Minnesota State University-Mankato
Mankato, Minnesota · Public · 88.4% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 62/100 · Fair Value
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Minnesota State University-Mankato scores 62 (Fair Value) on the CampusROI scale. The institution combines an 88.4% admission rate - effectively open access - with $9,572 in-state tuition, $19,139 net price, and 54.0% completion. Median 6-year earnings of $38,800 grow to $56,922 by year ten, producing a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.544 against $21,106 median debt and a 9.9-year payback period. The repayment rate of 82.3% at three years is strong for a regional public, suggesting graduates stay current on loans even when entry-level earnings look modest. Mankato's score is held back by the 54% completion rate (sub-score 48) more than by debt or earnings - the financial outcomes for graduates are workable, but only about half of admitted students get to the degree. The aviation, nursing, engineering, and construction-management pipelines pull the school's overall earnings number up; education, social work, and the broad slate of humanities and arts programs pull it down. Net price exceeds in-state tuition by roughly $9,500, reflecting the room/board and fees component of the residential cost structure.
Minnesota State University-Mankato
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $9,572/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $18,942/yr |
| Average net price | $19,139/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $76,556 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $56,922 |
| Median earnings (6yr post-entry) | $38,800 |
| Median debt at graduation | $21,106 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $224 |
| Estimated payback period | 9.9 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 53.9% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 11,703 |
Data as of 2024-2025. Source: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education).
The Full Financial Picture
The first number you'll see is the sticker price: $9,572/year ($18,942/year out-of-state). Here's the part that matters - almost nobody pays that. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $19,139/year, or roughly $76,556 over four years. That's the number to plan around.
What you actually pay depends a lot on what your family earns. Families making under $30,000/year pay an average of $12,339/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $22,798/year.
Most students borrow to get here. The median graduate leaves owing $21,106 in federal loans, which works out to about $224 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Hold that up against the $56,922 the typical graduate earns ten years out: the debt-to-earnings ratio comes to 0.54, within the range advisors call workable but worth keeping an eye on.
Net Price by Family Income
What families actually pay after grants and scholarships, by income bracket.
| Family Income | Avg Net Price/Year |
|---|---|
| $0 - $30,000 | $12,339 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $12,750 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $15,137 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $18,921 |
| $110,001+ | $22,798 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
The 0-30000 income bracket pays $12,339 per year at Mankato, and the 30001-48000 bracket pays $12,750 - both materially below the institutional net price and well-aided relative to the published $9,572 in-state tuition plus room and board. Four-year totals of $49,000-$51,000 are workable for low-income families, especially for students entering the nursing, engineering, or construction-management pipelines where first-year earnings of $70K+ produce rapid payback. Pell rate of 21% suggests the aid model is functional but not aggressive.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
The 48001-75000 bracket pays $15,137 and the 75001-110000 bracket pays $18,921. Middle-income families face a moderate-cost regional public bill totaling $60,000-$76,000 over four years. The financial math works for students entering the high-earning programs (nursing, CS, engineering, construction) and is tight but defensible for accounting, finance, and aviation. For education, social work, and humanities tracks, the same cost against $40K-$50K first-year earnings produces debt-to-earnings ratios that violate the income rule - the major selection matters more than the school selection at this cost level.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families earning $110,000+ pay $22,798 per year - about $91,200 over four years. At a 9.9-year payback and $38,800 median earnings, full-pay families are accepting a much weaker financial profile than what they would get at a more selective school with stronger institutional aid or a flagship public. Full-pay at Mankato makes sense primarily when the student is entering one of the strong-earning programs (nursing, engineering, construction, aviation, CS) and is expected to complete - the 54% institutional completion rate is the risk factor that does not show up in the four-year cost number.
Earnings by Major
Top 10 most popular majors at Minnesota State University-Mankato with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing | $82,429 | B+ |
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $70,486 | C+ |
| Psychology | $52,859 | C |
| Marketing | $68,772 | C |
| Kinesiology and Exercise Science | $57,506 | D |
| Air Transportation | $103,858 | C+ |
| Finance and Financial Management | $74,852 | C+ |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | $64,585 | C+ |
| Teacher Education | $48,632 | C |
| Computer and Information Sciences | $95,398 | B+ |
Earnings reflect median 4-year post-completion (or 1-year where 4-year unavailable). Grades based on debt-to-earnings ratio.
Program Analysis
Why these programs deliver their earnings outcomes.
Registered Nursing
Nursing is Mankato's flagship program by volume: 353 graduates, $75,655 year-one earnings, $82,429 at four years. Median debt of $25,257 produces a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.334 (B+ ROI grade). The Minnesota nursing labor market absorbs Mankato graduates into the Twin Cities health systems, regional Mayo affiliates, and rural-Minnesota hospital networks. Year-one earnings above $75K with under $26K in debt is a payback of roughly four years - one of the cleanest financial profiles in the school's catalog. The high graduate count means this is also a stable pipeline, not a small-sample outlier.
Construction Management
Construction Management produces 59 graduates per year with $75,682 first-year earnings and $102,090 at four years. Median debt of $26,499 against early-career earnings yields a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.350 (B grade). The four-year jump to $102K reflects the trajectory into project-management roles in the upper Midwest commercial and infrastructure construction market. This is a high-leverage track - the program is moderate-sized but the earnings outcomes are flagship-tier.
Computer and Information Sciences
CS produces 82 graduates per year, with $71,742 year-one earnings, $95,398 at four years, and B+ ROI grade (debt-to-earnings 0.287, $20,625 median debt). The Twin Cities tech cluster (Target, US Bank, UnitedHealth, Best Buy headquarters, plus the local fintech and medtech ecosystem) absorbs Mankato CS graduates well. The four-year jump to nearly $100K reflects movement into senior software-engineering and lead roles. Lower median debt than the engineering programs makes the financial profile especially clean.
Mechanical Engineering
Mechanical Engineering produces 45 graduates with $68,919 year-one earnings, growing to $85,286 at four years. Median debt of $27,886 yields debt-to-earnings of 0.405 (B grade). Mankato's engineering programs feed Minnesota's medical-device, agricultural-equipment, and aerospace manufacturing sectors - a regional labor market that values applied engineering talent. The financial profile is solid; debt is somewhat higher than the CS pipeline because engineering students often take longer to complete.
Air Transportation
Aviation is a notable outlier at Mankato: 105 graduates per year with $45,193 year-one earnings - modest for a STEM track - but $103,858 by year four (debt-to-earnings 0.454, C+ grade). The trajectory reflects the FAA-required hours-building phase that pilots work through before reaching regional and major-carrier captain seats. Mankato is one of a small number of universities with a structured collegiate aviation pipeline; the four-year earnings number makes the financial math work even though early-career pay is constrained by the regulatory timeline. Students should plan for the cash-flow gap in years one through three.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Nat'l Avg |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 78.0% | 52.0% |
| 3-year repayment | 82.3% | 62.0% |
| 5-year repayment | 77.2% | 68.0% |
| 7-year repayment | 83.0% | 72.0% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Minnesota State University-Mankato’s cost and outcomes have moved across College Scorecard releases (2009-2023).
Average Net Price
Completion Rate
Median Earnings, 10 Years After Entry (as reported)
Earnings reflect borrowers measured 10 years after entry and publish on an irregular cadence with a multi-year reporting lag, so this series shows only the years the Department of Education reported - the data is never interpolated.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, release years shown. Net price and completion are reported annually.
Admissions Snapshot
| Acceptance rate | 88.4% |
| ACT Composite (25th-75th) | 21-25 |
| Enrollment | 11,703 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 21.0% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $11,257 |
At 88.4%, Mankato is essentially open-access among prepared applicants. ACT mid-range is 21-25 (SAT data not reported in current Scorecard), reflecting a typical regional-public academic pool drawing primarily from greater Minnesota. The selectivity does not meaningfully filter for completion likelihood - the 54% completion rate is the more honest signal of who actually finishes here, which suggests significant attrition among admitted students who arrive academically or financially under-prepared. Selectivity is not the binding constraint on outcomes at Mankato; persistence is.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
Mankato's Scorecard peer set includes Bemidji State University (MN), Metropolitan State University (MN), University of Houston-Downtown (TX), University of Nebraska-Omaha (NE), and University of Alabama-Birmingham (AL). The two Minnesota peers are direct in-state regional comparisons; Bemidji State scores lower (smaller, more isolated, weaker labor-market access), while Metro State serves a more urban Twin-Cities adult population. Nebraska-Omaha (ROI roughly 65) is the closest peer in size and mission, with similar earnings and slightly stronger completion. UAB scores higher because of its medical-research-driven graduate-degree pipeline, which is not a fair comparison to Mankato's predominantly undergraduate regional-public model.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota State University-Mankato (this school) | 62 | $19,139 | $56,922 |
| Metropolitan State University | 72 | $16,863 | $64,705 |
| University of Nebraska at Omaha | 64 | $13,441 | $53,909 |
| University of Houston-Downtown | 62 | $10,542 | $53,551 |
| Bemidji State University | 60 | $15,261 | $53,755 |
| University of Alabama at Birmingham | 55 | $18,749 | $54,501 |
Head-to-Head ROI Comparisons
See Minnesota State University-Mankato side by side with similar schools on ROI, cost, earnings, and debt.
Who Thrives Here
Enrollment of 11,703 with 21.0% Pell - a typical mid-size Minnesota regional public serving a mostly Minnesota-resident student body. The school fits applicants targeting nursing (353 graduates per year, $75,655 first-year earnings), construction management ($75,682), CS ($71,742), or one of the engineering disciplines (electrical, mechanical, civil all in the high-$60K to low-$70K range). The aviation program is an outlier with $45K first-year but $103K four-year earnings - a long-runway career trajectory. Students aiming at education, social work, theatre, or kinesiology will find programs that exist but produce notably weaker financial outcomes - D and F grades on debt-to-earnings appear in those tracks.
The Verdict: A Reasonable Bet - With Caveats
Minnesota State University-Mankato is a fair-value bet, but how well it pays off depends a lot on you. At $19,139 a year after aid ($76,556 over four years), with the typical graduate earning $56,922 a decade out, the cost takes about 9.9 years to earn back. That's roughly average - not a bargain, not a mistake.
What it has going for it: high loan repayment success.
Median debt of $21,106 against $56,922 in earnings is reasonable, though your major matters a lot here. Graduates in higher-earning fields will see the better end of this.
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Data: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education)
Vintage: 2024-2025 · Last updated: 2026-03-25
Earnings reflect median outcomes for all federal financial aid recipients. Individual results vary by major, effort, and career path.