Private for-profit · University

Walden University

Minneapolis, Minnesota · Large city

Admit rate
$33,817
Avg net price
Graduation rate
$42,810
Median earnings

Walden University is a private for-profit bachelor's-granting institution in Minneapolis, Minnesota (large city setting), enrolling 9,136 undergraduates. Programs are offered entirely online.

Private for-profitMidsize · 9,136 undergradsLarge cityCold wintersSnowy

About Minneapolis, Minnesota

Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. Two Indigenous nations inhabited the area now called Minneapolis. Archaeologists have evidence that since 1000 AD, they were the Dakota (one half of the Sioux nation), and, after the 1700s, the Ojibwe (also known as Chippewa, members of the Anishinaabe nations). During the Gilded Age, the Walker Art Center began as a private art collection in the home of lumberman T. B. Walker, who extended free admission to the public. Around 1940, the center's focus shifted to modern and contemporary art. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
Minneapolis, MN
To Great Lakes shore
134 miles

How Walden University compares

First-year retention0%

Higher than 1%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$42,810

Higher than 19% · #34 of 38 in Minnesota

Average net price$33,817

Cheaper than 10% · #38 cheapest of 39 in Minnesota

Median debt at graduation$20,834

Lower than 70%

Student–faculty ratio31 : 1

Lower than 2%

Undergraduate enrollment9,136

Larger than 88%

Percentiles compare Walden 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

49,433students
  • Undergraduate9,13618%
  • Graduate40,29782%

Undergraduates by gender

9,136undergrads
  • Women7,42681%
  • Men1,71019%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White39%
  • Black42%
  • Hispanic9.6%
  • Asian1.6%
  • Other or multiracial7.3%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
9,136
Graduate enrollment
40,297
Student–faculty ratio
31 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
55%
First-generation students
51%
Students over 25
90%
Median family income
$29,738
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$66,654

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 151 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Minnesota0.7%
  • Other U.S. states99%
  • International0.7%

A national draw — only 1% of first-years come from Minnesota; 99% arrive from other states.

1% 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.

Cost

In-state tuition
$12,762
Room & board
Books & supplies
$900
Total cost of attendance
$35,358
Average net price
$33,817

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
First-year retention
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$50,657
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$42,810
Median debt at graduation
$20,834
Students with federal loans
69%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
23%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

Low-income (Pell)
24%
First-generation
35%

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
No
Application fee
Free

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%.

Campus safety

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

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (49,441 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.

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
$32,652
$30–48k
$34,983
$48–75k
$75–110k
$110k+

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.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$42,810
Typical debt at graduation
$20,834
Debt vs. one year's pay
49%
Out-earn a HS grad
67%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.9 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
$40,998
Men
$50,735

Men out-earn women by $9,737 (24%) 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
83°F
Winter low
8°F
Annual rain
34.4″
Annual snow
40.4″

Average temperature

HighLow
0°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.44.8JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Lower ST Anthony Falls, MN US station (0.9 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 Walden University

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

Colleges near Walden 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.