Minnesota ranking · Clery-reported enrollment 2024

The Biggest Colleges in Minnesota

The 50 largest of the 87 Minnesota colleges and universities that report an enrolment to the U.S. Department of Education, ranked biggest first. Total enrolment counts online and distance students, so an institution with a large virtual programme can outrank a bigger physical campus.

56,666
Largest in Minnesota
87
Institutions reporting
2,565
Median Minnesota institution
#16
of 51 states by enrolment

University of Minnesota-Twin Cities is the largest institution in Minnesota with 56,666 students

According to U.S. Department of Education campus-safety enrollment filings for 2024, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities leads Minnesota at 56,666 students, and the five largest hold 43.6% of state enrollment. This list covers the 50 largest of 87 reporting institutions. Totals include online learners, so a large virtual programme can outrank a bigger physical campus.

Data source U.S. Department of Education, OPE Campus Safety and Security Survey

Largest in Minnesota
56,666
Institutions reporting
87
State students in top 5
43.6%
Median Minnesota institution
2,565

Minnesota in one line

University of Minnesota-Twin Cities is the largest institution in Minnesota with 56,666 students, about 22x the 2,565 of the median institution in the state. The five largest hold 43.6% of the state's students, a middling concentration: large institutions matter here without crowding out the rest.

56,666
students at University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
43.6%
of state students, in the top 5
412,989
students enrolled across Minnesota
1,906
the #50 cutoff

Enrollment is total students reported in the OPE campus-safety disclosure for 2024, including online and distance learners. IPEDS supplies institution location and sector. The incident column is reported on-campus Clery Act incidents per 1,000 enrolled students.

Size joined to safety

These 50 largest institutions enroll 94.1% of Minnesota's students; the other 37 reporting institutions hold the remaining 5.9%. Among the 47 mid-to-large campuses on this list, 28 sit below the 1.58 national median incident rate, and 1 also appear in the national safest-50.

94.1%
of state students, in these 50
28
below 1.58 national median /1k
1
also in national safest-50
3.46
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities rate /1k

Incident rates are on-campus Clery Criminal Offenses and VAWA reports per 1,000 enrolled students for campuses with enrollment ≥ 2,000 and a national safety rank. A lower rate is not a personal safety verdict, reporting culture and online enrollment dilute raw counts. See /rankings/safest-campuses for the size-fair national list.

Showing the top 50 of 87 Minnesota institutions by enrollment (388,767 of 412,989 students, 94.1%). The remaining 37 reporting institutions enroll 5.9% of the state total and are omitted from this capped ranking, not from the underlying federal tables.

What this ranking shows about Minnesota

Minnesota ranks 16th by total enrolment among the states and DC, roughly mid-table nationally. 40 of the 87 institutions reporting enrolment here are public, an unusually public-heavy sector, so the top of this list is largely a map of the state's public systems.

Ranking by total enrolment puts institutions with large online programmes above institutions with larger physical campuses, because a virtual student body is not limited by classrooms or housing. A list of the biggest campuses by students physically present would order differently, and neither list is more correct, because they answer different questions. Enrolment here is the total headcount an institution reported to the federal OPE reporting cohort, which counts undergraduate and graduate students together and makes no distinction between full-time and part-time study. A university with a very large part-time or continuing-education population can therefore outrank one with more students on campus on any given weekday.

The incident-rate column is here because institution size changes how a raw incident count should be read, not because a larger university is more or less safe. Two institutions with the same number of reported incidents are not comparable if one enrols five times as many students, so the column expresses incidents per thousand enrolled. A rate still reflects reporting practice as much as underlying risk: an institution that encourages reporting and investigates thoroughly can record more incidents than one that does neither, and that is the opposite of what a naive reading suggests. Institutions where most students study online show diluted rates, because the denominator counts students who never set foot on a campus. Read the column as context for the size ranking, never as a safety verdict, and see our methodology for how both figures are assembled. For the same institutions ranked by cost rather than size, see the cheapest colleges rankings, or browse every institution we hold a record for.

Comparing states? See the 50 largest universities in the US, or this state's campus safety profile.

The bar to make Minnesota's top-50 list is 1,906 students. Here is where that cutoff sits among all 87 Minnesota institutions reporting enrollment:

The bar to make Minnesota's top-50 list

Clery-reported enrollment · 87 Minnesota institutions · 2024

1,906 Top 57% higher than 43% of 87 Minnesota institutions

Show national distribution 0–6,000: 71 Minnesota institutions (82%). This entry sits in this band. 6,000–12,000: 12 Minnesota institutions (14%). Above this entry. 12,000–18,000: 1 Minnesota institutions (1%). Above this entry. 18,000–24,000: 0 Minnesota institutions (0%). Above this entry. 24,000–30,000: 0 Minnesota institutions (0%). Above this entry. 30,000–36,000: 0 Minnesota institutions (0%). Above this entry. 36,000–42,000: 0 Minnesota institutions (0%). Above this entry. 42,000–48,000: 1 Minnesota institutions (1%). Above this entry. 48,000–54,000: 1 Minnesota institutions (1%). Above this entry. 54,000–60,000: 1 Minnesota institutions (1%). Above this entry. #50 cutoff 0 60,000 every Minnesota institution, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more Minnesota institutions. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Department of Education, OPE Campus Safety and Security Survey · 2024

The 50 largest of Minnesota's 87 institutions

2
Walden University Minneapolis, MN · Private for-profit
Enrollment
49,441
Incidents /1k
0.00
3
Capella University Minneapolis, MN · Private for-profit
Enrollment
47,761
Incidents /1k
0.00
10
Century College White Bear Lake, MN · Public
Enrollment
8,726
Incidents /1k
0.11
32
Bethel University Saint Paul, MN · Private nonprofit
Enrollment
3,603
Incidents /1k
2.22
34
Augsburg University Minneapolis, MN · Private nonprofit
Enrollment
3,249
Incidents /1k
5.23
38
St Olaf College Northfield, MN · Private nonprofit
Enrollment
3,124
Incidents /1k
5.12
44
Hamline University Saint Paul, MN · Private nonprofit
Enrollment
2,565
Incidents /1k
7.02
46
Macalester College Saint Paul, MN · Private nonprofit
Enrollment
2,138
Incidents /1k
9.35
47
Carleton College Northfield, MN · Private nonprofit
Enrollment
2,128
Incidents /1k
13.16
# Institution EnrollmentIncidents /1k
1 University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN · Public 56,666 100% of the leader · rank #1 3.46
2 Walden University Minneapolis, MN · Private for-profit 49,441 87% of the leader · rank #2 0.00
3 Capella University Minneapolis, MN · Private for-profit 47,761 84% of the leader · rank #3 0.00
4 Minnesota State University-Mankato Mankato, MN · Public 15,271 27% of the leader · rank #4 1.77
5 Normandale Community College Bloomington, MN · Public 11,026 19% of the leader · rank #5 0.18
6 Saint Cloud State University Saint Cloud, MN · Public 10,732 19% of the leader · rank #6 1.58
7 Rasmussen University-Minnesota St. Cloud, MN · Private for-profit 9,416 17% of the leader · rank #7 0.21
8 University of St Thomas Saint Paul, MN · Private nonprofit 9,410 17% of the leader · rank #8 5.21
9 University of Minnesota-Duluth Duluth, MN · Public 9,253 16% of the leader · rank #9 3.13
10 Century College White Bear Lake, MN · Public 8,726 15% of the leader · rank #10 0.11
11 Anoka-Ramsey Community College Coon Rapids, MN · Public 8,486 15% of the leader · rank #11 0.24
12 Southwest Minnesota State University Marshall, MN · Public 8,214 14% of the leader · rank #12 2.31
13 Minneapolis Community and Technical College Minneapolis, MN · Public 6,733 12% of the leader · rank #13 2.97
14 Metropolitan State University Saint Paul, MN · Public 6,660 12% of the leader · rank #14 2.85
15 Winona State University Winona, MN · Public 6,045 11% of the leader · rank #15 3.80
16 Concordia University-Saint Paul Saint Paul, MN · Private nonprofit 6,003 11% of the leader · rank #16 0.17
17 Minnesota State Community and Technical College Fergus Falls, MN · Public 5,645 10% of the leader · rank #17 2.30
18 North Hennepin Community College Brooklyn Park, MN · Public 5,563 10% of the leader · rank #18 0.36
19 Rochester Community and Technical College Rochester, MN · Public 5,205 9% of the leader · rank #19 0.19
20 Saint Paul College Saint Paul, MN · Public 5,198 9% of the leader · rank #20 0.19
21 Central Lakes College-Brainerd Brainerd, MN · Public 4,981 9% of the leader · rank #21 0.40
22 Hennepin Technical College Brooklyn Park, MN · Public 4,572 8% of the leader · rank #22 0.22
23 Saint Mary's University of Minnesota Winona, MN · Private nonprofit 4,505 8% of the leader · rank #23 0.00
24 Minnesota State University Moorhead Moorhead, MN · Public 4,386 8% of the leader · rank #24 2.28
25 Lake Superior College Duluth, MN · Public 4,074 7% of the leader · rank #25 0.00
26 Bemidji State University Bemidji, MN · Public 4,072 7% of the leader · rank #26 1.23
27 St Cloud Technical and Community College Saint Cloud, MN · Public 4,030 7% of the leader · rank #27 0.50
28 Riverland Community College Austin, MN · Public 3,959 7% of the leader · rank #28 1.52
29 Inver Hills Community College Inver Grove Heights, MN · Public 3,804 7% of the leader · rank #29 1.58
30 Minnesota West Community and Technical College Granite Falls, MN · Public 3,695 7% of the leader · rank #30 0.00
31 St Catherine University Saint Paul, MN · Private nonprofit 3,651 6% of the leader · rank #31 0.82
32 Bethel University Saint Paul, MN · Private nonprofit 3,603 6% of the leader · rank #32 2.22
33 Alexandria Technical & Community College Alexandria, MN · Public 3,281 6% of the leader · rank #33 1.22
34 Augsburg University Minneapolis, MN · Private nonprofit 3,249 6% of the leader · rank #34 5.23
35 University of Northwestern-St Paul Saint Paul, MN · Private nonprofit 3,234 6% of the leader · rank #35 1.24
36 Minnesota North College Hibbing, MN · Public 3,174 6% of the leader · rank #36 1.89
37 Ridgewater College Willmar, MN · Public 3,148 6% of the leader · rank #37 0.00
38 St Olaf College Northfield, MN · Private nonprofit 3,124 6% of the leader · rank #38 5.12
39 The College of Saint Scholastica Duluth, MN · Private nonprofit 2,930 5% of the leader · rank #39 1.71
40 Dakota County Technical College Rosemount, MN · Public 2,894 5% of the leader · rank #40 0.35
41 South Central College North Mankato, MN · Public 2,731 5% of the leader · rank #41 0.00
42 Northland Community and Technical College Thief River Falls, MN · Public 2,631 5% of the leader · rank #42 0.00
43 University of Minnesota-Crookston Crookston, MN · Public 2,612 5% of the leader · rank #43 1.15
44 Hamline University Saint Paul, MN · Private nonprofit 2,565 5% of the leader · rank #44 7.02
45 Minnesota State College Southeast Winona, MN · Public 2,331 4% of the leader · rank #45 0.00
46 Macalester College Saint Paul, MN · Private nonprofit 2,138 4% of the leader · rank #46 9.35
47 Carleton College Northfield, MN · Private nonprofit 2,128 4% of the leader · rank #47 13.16
48 Anoka Technical College Anoka, MN · Public 1,970 4% of the leader · rank #48 0.51
49 Concordia College at Moorhead Moorhead, MN · Private nonprofit 1,935 4% of the leader · rank #49 5.17
50 Gustavus Adolphus College Saint Peter, MN · Private nonprofit 1,906 4% of the leader · rank #50 5.77

What to do with this

Size is a starting filter for Minnesota, not a verdict on any institution.

Institutions below the reporting floor, or without enrolment in the Campus Safety and Security Survey cohort for 2024, do not appear on this list. IPEDS supplies classification and location.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education Campus Safety and Security Survey (enrollment and Clery disclosures), joined to the IPEDS institutional directory (location and classification)

Every figure on PlainCampus is rendered directly from federal Clery Act source data, no number is typed in by an editor. Every figure on this page is computed at request time from the federal source tables; no ranking position or count is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-10-26.

PlainCampus is for informational purposes only and does not constitute safety, security, legal, or enrollment advice; the data describes reported on-campus activity, it is not a complete picture of safety at any campus and cannot predict any individual student's experience. See our appropriate use guidance.