Saint Cloud State University
Saint Cloud, Minnesota · Public · 5,088 undergraduates · stcloudstate.edu
Test policy (fall 2027)
Test optional
Sending scores is your choice
Admit rate
94%
of 4,927 applicants
SAT (middle 50%)
968 to 1150
of enrolled freshmen
Annual cost (2027-28)
$28,120Est.Estimate
$28,220 out of state
Your chances and merit aid at Saint Cloud State University
See where you stand for admission, how much merit aid you could get, and what you'd pay after it.
We started you at a typical enrolled freshman here. Move the sliders to match you.
Your admission chances
94% of applicants admitted
Target
Your SAT is inside the range where the middle half of enrolled freshmen scored, and your GPA is in the middle half of freshmen's.
Estimated merit aid
a year
Your cost after merit aid
$28,220
a year in 2027-28, from a $28,220 sticker price (out of state)
What to do with your 1070
Send your score
Your SAT is at or above the median of freshmen who sent scores (1070).
Reach, target and likely are a rough guide from your test score and how selective the college is. Admissions also weigh your courses, grades, essays and activities. Merit aid figures are estimates, before any need-based aid.
Admissions
Test policy for fall 2027
Test optional
You choose whether to send an SAT or ACT score. If you send one, it's considered.
- Reviews applications as they arrive, so applying early helps.
Source: Undergraduate Admissions - How to Apply | St. Cloud State University · Checked October 17, 2026
Who gets in
94%
of applicants were admitted: 4,646 of 4,927 for fall 2025.
Test scores of enrolled freshmen (fall 2025)
The shaded part shows the middle half of enrolled freshmen who sent scores: a quarter scored below it and a quarter above. 1% of them sent SAT scores and 21% sent ACT scores.
SAT total 968 to 1150
Reading and Writing 425 to 590
Math 505 to 625
ACT composite 17 to 23
How enrolled freshmen scored on the SAT
- 1400 to 16000%
- 1200 to 139910%
- 1000 to 119960%
- 800 to 99930%
- 600 to 7990%
- 400 to 5990%
Source: Common Data Set 2025-2026
High school GPA of enrolled freshmen
Average GPA: 3.20
- 4.07.3%
- 3.75 to 3.9913%
- 3.50 to 3.7414%
- 3.25 to 3.4914%
- 3.00 to 3.2414%
- 2.50 to 2.9928%
- Below 2.509.9%
Cost and financial aid
The sticker price is what a year costs before any aid. Most students pay less after grants and scholarships.
Sticker price for 2027-28Estimate
$28,120
a year, in state
$28,220
a year, out of state (tuition $10,650)
- Tuition (in state)$10,550
- Fees$1,580
- Food and housing$12,200
- Books and supplies$1,480
- Transportation and other$2,310
Saint Cloud State University published $26,560 in state for 2025-26. Its 2027-28 prices aren't out yet.
Source: Common Data Set 2025-2026
What families actually pay
What a year cost on average after grants and scholarships, for freshmen who got federal aid in 2023-24 (in-state students), by family income.
- $0 to $30,000$11,944
- $30,001 to $48,000$12,404
- $48,001 to $75,000$13,834
- $75,001 to $110,000$17,746
- Over $110,000$23,068
Financial aid
65%
of a student's financial need is covered, on average
$8,441
average need-based grant to freshmen, money you don't repay
25%
of freshmen got merit aid without financial need, $1,889 on average
- FAFSA
- Not required.
- CSS Profile
- Not required. Only the FAFSA is needed.
Source: Common Data Set 2025-2026
AP credit
AP exams that earn credit can replace college courses, so you pay for fewer of them and may graduate sooner.
AP exams that earn credit
33 of 33
Earn credit with a score of 3
33 exams
A 3-credit course is worth
about $1,060Est.Estimate
at 2027-28 tuition for in-state students
Credit for each AP exam
| Exam | Score needed | Credits | Counts as |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2-D Art and Design | 3 | 6 | |
| 3-D Art and Design | 3 | 6 | |
| Art History | 3 | 6 | |
| Biology | 3 | 6 | |
| Biology | 4 | 8 | |
| Biology | 5 | 8 | BIOL151 & BIOL152 |
| Calculus AB | 3 | 8 | MATH115 & MATH211 |
| Calculus AB | 4 | 9 | MATH221 & MATH115 |
| Calculus BC | 3 | 9 | MATH221 & MATH115 |
| Calculus BC | 4 | 13 | MATH221 & MATH222 & MATH115 |
| Chemistry | 3 | 4 | CHEM160 |
| Chemistry | 4 | 8 | CHEM160 & CHEM210 |
| Chemistry | 5 | 12 | CHEM160 & CHEM210 & CHEM211 |
| Comparative Government and Politics | 3 | 3 | |
| Computer Science A | 3 | 3 | CSCI200 |
| Computer Science Principles | 3 | 3 | |
| Drawing | 3 | 6 | |
| English Language and Composition | 3 | 6 | ENGL100 & ENGL elective |
| English Language and Composition | 4 | 7 | ENGL191 & ENGL184 |
| English Literature and Composition | 3 | 7 | ENGL191 & ENGL184 |
| Environmental Science | 3 | 3 | ETS260 |
| French Language and Culture | 3 | 10 | FREN201 & FREN202 & FREN220 |
| French Language and Culture | 4 | 13 | FREN201 & FREN202 & FREN220 & FREN301 |
| French Language and Culture | 5 | 16 | FREN201 & FREN202 & FREN220 & FREN301 & FREN302 |
| German Language and Culture | 3 | 10 | GER201 & GER202 & GER220 |
| German Language and Culture | 4 | 13 | GER201 & GER202 & GER220 & GER301 |
| German Language and Culture | 5 | 16 | GER201 & GER202 & GER220 & GER301 & GER302 |
| Human Geography | 3 | 3 | GEOG270 |
| Italian Language and Culture | 3 | 8 | |
| Latin | 3 | 3 | |
| Macroeconomics | 3 | 3 | ECON205 |
| Microeconomics | 3 | 3 | ECON206 |
| Music Theory | 3 | 6 | MUSM101 |
| Physics 1 | 3 | 4 | PHYS231 |
| Physics 2 | 3 | 4 | PHYS232 |
| Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism | 3 | 3 | PHYS235 |
| Physics C: Mechanics | 3 | 3 | PHYS234 |
| Psychology | 3 | 3 | PSY115 |
| Spanish Language and Culture | 3 | 4 | SPAN201 |
| Spanish Language and Culture | 4 | 10 | SPAN201 & SPAN202 & SPAN222 |
| Spanish Language and Culture | 5 | 13 | SPAN201 & SPAN202 & SPAN222 & SPAN301 |
| Spanish Literature and Culture | 3 | 10 | SPAN201 & SPAN202 & SPAN222 |
| Spanish Literature and Culture | 4 | 13 | SPAN201 & SPAN202 & SPAN222 & SPAN310 |
| Spanish Literature and Culture | 5 | 16 | SPAN201 & SPAN202 & SPAN222 & SPAN310 & SPAN345 |
| Statistics | 3 | 3 | STAT103 |
| Statistics | 4 | 3 | STAT239 |
| United States Government and Politics | 3 | 3 | POL 111 |
| United States History | 3 | 6 | HIST140 & HIST141 |
| World History: Modern | 3 | 6 |
Source: AP credit policy
After college
Graduate within 6 years
44%
Come back for a second year
71%
Typical earnings
$59,509
a year, 10 years after starting here
- Saint Cloud State University$56,148
- All colleges$60,083
Median yearly earnings of graduates five years after finishing a bachelor's in this major. 39 majors here have earnings data.
Keep exploring
Figures marked Estimate are our estimates, not numbers the college published. Check each college's own site before you apply. SAT is a trademark of College Board, and ACT is a trademark of ACT, Inc. Sharp is not affiliated with either, or with Saint Cloud State University. The Saint Cloud State University logo is a trademark of the college.