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.

PublicMidsize · 5,144 undergradsDistant townAccessible · 75% admitNCAA Division II with football · Northern Sun Intercollegiate ConferenceCold 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
22 miles to La Crosse (LSE)

How Winona State University compares

Selectivity75.5%

More selective than 54% · #14 most selective of 35 in Minnesota

Graduation rate57%

Higher than 54% · #23 of 39 in Minnesota

First-year retention79%

Higher than 59%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$58,532

Higher than 64% · #19 of 38 in Minnesota

Average net price$17,503

Cheaper than 62% · #11 cheapest of 39 in Minnesota

Median debt at graduation$21,500

Lower than 63%

Student–faculty ratio14 : 1

Lower than 42%

Undergraduate enrollment5,144

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

5,872students
  • Undergraduate5,14488%
  • Graduate72812%

Undergraduates by gender

5,144undergrads
  • 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)

All students
38%
Low-income (Pell)
56%
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
1,853
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)

Football120
Baseball64
Track and Field (Indoor)40
Track and Field (Outdoor)40
Basketball33
Cross Country32
Soccer31
Gymnastics25
Softball24
Golf19
Volleyball17
Tennis11

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.

16reported offenses a year
9.7 violent a year6.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Fondling
6.0
Burglary
5.7
Rape
3.3
Robbery
0.3
Motor vehicle theft
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
$10,224
$30–48k
$11,792
$48–75k
$13,814
$75–110k
$17,871
$110k+
$21,307

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
$61,996

$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.

93%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$2,316
average award, among those who get one

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.

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
$55,572
Men
$63,734

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

HighLow
0°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.44.8JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Winona, MN US station (0.5 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 Winona State University

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

Colleges near Winona 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.