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St. Joseph, Minnesota buildingsPhoto: Skvader · CC BY-SA 4.0
Colleges in and near St. Joseph

St. Joseph is a college town: 29 of every 100 residents are students

College of Saint Benedict (1,410 students on campus) is inside the city, and Saint Johns University (1,566) is 4.5 miles from the center, in Collegeville Township. Across Minnesota, 6 of every 100 residents are enrolled in college.

College town29% of residents are studentsCollege of Saint BenedictSaint Johns University

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 St. Joseph. Colleges are described, not graded.

Within 15 miles
5
15,122 students on campus
Nearest college
0.9 mi
College of Saint Benedict
Residents in college
29%
Above MN (6%)
Nearest community college
6.2 mi
St Cloud Technical and · $6,124 tuition
Nearest public university
7.3 mi
Saint Cloud State · $10,245 in-state
Students on campus in St. Joseph
1,410
next to 6,846 residents

What stands out about college in St. Joseph

Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.

A college town29 of every 100 St. Joseph residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.Two colleges within 4.5 milesCollege of Saint Benedict admits 92% of applicants; Saint Johns University admits 91%. Together they have 2,976 students on campus.A community college 6.2 miles awaySt Cloud Technical and Community College in Saint Cloud: tuition and fees $6,124 a year for Minnesota residents.In-state price at Saint Cloud StateLiving in Minnesota, Saint Cloud State University charges $10,245 in tuition and fees, the same for every student.
Town & gown

What it’s like to live in St. Joseph

How much the colleges shape the town, from the Census Bureau’s survey of residents.

29 of every 100 St. Joseph residents are in college (MN: 6).

1,410students on campus at College of Saint Benedict, next to 6,846 residents (dorm students count as residents)
757college students live in St. Joseph households rather than dorms
27.3median age · MN 38.8
36%of homes rented · MN 28%
$1,136median rent · 11% below the state
St. JosephSt. Joseph, MN
Cost of living$1,136/mo median rentBSafetyCrime reported to the FBIB+HealthCDC estimatesBJobs & incomeIncome, jobs, getting aroundB−HandbookTrash day, parking, who to call

How students change St. Joseph’s other numbers

Read the town’s other grades with this in mind. How TownRatings handles college towns →

Jobs & income B−

Students who live off campus count in the Census poverty figures: 19.4% of St. Joseph residents are below the poverty line, 15.4% when college students are left out (that estimate could be off by 13 points either way). 45% of the students themselves are below the line. In college towns, the Jobs & income grade uses the rate without students and leaves unemployment out.

Cost of living B

The Cost grade leaves out the share of renters paying 30% or more of income on rent wherever students are a quarter of residents or more (29% here): it would mostly measure student incomes.

Health B

CDC’s estimates follow each place’s age mix, and St. Joseph’s median age is 27.3 (Minnesota 38.8), so the adult figures describe a young population.

Safety B+

Crime is counted per resident, and students who live here count as residents. A college with its own police department reports its incidents under that department, not the city.

Every college

Colleges within 15 miles of St. Joseph

Three private colleges within 4.8 miles, one public college within 7.3 miles, and St Cloud Technical and Community College 6.2 miles away.

5 mi10 mi15 miSaint Cloud StateSt Cloud Technical andSaint Johns UniversitySt. Joseph
University or collegeCommunity college
College of Saint BenedictUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 1,410 on campus · In St. Joseph92%admitted$27knet price77%graduate$63kearningsSaint Johns UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 1,566 on campus · 4.5 mi · Collegeville91%admitted$26knet price75%graduate$77kearningsRasmussen University-MinnesotaUniversity or college · For-profit · 1,168 on campus · 4.8 mi · St. Cloud · mostly online$18knet price53%graduate$39kearnings87% of its students study only online; price, graduation and earnings count them too.Earnings are reported for all 6 campuses that file with it.St Cloud Technical and Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · 2,288 on campus · 6.2 mi · Saint Cloud$10knet price45%graduate$47kearningsTuition and fees: $6,124 a year. The net price counts housing and food at full cost.Saint Cloud State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · 8,690 on campus · 7.3 mi · Saint Cloud95%admitted$14knet price40%graduate$56kearnings

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 it costs

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.

Family income

Starts at $48–75k, where St. Joseph’s median household income ($74,946) falls.

St Cloud Technical and Community College6.2 mi · Saint Cloud · sticker $14,325 · tuition $6,124$8,908a year
Saint Cloud State University7.3 mi · Saint Cloud · sticker $21,116$12,034a year
Saint Johns University4.5 mi · Collegeville · sticker $68,521$16,196a year
Rasmussen University-Minnesota4.8 mi · St. Cloud · mostly online · sticker $25,221$19,170a year
College of Saint BenedictIn St. Joseph · sticker $68,453$20,378a year

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.

Outcomes

Do students finish, and does it pay?

Each dot is a college within 15 miles of St. Joseph: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.

$0$20k$40k$60k$80k0%25%50%75%100%Graduate →College of Saint BenedictSaint Johns UniversityRasmussen University-MinnesotaSt Cloud Technical andSaint Cloud State
Saint Cloud State University40% graduate$56k earnings$21k typical debt
St Cloud Technical and Community College45% graduate$47k earnings$12k typical debt
Saint Johns University75% graduate$77k earnings$27k typical debt
College of Saint Benedict77% graduate$63k earnings$27k typical debt
Rasmussen University-Minnesota53% graduate$39k earnings*$21k typical debt

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: Rasmussen University-Minnesota (6).

Majors

What students study in St. Joseph

Share of bachelor’s and associate degrees by field at College of Saint Benedict, weighted by undergraduates; then the biggest programs.

Biology 23%Health professions 16%Business 13%Psychology 11%Education 8%Communication 5%Everything else 24%

Biggest programs

Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing59 graduates a year
$84k4 yrs out
Biology, General50 graduates a year
$60k4 yrs out
Psychology, General48 graduates a year
$57k4 yrs out
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods38 graduates a year
$51k4 yrs out
Communication and Media Studies31 graduates a year
$64k4 yrs out
Business Administration, Management and Operations29 graduates a year
$79k4 yrs out
Political Science and Government16 graduates a year
$65k4 yrs out
Nutrition Sciences11 graduates a year
$62k4 yrs out

College Scorecard: degree shares (PCIP; each college’s six largest fields are kept, the rest count as everything else) and the field-of-study file, median earnings 4 years after graduating.

Questions about college in St. Joseph

Is St. Joseph a college town?

Yes. 29 of every 100 St. Joseph residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), against 6 across Minnesota. College of Saint Benedict has 1,410 students on campus, next to 6,846 residents.

What colleges are in St. Joseph?

College of Saint Benedict is inside the city. Saint Johns University is 4.5 miles from the center, in Collegeville Township, and St Cloud Technical and Community College is 6.2 miles away in Saint Cloud.

Why is St. Joseph’s poverty rate so high?

Students who live off campus count in the Census figures. 19.4% of residents are below the poverty line; leaving college students out, 15.4% are (ACS 2020–24, give or take 13 points).

What is the closest community college to St. Joseph, and what does it cost?

St Cloud Technical and Community College in Saint Cloud, 6.2 miles away. Tuition and fees are $6,124 a year for Minnesota residents; the federal net price, $9,635, counts housing and food at full cost.

How hard is it to get into College of Saint Benedict?

College of Saint Benedict admitted 92% of applicants in the Scorecard’s latest year; the middle half of admitted students scored 1,048–1,233 on the SAT.

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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 St. Joseph. 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 →