
98%
Housing charge (year)
$6,000
Meal plan (year)
$5,350
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division III without football
Varsity athletes
416 (210 men · 206 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 (8)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)113
Soccer78
Ice Hockey59
Baseball51
Softball39
Basketball38
Tennis23
Volleyball15

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)
4
Property offenses (2022–2024)
4

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (4,505 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.

2.7reported offenses a year
1.3 violent a year1.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
1.3
Burglary
0.7
Motor vehicle theft
0.7

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
$16,182
$30–48k
$15,175
$48–75k
$15,030
$75–110k
$14,771
$110k+
$6,135

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
$62,016

$15,030/year × about 4.1 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.

100%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$29,035
average award, among those who get one

Saint Mary's University of Minnesota discounts heavily: 100% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $29,035. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.

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 215 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)
$58,170
Typical debt at graduation
$21,500
Debt vs. one year's pay
37%
Out-earn a HS grad
75%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.7 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
$55,336
Men
$65,156

Men out-earn women by $9,820 (18%) 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
85°F
Winter low
11°F
Annual rain
34.4″
Annual snow
37.6″

Average temperature

HighLow
0°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.44.8JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Winona, MN US station (2.9 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 Mary's University of Minnesota

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Saint Mary's University of Minnesota side by side →

Colleges near Saint Mary's University of Minnesota

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.