Lists and Rankings

Minnesota Hidden Gems

Think you know every college out there? Think again. Here are some diamonds in the rough from The North Star State.

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• College of St. Benedict (St. Joseph, MN): While remaining separate by gender, College of St. Benedict and St. John's University share one academic program and students attend classes together. Although the schools are Catholic, their emphasis is on values more than doctrine. Lots of internships and preprofessional programs are available.
• Concordia College — Moorhead (Moorhead, MN): A college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, Concordia prepares students to serve their neighbors. Located in Moorhead, the school has a definite international focus, with all students studying one or more of 10 world languages offered and more than half of students studying abroad.
• St. Catherine University (St. Paul, MN): This women's college has great access to two cities (Minneapolis and St. Paul), a consortium of colleges for coursework, and a wide variety of liberal arts and applied programs. As the largest Catholic women's college, "St. Kate" is able to provide a range of programs and services.
• St. John's University (Collegeville, MN): While remaining separate by gender, College of St. Benedict and St. John's University share one academic program and students attend classes together. Although the schools are Catholic, their emphasis is on values more than doctrine. Lots of internships and preprofessional programs are available.
• St. Olaf College (Northfield, MN): Well-regarded regionally but not as well-known nationally, this school has extremely happy students, a great sense of community, and a caring faculty. St. Olaf offers so much more than a premiere music program; it also has great liberal arts, strong science, and fabulous curriculum offerings for study abroad during the January term.
• University of Minnesota — Duluth (Duluth, MN): Overlooking Lake Superior, this is a small, public, not-too-expensive college option.