Public · University

University of Minnesota-Crookston

Crookston, Minnesota · Distant town

#3 best value in Minnesota
87.9%
Admit rate
$12,212
Avg net price
50%
Graduation rate
$58,056
Median earnings

University of Minnesota-Crookston is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Crookston, Minnesota (distant town setting), enrolling 1,729 undergraduates.

PublicSmall · 1,729 undergradsDistant townAccessible · 88% admitNCAA Division II without footballCold wintersSnowy

About Crookston, Minnesota

Crookston is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota. Crookston was settled around 1872. It was the site of a federal land office by 1876 and sited on a portion of the Great Northern Railway that began operation by 1880. The town was incorporated on April 1, 1879 as "Queen City". The Grand Theater in Crookston is the oldest continuously operating movie theater in the United States. Built in 1910, it served as an opera house until 1917, when it began to primarily show movies. Notable performers include early film actress Mary Pickford. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Distant town
Highest degree offered
Bachelor's
Nearest big city
65 miles to Fargo, ND
To Great Lakes shore
222 miles
Nearest airport
27 miles to Thief River Falls (TVF)

How University of Minnesota-Crookston compares

Selectivity87.9%

More selective than 29% · #22 most selective of 35 in Minnesota

Graduation rate50%

Higher than 38% · #29 of 39 in Minnesota

First-year retention80%

Higher than 63%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$58,056

Higher than 62% · #21 of 38 in Minnesota

Average net price$12,212

Cheaper than 84% · #3 cheapest of 39 in Minnesota

Median debt at graduation$20,500

Lower than 72%

Student–faculty ratio18 : 1

Lower than 18%

Undergraduate enrollment1,729

Larger than 53%

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

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

1,729undergrads
  • Women84749%
  • Men88251%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White70%
  • Black6.6%
  • Hispanic7.7%
  • Asian4.2%
  • Other or multiracial11%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,729
Student–faculty ratio
18 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
20%
First-generation students
29%
Students over 25
28%
Median family income
$51,028
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$83,169
Endowment
$24,639,517

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

Where students come from

Home state of the 246 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Minnesota61%
  • Other U.S. states31%
  • International7.3%

A regional draw: about 61% of first-years come from Minnesota, the rest from elsewhere.

7% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
87.9%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$13,288
Room & board
$11,024
Books & supplies
$800
Total cost of attendance
$26,068
Average net price
$12,212

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)
50%
Graduated on time (4 years)
38%
First-year retention
80%
Transferred to another college
32%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$51,905
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$58,056
Median debt at graduation
$20,500
Students with federal loans
26%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
63%

About 12% 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
38%
Low-income (Pell)
45%
First-generation
42%

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
558
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
32%
Housing charge (year)
$4,098
Meal plan (year)
$5,288
Application fee
$30
Athletics
NCAA Division II without football
Varsity athletes
239 (91 men · 148 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 (9)

Baseball54
Equestrian38
Basketball30
Soccer28
Softball26
Cross Country20
Golf19
Volleyball14
Tennis10

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.4 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
3
Property offenses (2022–2024)
0

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (2,612 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.

1.0reported offenses a year
1.0 violent a year0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
1.0

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
$5,758
$30–48k
$6,368
$48–75k
$7,587
$75–110k
$13,542
$110k+
$19,289

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
$33,138

$7,587/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.

87%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$7,508
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 87% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $7,508. 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 179 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)
$58,056
Typical debt at graduation
$20,500
Debt vs. one year's pay
35%
Out-earn a HS grad
70%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.5 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
$49,944
Men
$63,055

Men out-earn women by $13,111 (26%) 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
-4°F
Annual rain
22.4″
Annual snow
49.9″

Average temperature

HighLow
-10°40°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.14.2JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Crookston NW Exp Stn, MN US station (1.2 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 University of Minnesota-Crookston

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

Colleges near University of Minnesota-Crookston

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.