More selective than 60% of Minnesota colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $23,683. College Scorecard.
Higher than 39% of Minnesota colleges we cover and 56% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 46% of Minnesota colleges we cover and 66% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
Winona State University acceptance rate & admissions
Of 6,159 applicants, Winona State University admitted 4,220 and 1,162 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class).
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
Winona State University tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for Minnesota residents who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (in-state, federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
What Winona State University costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Winona State University took 4.3 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in Minnesota. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $10,224 | $43,861 | 2.2 years |
| $30–48k | $11,792 | $50,588 | 2.5 years |
| $48–75k | $13,814 | $59,262 | 2.9 years |
| $75–110k | $17,871 | $76,667 | 3.8 years |
| $110k+ | $21,307 | $91,407 | 4.5 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.3 years, the average time graduates took (45% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($58,532) minus $38,184 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in MN (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $20,348 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
Winona State University majors, earnings & careers
Winona State University offers 52 bachelor's majors across 10 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 9
- Business & Finance · 7
- Health & Medicine · 6
- Humanities & Languages · 6
- Science & Math · 6
- Arts & Design · 5
- Education · 5
- Technology & Computing · 4
- Communications & Media · 2
- Engineering · 2
Highest-earning majors at Winona State University
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Materials Engineering | $91,528 | $22,000 |
| Computer Science | $88,164 | $23,250 |
| Nursing | $80,117 | $26,252 |
| Management Information Systems | $76,708 | $27,000 |
| Finance | $75,807 | $23,167 |
| Medical Laboratory Science | $73,400 | — |
| Accounting | $72,768 | $23,652 |
| Health Administration | $72,716 | $32,557 |
Quick list of all 52 majors
- Accounting$72,768
- Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech)$51,910
- Arts and Entertainment Management—
- Biology$57,528
- Business Administration$61,878
- Chemistry$64,760
- Communications$53,456
- Computational Science—
- Computer and Information Sciences—
- Computer Science$88,164
- Criminal Justice$62,220
- Data Science—
- Economics—
- Education—
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)$46,863
- Education (Subject Teaching)$48,767
- Engineering—
- English$47,876
- Film and Photography—
- Finance$75,807
- Geology / Earth Science—
- Health Administration$72,716
- History—
- Human Resources$65,501
- International / Global Studies—
- Kinesiology / Exercise Science$63,303
- Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies$48,808
- Legal Studies / Paralegal—
- Liberal Arts / General Studies—
- Management Information Systems$76,708
- Marketing$70,203
- Materials Engineering$91,528
- Mathematics—
- Medical Laboratory Science$73,400
- Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other$55,235
- Music—
- Nursing$80,117
- Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies$54,381
- Physics—
- Political Science$55,027
- Psychology$49,361
- Public Administration—
- Public Health$47,291
- Public Relations and Advertising—
- Social Work$54,056
- Sociology$49,166
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages$55,113
- Special Education$49,824
- Statistics—
- Studio Art$48,258
- Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language—
- Theatre—
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Nursing → Registered nurse
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 5.6% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Business Administration → Management analyst
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 10.1% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Winona
2 bedrooms $1,118.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 34 inches of rain a year, 38 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
No hazard rated high.
FEMA National Risk Index, Winona County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Winona County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare Winona State University with similar schools
Similar public colleges in Minnesota by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winona State University | 75% | $17,503 | 57% | $58,532 | This school |
| Minnesota State University Moorhead | 59% | $17,997 | 57% | $50,527 | |
| Saint Cloud State University | 95% | $13,529 | 40% | $55,813 | |
| University of Minnesota-Morris | 75% | $8,837 | 63% | $50,919 | |
| University of Minnesota-Duluth | 89% | $18,743 | 65% | $62,616 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Winona State University would cost you $494 less per year than Minnesota State University Moorhead, on average.
- Lower sticker price at Winona State University, mostly from a lower estimate for personal & travel costs (−$1,130).
- Minnesota State University Moorhead gives aided families $1,020 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Minnesota resident | Winona State University | Minnesota State University Moorhead | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $10,576 | $10,428 | +$148 |
| Books & supplies | $900 | $1,000 | −$100 |
| Housing & meals | $9,924 | $10,594 | −$670 |
| Personal & travel | $2,640 | $3,770 | −$1,130 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$357 | −$595 | +$238 |
| Sticker price | $23,683 | $25,197 | −$1,514 |
| Average grants | −$6,180 | −$7,200 | +$1,020 |
| You pay | $17,503 | $17,997 | −$494 |
“+” means Winona State University costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about Winona State University
What is the Winona State University acceptance rate?
Winona State University accepts 75% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 4,220 of 6,159 applicants were admitted.
How much does Winona State University cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $23,683 a year for in-state students. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $17,503 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $10,224 and families earning $110k+ pay $21,307.
How much do Winona State University graduates earn?
Former Winona State University students earn a median $58,532 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the Winona State University graduation rate?
57% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 79% return for their second year.
How long does a Winona State University degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Winona State University costs about $59,262 after grants ($13,814 a year for 4.3 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $58,532 ten years after starting, $20,348 more than high school graduates in Minnesota ($38,184), so the cost is repaid in 2.9 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Winona State University: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/winona-state-university (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).