Private Nonprofit Graduate Good 69/100

St Catherine University

See admissions data, costs, student outcomes, and academic programs, all verified from official US government sources.

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Saint Paul, Minnesota

About St Catherine University

Thinking about St Catherine University, a college in Minnesota where more students graduate in Health than anything else? The four things worth knowing are what it actually costs after aid, whether you would get in, whether students finish, and what they earn after they do.

St Catherine University is a private nonprofit institution offering graduate degrees based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It enrolls 2,473 students (a mid-sized student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Every figure on this page is reported by the federal government, not supplied by the college, so it can be compared like for like against anywhere else you are looking.

Acceptance
91.9%
Graduation
59%
Net Price
$19,764
Median Earnings (10yr)
$59,282
Enrollment
2,473
Student : Faculty
10:1

Accreditor Higher Learning Commission
Academic Calendar 4-1-4 Plan

How It Measures Up

These four scores answer one question: compared with similar colleges, is this one worth the money? Each runs 0 to 100 and is judged only against its peer group (4-Year Selective), so a community college is never marked down for not being Harvard. Everything is computed from federal data. Nobody can pay to move a score, and a pillar with missing data is left unscored rather than guessed.

Good
69/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes 59
Value 61
Affordability 60
Selectivity 30

Admissions & Acceptance Rate

St Catherine University admits 91.9% of applicants, which makes it open to most qualified applicants, so admission is unlikely to be the hurdle.

Acceptance Rate
91.9%
Open
SAT Range (25th–75th)
850 – 1140
Reading + Math combined
ACT Range (25th–75th)
20 – 26
Cumulative composite
Test Policy Not Considered Standardized test scores are not used in admissions decisions.

5-Year Admission Trend

Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether St Catherine University is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.

Becoming less selective ↑ 26.7 pts since 2019
67.3%201976.1%202074.9%202192.5%202294.1%2023

Cost & Financial Aid

Ignore the sticker price. What matters is the net price, which is what a typical family pays here after grants and scholarships come off. At $19,764 a year on average, it sits below what private nonprofit colleges charge nationally. That still leaves most families a gap to cover, but a manageable one. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.

The average hides a wide spread by household income, so it is worth estimating what a family at your income would actually pay before treating this as the price.

Average Net Price
$19,764
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
40%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
59%
Borrowing to attend

Full Cost Breakdown

Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.

Tuition & Fees
$51,454
Room & Board (on-campus)
$12,188
Room & Board (off-campus)
$12,188
Books & Supplies
$1,000
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$2,420
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$2,420
Total Cost of Attendance
$60,476

Net Price by Family Income

Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.

  • Under $30,000
    $17,890
  • $30,001 – $48,000
    $15,190
  • $48,001 – $75,000
    $15,451
  • $75,001 – $110,000
    $19,376
  • Over $110,000
    $27,021

Debt at Graduation

Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.

$5,250
10% percentile
$10,500
25% percentile
$24,181
Median percentile
$31,936
75% percentile
$45,000
90% percentile

Median Debt by Student Type

Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.

GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $21,000 ↓ $3,181
No Pell $17,796 ↓ $6,385
Dependent students $19,290 ↓ $4,891
Independent students $20,008 ↓ $4,173
Female students $19,947 ↓ $4,234
Male students $15,894 ↓ $8,287
Pell recipients: 18.4% (4,457 students)No Pell: 15.6% (3,777 students)Dependent students: 16.9% (4,094 students)Independent students: 17.6% (4,246 students)Female students: 17.5% (4,233 students)Male students: 14.0% (3,373 students)Overall Median$24,181
Worth knowing: Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $10,384, less than completers ($24,181), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.

Graduation Rate & Retention

59% of students who start here finish within six years, and 79% come back after first year. Roughly half finish on that timeline, so budget for the possibility of a longer run. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

Completion and earnings carry the most weight in this college's score, and how the UCD Score weighs each measure sets out exactly how they are combined.

6-Year Graduation Rate
59%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
79%
Returning for their second year

After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes

Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $59,282 a year, above the national median. That is a healthy return for most cost levels. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.

Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$59,282
Earning > $25K
84%
10 yrs after entry

Earnings Growth After Graduation

Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.

$52,000$54,000$56,000$58,000$60,0006 yrs8 yrs10 yrs

Earnings by Demographic

Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.

By Gender

Female graduates
$50,700

Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.

Male graduates
$61,100

Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.


By Family Income at Entry

Family income (lowest third)
$47,700

Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (middle third)
$51,200

Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (highest third)
$53,400

Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.

The gender gap: Male graduates earn $10,400, about 17% more than female graduates ten years out. The gap reflects industry mix, role choice, and structural pay differences that exist across most US colleges.

Loan Repayment Progression

Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.

Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑ 12.1 pts across 6 years
74%1yr77.3%3yr82.1%5yr86.2%7yr
What this signals: Excellent. 86% of graduates were paying down at least $1 of principal seven years out.

Who Studies Here

Who you would actually be sitting next to: 2,473 students, a mid-sized community.

Total Enrolled
2,473
Part-Time
33%
First-Generation
29%

Race & Ethnicity Breakdown

Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.

GroupShareStudents
White 46.9% 1,159
Black 18.2% 450
Hispanic 14.3% 354
Asian 11.7% 290
Other 4.5% 112
International 0.3% 8
White: 46.9% (1,159 students)Black: 18.2% (450 students)Hispanic: 14.3% (354 students)Asian: 11.7% (290 students)Other: 4.5% (112 students)International: 0.3% (8 students)Total2,473

Student Life & Campus Culture

Where students live, learn, and connect at St Catherine University. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.

Setting
Large City Saint Paul, Minnesota
Housing
Partly residential 800 beds available
Adult Learners
31% of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NCAA athletic-conference member
Academic Calendar
4-1-4 Plan scheduling structure
Designation
Women's college
Designation
Religiously affiliated

What You Can Study

After that comes the national picture for Business graduates, which shows what the field pays across every college rather than just this one.

St Catherine University offers an extensive catalog of programs: 73 distinct programs across 21 majors. Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings. Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.

19 Programs
7 Programs
3 Programs
3 Programs
1 Program

Faculty & Resources

There are 10 students for every instructor here: small classes, and staff who are likely to know your name.

Student : Faculty
10:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Endowment
$237M
Solid financial position
Avg Faculty Salary
$68,936
9-month equivalent across all ranks

Faculty by Rank

207 instructional faculty across 5 ranks. The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.

Rank Faculty Count Share Avg Salary
Full Professors 27 13% $84,837
Associate Professors 67 32% $72,135
Assistant Professors 110 53% $63,431
Instructors 2 1% $54,866
No Rank 1 0% $53,550

Pros & Cons of St Catherine University

No college is right for everyone. Here is where St Catherine University is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.

Read against a single profile these cut both ways, which is why it helps to put two colleges side by side on the same measures rather than judging one in isolation.

PROS
  • Below-average net price
  • Accessible admissions for most applicants
  • Small classes (low student-faculty ratio)
  • Solid post-graduation earnings
  • Wide reach of need-based federal aid
CONS
  • High published cost of attendance before aid
Best for: Based on the data, St Catherine University is a fit for students who want a clear path to start college without a competitive admissions barrier.

Frequently Asked Questions about St Catherine University

The questions families ask most about St Catherine University, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.

Is St Catherine University hard to get into?
Not especially. St Catherine University admits most qualified applicants, with an acceptance rate of 91.9%. Plan around cost and whether students finish, not your odds of getting in.
What is the acceptance rate at St Catherine University?
91.9% of applicants are admitted. Most applicants who meet the basic requirements are admitted. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What SAT score do you need for St Catherine University?
Aim for 1140 or better. Half of admitted students scored between 850 and 1140 (Reading plus Math), so anything above the top of that range makes you competitive and anything below the bottom means the rest of your application has to carry more weight. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What ACT score do you need for St Catherine University?
Aim for 26 or better. Half of admitted students scored between 20 and 26 on the composite, so the upper half of that band is where you want to land. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
How much does St Catherine University cost?
Budget around $19,764 a year. That is the net price, what families typically pay once grants and scholarships come off, not the sticker price. Your own figure depends on household income, so treat this as a midpoint rather than a quote. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is St Catherine University worth it?
On the numbers, yes: moderate return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $59,282 a year against a net price of $19,764, about 3.0 dollars of earnings for every dollar of annual cost. That ratio ignores whether you finish and what you study, which matter just as much. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is St Catherine University known for?
Mostly Nursing, Medical Assisting, Nursing. Those are the fields where it awards the most degrees, which is a better guide to where the teaching strength sits than any reputation ranking. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What do St Catherine University graduates earn?
About $59,282 a year, measured ten years after students first enrolled. Half earn more and half earn less, and what you study moves that figure far more than where you study. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is St Catherine University accredited?
Yes. St Catherine University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
How many students attend St Catherine University?
2,473 students. Big enough for a wide course catalogue without feeling anonymous. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at St Catherine University?
59% finish within six years. That leaves a meaningful share who do not finish on that timeline, so budget for the possibility of a longer run. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is St Catherine University a public or private college?
It is Private Nonprofit. Private nonprofit, so the sticker price is higher but institutional aid is often larger too.
Where is St Catherine University located?
St Catherine University is located in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
What programs does St Catherine University offer?
73 different programs, most commonly Nursing, Medical Assisting, Nursing. If the subject you want is not among them, check the full list before applying rather than assuming it is offered.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at St Catherine University?
10 students per instructor. Low enough that staff are likely to know who you are. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

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