Why Minnesota

Excellence in Education

Minnesota has long provided a highly educated workforce. The state leads all states with the highest percent of its population aged 25 years and older that earned a high school diploma in 2006, and the University of Minnesota and other post-secondary schools are among the best in the nation. Minnesota workers are highly educated and ready to work Making K-12 education a priority means: Minnesota’s educational institutions are distinguished and rank nationally and internationally Minnesota's higher education system covers the entire state

Minnesota workers are highly educated and ready to work

• Minnesota earned 13th place nationwide in the 2006-2007 Smartest States Rankings by Morgan Quitno Press. Rankings are based on 21 indicators that include student achievement and attendance, strong student-teacher relationship and high school drop-out rates.

• Minnesota has the eighth highest percentage of people with college degrees or higher (33.5 percent) among all states, according to the U.S. Bureau of the Census (2006).

• According to the Minnesota Office of Higher Education, there were nearly 365,000 students enrolled in Minnesota's post-secondary institutions in 2005 (Fall count), an increase of 14 percent from the previous year. Sixty-six percent of students were enrolled in public institutions, compared to 34 percent in private institutions.

• The U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s 2007 State-by-State Report Card, places Minnesota second nationwide in academic effectiveness. Rankings are based on nine indicators that include academic achievement and postsecondary and workforce readiness.

• University of Minnesota-Twin Cities granted nearly 600 Doctorate degrees in 2004, ranking ninth among top American research universities, according to a 2005 report by TheCenter at University of Florida. 

• Minnesota students are among the best in a global economy. According to the 2006 Open Doors report from the Institute of International Education, Minnesota ranks seventh nationwide in the number of students abroad (8,182).

Top 10 U.S. States with Students Abroad

Source: 2006 Open Doors, Institute of International Education.

• During the 2003-04 academic year, Minnesota postsecondary institutions awarded 74,277 diplomas, certificates and degrees. Students earned:

• 14,896 diplomas and certificates below the baccalaureate level
• 940 certificates at the post-bachelor's or post-master's level
• 14,320 associate degrees
• 29,986 bachelor's degrees
• 11,444 master's degrees
• 1,032 doctorate degrees
• 1,659 first professional degrees

• The top 3 degree fields of all bachelor's degrees awarded in Minnesota are:
• Business Management (5,489)
• Education (3,306)
• Social Sciences (2,805)

Making K-12 education a priority means:

• The 2007 Quality Counts report ranks Minnesota as the third best state for connecting education from birth to adulthood in its “Chance-for-Success Index.” Rankings are based on 13 economic and educational indicators, such as parent education, parental employment, preschool enrollment, elementary reading, and high school graduation rates.

• The average ACT score for Minnesota students in 2006 (22.3) was the highest among states where the majority of high school graduates took the test.

• According to the report “Technology Counts 2007” by Education Week, 84 percent of K-12 students in Minnesota have access to computer lab and media centers, ranking the state ninth nationwide.

• In 2006, Minnesota ranked first among states in the percentage of the population aged 25 years or older that have a high school diploma or equivalency (93.0 percent).

Minnesota’s educational institutions are distinguished and rank nationally and internationally

• University of Minnesota-Twin Cities spent $508.5 million in research and development, ranking 11th among top American research universities and surpassing MIT ($485.7 million), Harvard University ($408.7 million) and Yale University (387.6 million), according to a 2005 report by TheCenter at University of Florida.

• In 2005-06, there were 8,709 foreign students enrolled at Minnesota post-secondary institutions, according the 2006 report Open Doors by the Institute of International Education. Minnesota was the 19th most popular destination for foreign students.

• Most common countries of origin for international students in Minnesota are China, India, Nepal, South Korea and Japan.

• University of Minnesota-Twin Cities enrolled over one-third of all international students in Minnesota (3,384).

• In 1979, the China Center was established at the University of Minnesota (U of M) to manage the University’s exchanges with that country. For more than two decades, the China Center has reflected the strong commitment of the U of M to international research, teaching, and outreach. Currently, approximately 1,200 Chinese citizens study and teach at the U of M, the highest number of any university in the country.

• Macalester College in St. Paul is among the “25 Hot Schools” in the country, according to Newsweek (August 2006). Despite its small size, the college’s 1,840 students come from 80 countries and all 50 states, and its academic catalog lists 750 courses. 

• Several programs at U of M and other graduate schools in the state are among the best in the nation, according to the 2006 U.S. News and World Report rankings. 

Minnesota Graduate School Rankings

Minnesota's higher education system covers the entire state

• More than 90 percent of the state's residents are within a half-hour drive of a post-secondary institution.

• There are currently 178 public and private higher education institutions. The number fluctuates frequently, because new private institutions become licensed or do not renew.

• U of M serves more than 60,000 students each year (Fall count) and offers degrees in more than 370 fields. Campuses are located in the Twin Cities, Duluth, Morris and Crookston. U of M also partners with Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) in Rochester. Additionally, there are 10 U of M research and outreach centers throughout the state:

• MnSCU serves approximately 172,000 students each year (Fall count). Programs are delivered at 53 campus locations statewide, comprising 20 million square feet. The 32 state colleges and universities serve 46 communities, offering over 3,600 educational programs.