Rochester Community and Technical College is 11.5 miles from Elgin
No college sits inside Elgin’s boundary, but Rochester Community and Technical College’s campus in Rochester, with 3,164 students on campus, is 11.5 miles from the center of town. About 6% of Elgin’s residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Minnesota (6%).
From the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard, June 2026; IPEDS fall 2023 enrollment) and the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 2020–24. Straight-line distances from the center of Elgin. Colleges are described, not graded.
What stands out about college from Elgin
Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.
Colleges within 15 miles of Elgin
One private college within 12.9 miles, one public college within 12.7 miles, and Rochester Community and Technical College 11.5 miles away.
Degree-granting colleges with 100 or more students on campus (fall 2023 enrollment, minus students who study only online). Admitted: share of applicants offered a place. Net price: the average a year after grants, for students on federal aid. Graduate: within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting.
What would your family pay?
The average a year after grants, for families on federal aid, at the colleges within 15 miles. Pick your family’s income.
Starts at $75–110k, where Elgin’s median household income ($92,083) falls.
The average a year after grants and scholarships, for first-time, full-time students on federal aid, from the College Scorecard. Your own price depends on your aid package; every college has a net price calculator. For community colleges the net price counts housing and food at full cost, so tuition is shown beside it. “—”: not reported for that income.
Do students finish, and does it pay?
Each dot is a college within 15 miles of Elgin: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.
Graduation: first-time, full-time students within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 years (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting, for students who got federal aid. *Reported for all the campuses that file together: University of Minnesota-Rochester (2).
Questions about college near Elgin
Is Elgin a college town?
No. About 6 of every 100 Elgin residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), about the same as Minnesota (6). The nearest campus, Rochester Community and Technical College, is 11.5 miles away in Rochester.
What colleges are near Elgin?
Within 15 miles: Rochester Community and Technical College (11.5 miles, 3,164 students on campus), the University of Minnesota-Rochester (12.7 miles, 571) and Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science (12.9 miles, 1,480).
What is the closest community college to Elgin, and what does it cost?
Rochester Community and Technical College in Rochester, 11.5 miles away. Tuition and fees are $6,389 a year for Minnesota residents; the federal net price, $14,435, counts housing and food at full cost.
How much does the University of Minnesota-Rochester cost if we live in Minnesota?
Tuition and fees are $15,016 a year in-state and $15,016 from out of state. After grants, families on federal aid paid an average of $6,116 (under $30,000 income) to $23,769 (over $110,000), housing and food included.
Neighbors talk college
Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.
Colleges: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023 enrollment). “On campus” is fall enrollment minus students who study only online. Distances are straight-line from the center of Elgin. Residents in college, age, rent and poverty (including poverty without college students, table B14006): U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–24. Colleges are described, not graded; the College town label marks towns where 15% or more of residents are enrolled. How TownRatings describes colleges →