What is the current enrollment?
In fall 2008, 417,635 students were enrolled in Minnesota public and private postsecondary institutions. Of these, 317,302 were undergraduates, and 100,333 were graduate students. Sixty-one percent of students were enrolled in public institutions, compared to 39 percent in private institutions.
More information on enrollment.
How many students are enrolled in metro area colleges?
More than half of all students (54 percent) are enrolled in colleges located in the seven-county metropolitan area. Of the students enrolled in private institutions, more than two-thirds as many students are enrolled in metro area private institutions as are enrolled outside the metro area. Of the students enrolled in public institutions, more are enrolled outside the metro than are enrolled in the metro area.
| More information about enrollment at metro and non-metro institutions |  |
How many students of color are enrolled?
In fall 2008, 19 percent of all enrollments were students of color. The number of students of color more than doubled since 1999, from 24,187 to 67,816 in 2008.
More information on enrollment by racial/ethnic background.
What is the age distribution of Minnesota students?
In fall 2008, the largest age group is the 20- to 24-year-old group with 139,229 students, or 33 percent of enrollments.
More information on enrollment by age.
Are there more men or women students enrolled in college and how has this changed over time?
There are more women students enrolled than men. Enrollments of women students have increased each year since 1982, when they were equal to men enrollments. In fall 2008, 59 percent of enrolled students (242,307) were women. At the undergraduate level, there are more women than men enrolled across all race/ethnicity backgrounds.
More information on enrollments by gender.
What is the ratio of part-time/ full-time students and how has it changed over time?
More students are enrolled full-time than part-time. In fall 2008, 61 percent of students were enrolled full-time (255,863). Since the late 1990s, full-time enrollments have increased.
In some types of institutions, such as community and technical colleges, 47 percent of all students are enrolled full-time, while 83 percent are full-time at the University of Minnesota.
More information on enrollment by part-time/full-time status.
How many Minnesota students attend colleges in other states? How many come from other states to Minnesota?
Each year approximately 18 percent of Minnesota high school graduates attend a postsecondary in another state. In 2007, 17 percent, or 9,785 of all new freshmen who attended a Minnesota postsecondary institution were not a Minnesota resident. Nationally, 19 percent of all new entering freshmen leave their home state to attend a college out-of-state. More information on student residence and migration.
More information on student residence and migration.
What is the postsecondary graduation rate?
The percentage of students who graduate from a Minnesota four-year postsecondary institution after six years is 60 percent. Women were more successful in earning their bachelor's degrees within six years than men, regardless of race/ethnicity.
More information on percent graduating.
What percent of Minnesota postsecondary students take remedial courses?
Thirty-eight percent of Minnesota public high school graduates in 2005 who attended a Minnesota public postsecondary institution within two years of high school graduation took one or more developmental course. Data are not available for students attending private institutions.
How many international students are studying in Minnesota?
In 2006-07, there were an estimated 9,048 foreign students enrolled at Minnesota postsecondary institutions, according to the Institute of International Education. Over one-third of all international students in Minnesota study at the University of Minnesota.
More information on foreign students and residency.
What percent of jobs in 2016 will require a college education?
The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development projects over half of the total job openings in the next ten years will require some college or higher. The projected wages of 33 percent of job openings will be in the very low median wage of below $12 per hour. These lower paying jobs tend to be in the service and retail sector where there are projected to be large numbers of job openings. However, over time, more and more jobs require some college or higher which tend to pay higher wages.
Projected training needed for total job openings in Minnesota between 2006 and 2016
| College degree or higher | 30% |
| Some college | 29% |
| High school or less | 41% |
Source: Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development
For further information on careers and job skills needed for employment in Minnesota or elsewhere, see MnCareers or Internet System for Education and Employment Knowledge (ISEEK). More information on the Minnesota job outlook and fastest growing occupations.
