Quad

Head-to-head

U. Minnesota-Twin Cities
U. Colorado Boulder

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    U. Minnesota-Twin Cities costs about $12.3K less per year on average than U. Colorado Boulder ($31,422 vs. $43,699, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  2. 2

    U. Minnesota-Twin Cities is more diverse (index 0.64 vs. 0.52)

    Diversity index
  3. 3

    U. Minnesota-Twin Cities graduates 9 pts more of its students than U. Colorado Boulder (83% vs. 74%)

    Graduation rate
  4. 4

    U. Minnesota-Twin Cities's grants cover 21% of its full price on average, vs. 12% at U. Colorado Boulder

    Aid generosity
  5. 5

    U. Minnesota-Twin Cities's yield is 8 pts higher than U. Colorado Boulder's

    Yield rate
  6. 6

    U. Minnesota-Twin Cities's SAT midpoint is 65 points higher than U. Colorado Boulder's

    SAT midpoint

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Who's hardest to get into

U. Colorado Boulder admits 78%, U. Minnesota-Twin Cities 80%; U. Minnesota-Twin Cities's yield is higher, at 22%.

Acceptance rate
U. Minnesota-Twin Cities80%
U. Colorado Boulder78%
Quad's selectivity
  • U. Minnesota-Twin CitiesSelective
  • U. Colorado BoulderSelective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1100–1600
U. Minnesota-Twin Cities
1300–1500
U. Colorado Boulder
1240–1430
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • U. Minnesota-Twin CitiesRigor, GPA, and rank very important
  • U. Colorado BoulderGPA, school record, and prep program required

Who's on each campus

U. Minnesota-Twin Cities and U. Colorado Boulder are about the same size; U. Minnesota-Twin Cities has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
U. Minnesota-Twin Cities31.9K
U. Colorado Boulder31.9K
Pell Grant share
U. Minnesota-Twin Cities18%
U. Colorado Boulder14%

Majors and faculty

Computer Science leads at U. Minnesota-Twin Cities, and Business Administration and Management at U. Colorado Boulder.

Students per faculty member
U. Minnesota-Twin Cities17 to 1
U. Colorado Boulder19 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • U. Minnesota-Twin CitiesComputer Science8%
  • U. Colorado BoulderBusiness Administration and Management, General18%

What each costs

U. Minnesota-Twin Cities costs about $12.3K less a year than U. Colorado Boulder on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
U. Minnesota-Twin Cities$31.4K
U. Colorado Boulder$43.7K
Aid generosity
U. Minnesota-Twin Cities21%
U. Colorado Boulder12%

What each pays off

U. Colorado Boulder's former students earn more, a median $69.7K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 70% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
U. Minnesota-Twin Cities$69K
U. Colorado Boulder$69.7K
Graduation rate
U. Minnesota-Twin Cities83%
U. Colorado Boulder74%

How each has changed

Applications grew at U. Colorado Boulder but held steady at U. Minnesota-Twin Cities; U. Colorado Boulder got more selective while U. Minnesota-Twin Cities got less.

Applications, 10-year change
  • U. Minnesota-Twin CitiesSteady−7%
  • U. Colorado BoulderGrowing+133%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Common Data Set 2024–25, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why