30 Best colleges for Liberal Arts & Social Sciences in Minnesota

Updated: March 15, 2026

Ranking by academic field

Below is a list of best universities in Minnesota ranked based on their research performance in Liberal Arts & Social Sciences. A graph of 8.57M citations received by 209K academic papers made by 30 universities in Minnesota was used to calculate publications' ratings, which then were adjusted for release dates and added to final scores.

We don't distinguish between undergraduate and graduate programs nor do we adjust for current majors offered. You can find information about granted degrees on a university page but always double-check with the university website.

1. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#18 in the United States

#20 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 80%
Average SAT: 1400
Average ACT: 29
Receiving Aid: 81%

2. Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science

Rochester

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#72 in the United States

#86 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 39%
Net Price: $12,328
Receiving Aid: 100%
Average Aid: $2,018

3. Macalester College

Saint Paul

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#362 in the United States

#407 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 29%
Average SAT: 1430
Average ACT: 32
Net Price: $40,225

4. University of St Thomas - Minnesota

Saint Paul

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#370 in the United States

#416 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 85%
Average SAT: 1342
Average ACT: 28
Net Price: $31,250

5. Walden University

Minneapolis

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#388 in the United States

#436 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 100%
Net Price: $34,282
Receiving Aid: 100%
Average Aid: $1,076

6. Carleton College

Northfield

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#412 in the United States

#460 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 20%
Average SAT: 1505
Average ACT: 33
Net Price: $28,047

7. Saint Cloud State University

St. Cloud

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#417 in the United States

#465 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 95%
Average SAT: 1143
Average ACT: 21
Receiving Aid: 87%

8. Augsburg University

Minneapolis

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#425 in the United States

#475 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 82%
Net Price: $24,561
Receiving Aid: 100%
Average Aid: $37,850

9. Minnesota State University - Mankato

Mankato

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#453 in the United States

#504 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 88%
Average ACT: 23
Receiving Aid: 93%
Average Aid: $5,325

10. St Olaf College

Northfield

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#517 in the United States

#572 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 48%
Average SAT: 1385
Average ACT: 30
Net Price: $26,756

11. St Catherine University

Saint Paul

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#519 in the United States

#574 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 92%
Average SAT: 995
Average ACT: 23
Net Price: $20,918

12. Southwest Minnesota State University

Marshall

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#564 in the United States

#619 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 62%
Average ACT: 20
Receiving Aid: 97%
Average Aid: $8,674

13. Mitchell Hamline School of Law

Saint Paul

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#660 in the United States

#725 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 50%
Enrollment: 1,163
Male:Female: 34:66
Founded: 2015

14. Hamline University

Saint Paul

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#670 in the United States

#736 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 88%
Average SAT: 1262
Average ACT: 24
Net Price: $22,390

15. Winona State University

Winona

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#678 in the United States

#744 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 75%
Receiving Aid: 98%
Average Aid: $5,375
Enrollment: 6,045

16. Gustavus Adolphus College

Saint Peter

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#701 in the United States

#767 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 61%
Average ACT: 27
Net Price: $26,094
Receiving Aid: 100%

17. Bethel University - Minnesota

Saint Paul

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#719 in the United States

#785 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 88%
Average SAT: 1245
Average ACT: 25
Net Price: $31,738

18. Capella University

Minneapolis

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#757 in the United States

#826 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 100%
Net Price: $17,199
Receiving Aid: 72%
Average Aid: $5,621

19. College of Saint Benedict

Saint Joseph

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#761 in the United States

#830 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 92%
Average SAT: 1141
Average ACT: 24
Net Price: $28,400

20. Minnesota State University Moorhead

Moorhead

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#789 in the United States

#858 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 59%
Average ACT: 22
Receiving Aid: 94%
Average Aid: $6,446

21. Metropolitan State University

Saint Paul

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#813 in the United States

#883 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 99%
Average ACT: 19
Receiving Aid: 86%
Average Aid: $8,538

22. Concordia University - Saint Paul

Saint Paul

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#847 in the United States

#917 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 79%
Net Price: $18,028
Receiving Aid: 100%
Average Aid: $19,494

23. Bemidji State University

Bemidji

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1055 in the United States

#1132 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 56%
Average ACT: 21
Receiving Aid: 98%
Average Aid: $7,904

24. Concordia College at Moorhead

Moorhead

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1094 in the United States

#1172 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Average ACT: 24
Net Price: $25,190
Receiving Aid: 100%

25. Luther Seminary

Saint Paul

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1112 in the United States

#1190 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 70%
Enrollment: 371
Male:Female: 43:57

26. College of Saint Scholastica

Duluth

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1119 in the United States

#1197 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 93%
Average ACT: 22
Net Price: $26,083
Receiving Aid: 100%

27. Crown College

Saint Bonifacius

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1328 in the United States

#1409 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 23%
Net Price: $27,332
Receiving Aid: 98%
Average Aid: $19,226

28. Northwestern Health Sciences University

Bloomington

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1405 in the United States

#1488 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 100%
Net Price: $36,272
Receiving Aid: 50%
Average Aid: $3,591

29. Minneapolis College of Art and Design

Minneapolis

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1676 in the United States

#1767 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 48%
Average SAT: 1235
Average ACT: 25
Net Price: $30,305

30. North Central University

Minneapolis

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1696 in the United States

#1787 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 99%
Net Price: $26,363
Receiving Aid: 100%
Average Aid: $18,112

Closest to Minnesota states to learn Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

State	Universities Unis	Best university country rank Best uni rank
Wisconsin	36	14
Iowa	32	44
South Dakota	12	331
North Dakota	9	216
Michigan	47	3
Nebraska	15	87
Illinois	79	12
Missouri	44	40
Kansas	22	74
Indiana	38	39
Ohio	67	19
Kentucky	29	60
Oklahoma	22	103
Colorado	24	52
Montana	9	166
Arkansas	18	146
Tennessee	39	46
West Virginia	20	120
Pennsylvania	114	9
Mississippi	15	177
New York	146	6
Virginia	42	37
Idaho	7	193
District of Columbia	13	48
Utah	11	45
Alabama	30	82
Maryland	28	8
North Carolina	50	20
Louisiana	27	79
New Mexico	9	100
Vermont	12	124
Delaware	4	97
Georgia	52	42
New Jersey	29	22
South Carolina	32	68
Texas	89	21
Connecticut	22	10
New Hampshire	13	84
Massachusetts	75	1
Rhode Island	9	56
Maine	16	199
Arizona	10	29
Washington	39	5
Nevada	8	149
Oregon	21	96
Florida	70	31
California	147	2
Alaska	4	233
Puerto Rico	15	414
Hawaii	7	106