Central Lakes College-Brainerd
Brainerd, Minnesota · Website
$42,162
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$42,162
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Central Lakes College-Brainerd is a public 2-year college in Brainerd, Minnesota with 1,614 undergraduates. Its average net price after grants is $13,869 a year (tuition and fees $6,249). 53% of students finish within 3 years. Former students earn a median $42,162 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $11,000 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$13,869
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$6,249
US median $11,837
Admission rate
Open
Completion rate
53%
Within 3 years, US 58%
Median debt
$11,000
About $117 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$42,162
Rank 2,348 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $13,869
- Tuition and fees
- $6,249
- Cost of attendance
- $19,543
- Students with a need-based grant
- 14%
- Students with federal loans
- 12%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $12,264
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $10,454
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $12,970
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $15,489
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $18,686
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $5,384 in 2015-16 to $6,249 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- Open admission
- Undergraduates
- 1,614
- Part-time students
- 40%
- Women
- 54%
- Students per teacher
- 20
- Completion rate
- 53%
- Retention rate
- 69%
- Highest degree
- Associate's degree
- Programs
- 80
- Endowment
- $11.0M
- Other
- Open admission
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 2,348 of 5,094 US colleges and 74 of 96 in Minnesota (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | MN median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $13,869 | $16,908 | $7,702 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $6,249 | $9,706 | $4,656 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | - | 85% | 79% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 53% | 53% | 38% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 69% | 73% | 64% | 75% |
| Median debt | $11,000 | $14,750 | $10,417 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $39,389 | $42,217 | $33,563 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $42,162 | $45,628 | $38,555 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US public 2-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 50% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 66% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
80 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesOnlineAssociate's | Associate's | 298 | $9,425 | $26,133 | $43,480 | $44,125 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssociate's | Associate's | 82 | $19,391 | $68,032 | $77,488 | $80,813 |
| Agricultural Business and ManagementCertificate | Certificate | 71 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $43,930 |
| Ground TransportationCertificate | Certificate | 49 | $10,952 | $64,164 | $69,894 | $52,118 |
| Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/TechniciansCertificate | Certificate | 40 | $6,500 | $41,672 | $55,966 | $51,586 |
| Precision Metal WorkingCertificate | Certificate | 31 | $5,500 | $40,671 | $55,654 | $48,702 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsCertificate | Certificate | 20 | Withheld | Withheld | $56,063 | $57,702 |
| Culinary Arts and Related ServicesCertificate | Certificate | 16 | - | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesCertificate | Certificate | 15 | - | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Dental Support Services and Allied ProfessionsCertificate | Certificate | 14 | Withheld | $40,329 | $39,717 | $33,673 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsCertificate | Certificate | 14 | - | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing AssistantsCertificate | Certificate | 14 | Withheld | $35,623 | $58,487 | $56,073 |
| Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business ServicesCertificate | Certificate | 12 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $37,705 |
| Computer Systems Networking and TelecommunicationsOnlineCertificate | Certificate | 12 | - | - | Withheld | - |
| Data Entry/Microcomputer ApplicationsCertificate | Certificate | 11 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $39,476 |
| Precision Metal WorkingAssociate's | Associate's | 11 | Withheld | Withheld | $60,088 | $56,451 |
| Computer Engineering Technologies/TechniciansOnlineCertificate | Certificate | 10 | - | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsAssociate's | Associate's | 10 | Withheld | Withheld | $57,688 | $46,706 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and ResearchAssociate's | Associate's | 9 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $45,634 |
| Computer Engineering Technologies/TechniciansOnlineAssociate's | Associate's | 9 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $55,195 |
| Dental Support Services and Allied ProfessionsAssociate's | Associate's | 9 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $61,982 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related ServicesOnlineCertificate | Certificate | 8 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $31,135 |
| Design and Applied ArtsAssociate's | Associate's | 8 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $38,127 |
| Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business ServicesAssociate's | Associate's | 7 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $45,283 |
| Film/Video and Photographic ArtsCertificate | Certificate | 7 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $32,800 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Brainerd and Minnesota on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Minnesota
- Homes: Homes for sale in Minnesota
Questions and answers
How much does Central Lakes College-Brainerd cost?
$13,869 a year is the average net price at Central Lakes College-Brainerd after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $6,249, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $19,543. Families earning under $30,000 pay $12,264 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Central Lakes College-Brainerd?
Central Lakes College-Brainerd has open admission: it accepts students who meet its basic requirements, such as a high school diploma.
How much do Central Lakes College-Brainerd graduates earn?
$42,162 a year is the median pay of former Central Lakes College-Brainerd students who work, 10 years after they started ($39,389 after 6 years). That ranks 2,348 of 5,094 US colleges and 74 of 96 in Minnesota. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's) at $68,032.
How much student debt do Central Lakes College-Brainerd graduates have?
$11,000 is the median federal student loan debt of Central Lakes College-Brainerd graduates, about $117 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 12% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Central Lakes College-Brainerd?
53% of first-time, full-time students at Central Lakes College-Brainerd finish within 3 years. 69% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of public 2-year colleges is 38%.
What are the most popular majors at Central Lakes College-Brainerd?
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (298 associate's graduates), Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (82 associate's graduates), Agricultural Business and Management (71 certificate graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 80 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.