Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System

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The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System comprises 32 colleges and universities, including 25 two-year colleges and seven state universities. The system is separate from the University of Minnesota.

[edit] Facts

The law creating the Minnesota State system was passed by the Minnesota Legislature in 1991 and went into effect July 1, 1995. The law merged the state's community colleges, technical colleges and state universities into one system. Instead of three separate governing boards and three chancellors, there is now one board and one chancellor for the entire system.
The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system has 32 institutions on 53 campuses in 46 communities.
The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system is the seventh-largest system of two- and four-year colleges and universities in the country, based on student enrollment.
All of the system's two-year community and technical colleges have an open admissions policy, which means that anyone with a high school diploma or GED may enroll. Although in theory not everyone who enrolls has athletic eligibility, operationally, everyone who enroll in community college is considered to be athletically eligible at the time of entry into college. This has led to difficulties, most recently at Hibbing Community College, where freshman members of the football team have been unable to meet minimal academic standards and were thus screened out before the start of the sophomore year. Hibbing Community College suspended its football program indefinitely in January 2006 after five consecutive years of football team members with an average GPA of 1.8.
Tuition at Minnesota State Colleges and Universities is lower than tuition at private colleges, private trade schools or the University of Minnesota.
More than 30,000 students took online courses during the 2004-2005 academic year. A complete list of online courses, programs and services can be found at www.minnesotaonline.org.
An appropriation by the state of Minnesota helps keep the tuition as low as possible. For every $1 paid in tuition, the state pays $1.02 to support a student's education.
The job placement rate at two-year colleges is 92.6 percent, meaning that 92.6 percent of graduates find jobs quickly in their chosen fields.
More than 80 percent of graduates stay in Minnesota to work or continue their education.