---
title: Saint Cloud State University — cost, debt & earnings (College Scorecard)
location: Saint Cloud, MN
control: Public
source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2026-06-10 release)
sourceUrl: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/
---

# Saint Cloud State University

Saint Cloud, MN · Public · Bachelor-granting

> Federal College Scorecard institution **medians** — not a prediction of any one student's outcome, and not a figure for any single program. Earnings/debt cover federally-aided students.

## The bottom line

| Figure | Value | Status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Typical earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $55,813 | recorded |
| Earnings range (25th–75th pct) | $39,268 – $76,074 | recorded |
| Typical federal debt | $14,362 | recorded |
| Debt of students who withdrew | $8,750 | recorded |
| Completion rate | 40% | recorded |
| Average annual net cost | $21,116 | recorded |
| % earning above a $28k HS-grad wage | 80% | recorded |
| Debt ÷ a year's earnings | 0.26× | derived |
| Earnings premium vs $28k HS benchmark | $27,813 | derived |

**40% of students finish** — the loans are owed whether or not you graduate, so read every figure below next to this number.

Typical **federal** loan debt is $14,362 (≈ 26% of a year's typical earnings here). Note: this counts federal loans only — not private loans, Parent PLUS, or family savings — so true borrowing is usually higher; and because dropouts borrow less, low-completion schools can show a deceptively low debt figure.

## Earnings by major (the number that decides "worth it")

> **Different measure — read on its own terms.** These are median earnings **1 year after completing the program** (early career, graduates only) — NOT the 10-years-after-entry school-wide figure above. Do not compare a program figure to the school figure; compare majors to each other. The Dept. of Education omits programs with too few graduates.

By program, early-career pay ranges from $26,825 to $79,020 across 41 program(s).

| Major | Credential | Pay (1 yr out) | Median debt |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | Master's Degree | $79,020 | $20,500 |
| Computer Science. | Bachelor's Degree | $72,734 | $25,463 |
| Computer Engineering. | Bachelor's Degree | $70,890 | $24,215 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering. | Bachelor's Degree | $67,563 | $20,800 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. | Bachelor's Degree | $66,404 | $24,525 |
| Mechanical Engineering. | Bachelor's Degree | $65,589 | $24,122 |
| Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions. | Bachelor's Degree | $65,397 | $19,347 |
| Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians. | Bachelor's Degree | $56,276 | $14,574 |
| Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management. | Bachelor's Degree | $54,472 | $24,516 |
| Accounting and Related Services. | Bachelor's Degree | $54,311 | $23,051 |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology. | Master's Degree | $53,089 | $35,507 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services. | Master's Degree | $51,417 | $41,000 |
| Social Work. | Master's Degree | $49,417 | $23,636 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections. | Master's Degree | $48,623 | not reported |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions. | Master's Degree | $48,403 | $22,000 |
| Special Education and Teaching. | Graduate/Professional Certificate | $46,782 | $36,193 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research. | Bachelor's Degree | $44,805 | $20,850 |
| Marketing. | Bachelor's Degree | $43,809 | $20,000 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections. | Bachelor's Degree | $43,607 | $18,250 |
| Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions. | Bachelor's Degree | $43,232 | $26,421 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services. | Bachelor's Degree | $42,839 | $22,250 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | Bachelor's Degree | $42,820 | $19,831 |
| Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions. | Master's Degree | $42,710 | $37,572 |
| Student Counseling and Personnel Services. | Master's Degree | $41,652 | $24,538 |
| Special Education and Teaching. | Bachelor's Degree | $41,408 | $21,650 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas. | Bachelor's Degree | $38,697 | $25,591 |
| Social Work. | Bachelor's Degree | $38,481 | $24,300 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods. | Bachelor's Degree | $37,838 | $23,250 |
| Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management. | Bachelor's Degree | $36,965 | $21,500 |
| Communication and Media Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $36,050 | $23,250 |
| International Relations and National Security Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $34,869 | $18,250 |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other. | Bachelor's Degree | $34,784 | $22,550 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions. | Bachelor's Degree | $34,528 | $26,496 |
| Biology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $33,365 | $21,546 |
| Psychology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $33,200 | $16,250 |
| Public Health. | Bachelor's Degree | $33,190 | $15,000 |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology. | Bachelor's Degree | $32,978 | $20,471 |
| Political Science and Government. | Bachelor's Degree | $32,627 | $20,375 |
| Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology. | Bachelor's Degree | $30,148 | $25,312 |
| English Language and Literature, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $28,844 | $16,325 |
| Fine and Studio Arts. | Bachelor's Degree | $26,825 | $27,576 |

## What this is — and is NOT

Institution-wide medians from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. **Not** a prediction of what you would earn or owe, **not** a figure for any single program (a CS and a fine-arts graduate of the same school diverge enormously), **not** proof the school caused the outcome (selection, not causation), and **not** a "best college" ranking. Explore Saint Cloud State University by field of study at the official Scorecard: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?174783

---

Structured data (JSON-LD), each figure labeled by epistemic status: `/education/saint-cloud-state-university-mn.jsonld` · all schools: `/education`