Public · University
Winona State University
Winona, Minnesota · Distant town
- 75.5%
- Admit rate
- $17,503
- Avg net price
- 57%
- Graduation rate
- $58,532
- Median earnings
Winona State University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Winona, Minnesota (distant town setting), enrolling 5,144 undergraduates.
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
- Nearest big city
- 103 miles to Minneapolis, MN
- To Great Lakes shore
- 180 miles
- Nearest airport
- 22 miles to La Crosse (LSE)
How Winona State University compares
More selective than 54% · #14 most selective of 35 in Minnesota
Higher than 54% · #23 of 39 in Minnesota
Higher than 59%
Higher than 64% · #19 of 38 in Minnesota
Cheaper than 62% · #11 cheapest of 39 in Minnesota
Lower than 63%
Lower than 42%
Larger than 78%
Percentiles compare Winona 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
- Undergraduate5,14488%
- Graduate72812%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women3,41866%
- Men1,72634%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White81%
- Black3.5%
- Hispanic5.3%
- Asian3.3%
- Other or multiracial7.0%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 5,144
- Graduate enrollment
- 728
- Student–faculty ratio
- 14 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 24%
- First-generation students
- 21%
- Students over 25
- 10%
- Median family income
- $74,955
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $98,514
- Endowment
- $62,386,000
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 75.5%
- Test scores
- Not considered
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- —
- SAT average
- —
- SAT reading
- —
- SAT math
- —
- ACT composite
- —
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $10,576
- Out-of-state tuition
- $17,308
- Room & board
- $9,654
- Books & supplies
- $900
- Total cost of attendance
- $23,683
- Average net price
- $17,503
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)
- 57%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 38%
- First-year retention
- 79%
- Transferred to another college
- 30%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $51,288
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $58,532
- Median debt at graduation
- $21,500
- Students with federal loans
- 49%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 72%
About 19% 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)
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
- 1,853
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 36%
- Housing charge (year)
- $6,284
- Meal plan (year)
- $3,640
- Application fee
- $20
- Athletics
- NCAA Division II with football
- Football conference
- Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference
- Varsity athletes
- 456 (225 men · 231 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 (12)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- C
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 2.6 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 29
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 18
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 3 campuses (6,045 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.
By offense type, per year
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.
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.
$13,814/year × about 4.5 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.
Modest institutional aid: 93% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $2,316. 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 1,157 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)
- $58,532
- Typical debt at graduation
- $21,500
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 37%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 74%
Typical debt would take roughly 3.7 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
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.
Men out-earn women by $8,162 (15%) 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
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Winona, MN US station (0.5 mi from campus).
What Winona State University graduates study — and earn
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 Winona State University
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Winona State University side by side →
State University of New York at Oswego
Oswego, New York · Distant town · 34 mi to Syracuse
- Students
- 5,473
- Admission
- 81%
- Net price
- $16k
- SAT
- 1187
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $58k
State University of New York at Plattsburgh
Plattsburgh, New York · Distant town · 20 mi to Burlington
- Students
- 3,769
- Admission
- 78%
- Net price
- $17k
- SAT
- 1165
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $56k
Central Connecticut State University
New Britain, Connecticut · Large suburb · 7 mi to Hartford
- Students
- 7,822
- Admission
- 73%
- Net price
- $17k
- SAT
- 1080
- GPA
- 3.1
- Earnings
- $59k
Georgia College & State University
Milledgeville, Georgia · Distant town · 29 mi to Macon
- Students
- 5,947
- Admission
- 78%
- Net price
- $21k
- SAT
- 1163
- GPA
- 3.3
- Earnings
- $58k
Bowie State University
Bowie, Maryland · Large suburb · 17 mi to Washington
- Students
- 5,043
- Admission
- 72%
- Net price
- $19k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $55k
SUNY Oneonta
Oneonta, New York · Remote town · 68 mi to Albany
- Students
- 4,643
- Admission
- 70%
- Net price
- $19k
- SAT
- 1230
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $60k
Colleges near Winona State University
Minnesota State College Southeast
Winona, MN · Public · Certificate · 1,388 students
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota
Winona, MN · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,073 students
The Salon Professional Academy-Onalaska
Onalaska, WI · Private for-profit · Certificate · 67 students
Western Technical College
La Crosse, WI · Public · Certificate · 3,183 students
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
La Crosse, WI · Public · Bachelor's · 9,277 students
Viterbo University
La Crosse, WI · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,249 students
Rochester Community and Technical College
Rochester, MN · Public · Associate · 3,365 students
University of Minnesota-Rochester
Rochester, MN · Public · Bachelor's · 568 students
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.














