$64,705
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Metropolitan State University is a public 4-year college in Saint Paul, Minnesota with 5,616 undergraduates and 756 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $16,863 a year (tuition and fees $9,840). It admits 99% of applicants and 44% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $64,705 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $17,100 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$16,863
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$9,840
US median $11,837
Admission rate
99%
US median 78%
Completion rate
44%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$17,100
About $181 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$64,705
Rank 546 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
- $16,863
- Tuition and fees
- $9,840
- Cost of attendance
- $25,172
- Students with a need-based grant
- 48%
- Students with federal loans
- 31%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $15,238
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $16,656
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $16,659
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $18,994
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $21,905
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 $7,566 in 2015-16 to $9,840 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
- 99%
- Average SAT
- 1,020
- Undergraduates
- 5,616
- Graduate students
- 756
- Part-time students
- 48%
- Women
- 57%
- Students per teacher
- 15
- Completion rate
- 44%
- Retention rate
- 68%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 87
- Endowment
- $9.73M
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 546 of 5,094 US colleges and 10 of 96 in Minnesota (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | MN median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $16,863 | $16,908 | $12,792 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $9,840 | $9,706 | $8,626 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 99% | 85% | 83% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 44% | 53% | 46% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 68% | 73% | 76% | 75% |
| Median debt | $17,100 | $14,750 | $19,500 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $54,828 | $42,217 | $43,105 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $64,705 | $45,628 | $50,314 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US public 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 57% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 81% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
87 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 245 | $17,500 | $56,314 | $71,209 | $68,257 |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, OtherOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 140 | $17,500 | $49,751 | $58,568 | $55,693 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 107 | $12,541 | $77,421 | $83,504 | $88,910 |
| Computer ScienceBachelor's | Bachelor's | 105 | $19,287 | $72,865 | $92,342 | $107,009 |
| Psychology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 102 | $17,750 | $40,958 | $55,824 | $50,706 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 83 | $16,146 | $52,125 | $64,481 | $55,378 |
| Social WorkBachelor's | Bachelor's | 63 | $17,698 | $47,637 | $60,755 | $51,790 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 60 | $18,976 | $54,137 | $72,457 | $76,194 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsOnlineMaster's | Master's | 56 | $38,159 | $75,014 | $89,595 | $103,485 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingMaster's | Master's | 55 | $50,693 | $75,682 | $79,007 | $120,193 |
| Human Services, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 53 | $16,547 | $45,751 | $51,009 | $48,597 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 50 | Withheld | $59,158 | $85,000 | $92,374 |
| Computer/Information Technology Administration and ManagementBachelor's | Bachelor's | 50 | $22,786 | $54,025 | $83,558 | $85,063 |
| Finance and Financial Management ServicesOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 47 | $18,750 | $51,544 | $74,237 | $83,343 |
| Information Science/StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 43 | $17,640 | $64,382 | $81,539 | $85,294 |
| Human Resources Management and ServicesOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 42 | $22,789 | $48,999 | $70,299 | $68,069 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 37 | $15,286 | $42,128 | $63,149 | $57,214 |
| MarketingOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 36 | $16,625 | $49,439 | $67,031 | $69,303 |
| Communication and Media StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 35 | $20,364 | $46,320 | $61,355 | $56,359 |
| Mental and Social Health Services and Allied ProfessionsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 27 | $21,335 | $56,516 | $60,780 | $52,119 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 24 | $27,778 | $42,471 | $49,025 | $47,382 |
| Social Sciences, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 23 | $16,125 | $41,954 | $48,486 | $53,366 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject AreasBachelor's | Bachelor's | 18 | $19,922 | $46,490 | $48,948 | $51,389 |
| Community Organization and AdvocacyMaster's | Master's | 17 | $40,966 | Withheld | $70,849 | $67,597 |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 16 | $13,095 | $39,558 | $59,779 | $48,471 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Saint Paul and Minnesota on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Minnesota
- Homes: Homes for sale in Minnesota
Questions and answers
How much does Metropolitan State University cost?
$16,863 a year is the average net price at Metropolitan State University after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $9,840, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $25,172. Families earning under $30,000 pay $15,238 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Metropolitan State University?
99% of applicants are admitted to Metropolitan State University. The average SAT score of admitted students is 1,020. The median admission rate of colleges in Minnesota is 85%.
How much do Metropolitan State University graduates earn?
$64,705 a year is the median pay of former Metropolitan State University students who work, 10 years after they started ($54,828 after 6 years). That ranks 546 of 5,094 US colleges and 10 of 96 in Minnesota. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral) at $100,485.
How much student debt do Metropolitan State University graduates have?
$17,100 is the median federal student loan debt of Metropolitan State University graduates, about $181 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 31% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Metropolitan State University?
44% of first-time, full-time students at Metropolitan State University finish within 6 years. 68% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of public 4-year colleges is 46%.
What are the most popular majors at Metropolitan State University?
Business Administration, Management and Operations (245 bachelor's graduates), Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (140 bachelor's graduates), Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (107 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 87 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.