University of Minnesota - Twin Cities: Rankings, Courses, Admissions, Tuition Fee, Cost of Attendance & Scholarships

University of Minnesota-Twin Cities is a public, coed educational institution which was founded in the year 1851. Regarded as one of the prestigious names in the US Education System, the college is renowned for offering some exceptionally brilliant undergraduate and graduate courses for international students. Some of the popular programs provided by the university include Computer Science, Economics, Electrical Engineering and Human Resources Management. 

Around 13% of the student population at the university is international which makes it a culturally vibrating and thriving location. With a student-faculty ratio of 17:1, the institute guarantees individual and special attention to each of its candidates plus a very friendly and welcoming faculty of professors.

Admissions to the University of Minnesota are available for the season of Fall and the deadline for the same is January 1. With an acceptance rate of nearly 52%, enrollment at the institute is moderately selective and depends heavily on good academic score and extra-curricular activities. 

Rankings

• In Times Higher Education World University Rankings, the university has been ranked 34th in the United States of America. The overall world ranking of the institute is 79.
• US News placed the institute at 70th position in its ranking of National Universities of United States.
• The QS World University Ranking awarded the organization under the top 200 universities in the world.

Highlights

Programs, Campuses and Accomodation

Programs

University of Minnesota-Twin Cities offers a wide range of undergraduate, graduate and professional programs for students to advance in their career field. The university is specifically known for its research programs. Therefore, the students of the university get the opportunity to work with field shaping faculty and researchers in subjects ranging from liberal arts to science and technology.

The institute offers a choice of 50 plus majors and minors to its undergraduate students. More than 200 graduate and professional degree programs are available for students with a bachelor’s degree.

Some of the popular majors of the university are: Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Engineering, Social Science, Business, Marketing, Management and Psychology.

Campus

The campus is one of the largest of 5 campuses of the University of Minnesota and is in fact one of the largest campuses in the whole of the United States. It stretches across the cities Minneapolis and St. Paul, known as the Twin Cities. It is set on the banks of the Mississippi River and surrounded by a vibrant metropolitan community with agricultural roots. Thus, providing an ideal and calm atmosphere for students to learn and grow.

Welcoming more than 50,000 students with an international student population of around 13%, the campus is a learning site formed from an amalgamation of diverse cultures and ethnicities. 

Some of the distinct features of the campus are:

• Twin Cities campus is among the safest campuses of the U.S. Safety is given utmost priority by the university. Alarm buttons and emergency phones are located throughout the campus.
• Free campus connectors shuttles are present on the campus to carry students across the campus.
• Skyways, parking facilities and tunnels are present throughout the campus and are monitored 24 hours a day with the help of security cameras.
• Other student services provided by the university include non-remedial tutoring, placement service, women’s center, day care, health service etc.
• The campus also offers the magnificence of museums like the Weisman Art Museum, the Bell Museum of Natural History, etc.

Residential Facilities

The institute encourages students to avail the on-campus housing facilities and offers accommodation to about 90% of the first year students interested in residing on campus. Benefits of on-campus housing includes stay in close proximity to classes, libraries, restaurants, among others.

Residence options are available in the form of halls and apartments. The residential halls have a variety of room options to choose from and come with all the basic facilities. Applicants also have the choice of opting for gender open housing. There are some popular residence halls namely, 17th Avenue, Centennial, Sanford, Frontier, et al. which are some of the favourite with students.

Seven residential restaurants offering some amazing delicacies are also present on campus and are connected to each of the halls.

The university also offers help for students looking for a place off campus to live more privately and independently. Interested students can explore the official website listings for further support with off-campus accommodation. 

Admission Process

The applications for admission at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities are accepted during summer, fall and spring academic sessions. The details of the application process are mentioned below:

How and where to apply?

The prospective applicants who wish to apply for admissions at the institute can fill an online application form available on the official website of the university. The application must be submitted before the final deadlines to prevent rejection.

Application Fee

• 55 USD (nonrefundable) for undergraduate programs.
• 95 USD (nonrefundable) for graduate programs.

Application Deadlines

Deadlines for both domestic and international applicants are the same. For fall admissions, the regular deadline for freshmen application is January 1. Admission decisions on the same shall be released by March 31.

Note that the students who receive their offer of place and are interested in joining the institute shall accept their offer by May 1 to confirm their enrollment and reserve their seat.

Requirements for Admission

• Completed Application Form for Admission
• Self-reported academic record
• TOEFL/IELTS/PTE/CAE scores as a proof for proficiency in English language
• ACT/SAT scores (recommended).
• Official transcripts
• GRE scores may be required for graduate programs
• Recommendation letters, Resume (for some graduate programs)

Cost of attendance

The estimated cost of accommodation for an individual can vary as per case to case basis. An estimated budget for international students to study in the US, however, is tabulated as follows:

Scholarship and Financial Aid

The university offers financial aid to students in the form of grants, student employment, loans and academic scholarships to study in the USA. However, most of the financial aid is available for degree seeking students. Only limited help is available for certificate seeking and non-degree applicants. 

The details about some of the scholarships exclusively available for international applicants are mentioned below:

Global Excellence Scholarship

• All international freshmen and transfer applicants who successfully complete their application for admission are automatically considered for the Global Excellence Scholarship.
• The students can receive scholarships of 25,000, 15,000 or 10,000 USD per year for up to four years.
• The award of the scholarship is competitive in nature and is based on academic merit. The students selected for the scholarship are among the best in their class and also show a record of strong academic preparation.

YouAreWelcomeHere Scholarship

• The #YouAreWelcomeHere Scholarship consists of a total award of 15,000 USD annually which can also be renewed.
• The scholarship recognizes international students who have a vision to enhance intercultural understanding. It is open to international freshmen applicants of all academic majors and fields of study.

Undergraduate Research Scholarship

• The Undergraduate Research Scholarship is available for new international freshmen admitted to the University. The scholarship allows students to pursue research projects.
• The scholarship includes an award of 1,400 USD for participation in a faculty sponsored research project and an additional amount of up to 300 USD in support of supplies and expenses related to the research project.

Note that the University of Minnesota does not provide full tuition fee waiver and thus applicants must ensure that they have proper funding available from some other source. 

The scholarships offered are highly competitive and are awarded after considering various parameters inclusive of GPA, class rank, ACT/SAT scores, coursework through high school graduation, among others.