30 Best colleges for Liberal Arts & Social Sciences in Minnesota

Updated: March 02, 2025

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 8.15M citations received by 205K 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: 77%
Average SAT: 1395
Average ACT: 29
Receiving Aid: 81%

2. Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science

Rochester

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#73 in the United States

#87 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 39%
Net Price: $11,577
Receiving Aid: 100%
Average Aid: $1,900

3. Macalester College

Saint Paul

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#363 in the United States

#406 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 28%
Average SAT: 1430
Average ACT: 32
Net Price: $38,571

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: 1320
Average ACT: 28
Net Price: $32,637

5. Walden University

Minneapolis

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#395 in the United States

#443 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 100%
Net Price: $20,510
Receiving Aid: 100%
Average Aid: $400

6. Carleton College

Northfield

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#410 in the United States

#458 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 22%
Average SAT: 1490
Average ACT: 33
Net Price: $29,434

7. Saint Cloud State University

St. Cloud

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#413 in the United States

#461 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 95%
Average SAT: 1125
Average ACT: 22
Receiving Aid: 81%

8. Augsburg University

Minneapolis

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#422 in the United States

#471 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 77%
Net Price: $24,807
Receiving Aid: 100%
Average Aid: $33,355

9. Minnesota State University - Mankato

Mankato

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#451 in the United States

#502 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 91%
Average ACT: 24
Receiving Aid: 88%
Average Aid: $5,798

10. St Catherine University

Saint Paul

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#516 in the United States

#570 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 94%
Average ACT: 23
Net Price: $22,357
Receiving Aid: 99%

11. St Olaf College

Northfield

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#519 in the United States

#573 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 52%
Average SAT: 1365
Average ACT: 30
Net Price: $27,282

12. Southwest Minnesota State University

Marshall

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#572 in the United States

#628 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 69%
Average ACT: 20
Receiving Aid: 93%
Average Aid: $7,455

13. Mitchell Hamline School of Law

Saint Paul

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#653 in the United States

#716 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 50%
Enrollment: 1,217
Male:Female: 37:63
Founded: 2015

14. Hamline University

Saint Paul

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#669 in the United States

#734 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Average SAT: 1270
Average ACT: 24
Net Price: $22,759

15. Winona State University

Winona

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#680 in the United States

#746 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 69%
Average SAT: 1115
Average ACT: 22
Receiving Aid: 97%

16. Gustavus Adolphus College

Saint Peter

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#704 in the United States

#770 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 62%
Average ACT: 28
Net Price: $28,805
Receiving Aid: 98%

17. Bethel University - Minnesota

Saint Paul

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#718 in the United States

#784 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 91%
Average SAT: 1153
Average ACT: 26
Net Price: $30,375

18. College of Saint Benedict

Saint Joseph

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#758 in the United States

#826 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 91%
Average SAT: 1085
Average ACT: 24
Net Price: $29,720

19. Capella University

Minneapolis

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#761 in the United States

#829 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 100%
Net Price: $16,975
Receiving Aid: 86%
Average Aid: $5,054

20. Minnesota State University Moorhead

Moorhead

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#784 in the United States

#853 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 53%
Average ACT: 22
Receiving Aid: 96%
Average Aid: $6,117

21. Metropolitan State University

Saint Paul

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#821 in the United States

#891 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 96%
Average ACT: 20
Receiving Aid: 90%
Average Aid: $8,021

22. Concordia University - Saint Paul

Saint Paul

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#839 in the United States

#909 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 75%
Net Price: $17,989
Receiving Aid: 99%
Average Aid: $16,911

23. Bemidji State University

Bemidji

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1059 in the United States

#1136 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 71%
Average ACT: 21
Receiving Aid: 95%
Average Aid: $7,052

24. Concordia College at Moorhead

Moorhead

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1084 in the United States

#1162 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Average SAT: 1290
Average ACT: 25
Net Price: $25,488

25. Luther Seminary

Saint Paul

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1114 in the United States

#1192 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 70%
Enrollment: 348
Male:Female: 42:58

26. College of Saint Scholastica

Duluth

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1115 in the United States

#1193 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 94%
Average ACT: 24
Net Price: $23,913
Receiving Aid: 100%

27. Crown College

Saint Bonifacius

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1333 in the United States

#1414 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Net Price: $27,196
Receiving Aid: 98%
Average Aid: $17,543

28. Northwestern Health Sciences University

Bloomington

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1402 in the United States

#1485 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 100%
Net Price: $29,794
Receiving Aid: 100%
Average Aid: $6,707

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: 1270
Average ACT: 22
Net Price: $27,031

30. North Central University

Minneapolis

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1696 in the United States

#1787 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 91%
Net Price: $23,694
Receiving Aid: 99%
Average Aid: $18,521

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	11	330
North Dakota	9	215
Michigan	47	4
Nebraska	15	87
Illinois	79	12
Missouri	44	40
Kansas	22	74
Indiana	38	39
Ohio	67	19
Kentucky	29	59
Oklahoma	22	104
Colorado	24	52
Montana	9	166
Arkansas	18	146
Tennessee	39	46
West Virginia	21	119
Pennsylvania	114	8
Mississippi	15	178
New York	146	6
Virginia	42	37
Idaho	7	194
District of Columbia	13	50
Utah	11	45
Alabama	29	84
Maryland	28	10
North Carolina	50	20
Louisiana	27	79
New Mexico	9	100
Vermont	12	122
Delaware	4	96
Georgia	52	42
New Jersey	29	22
South Carolina	32	69
Texas	89	21
Connecticut	22	9
New Hampshire	13	82
Massachusetts	75	1
Rhode Island	9	56
Maine	16	200
Arizona	10	30
Washington	39	5
Nevada	8	152
Oregon	21	97
Florida	70	31
California	146	2
Alaska	4	233
Puerto Rico	15	415
Hawaii	7	107