Minnesota's private colleges: diverse, accessible and in demand
The 17 member institutions of the Minnesota Private College Council (MPCC) foster success for the state by ensuring that excellence is within reach for a diverse array of students. In fall 2006, MPCC schools enrolled 57,032 students, an increase of 2.7 percent in headcount enrollments, and an increase of 2.3 percent in fulltime equivalent (FTE) enrollments. Headcount enrollment increases have averaged 2.1 percent yearly over the past decade. This year’s increase is driven by growth among students of color.
Minnesota’s private colleges are diverse
In fall 2006, 5,762 students of color and 1,547 foreign students enrolled at a Minnesota private college. Enrollments of undergraduate students of color increased from 2,793 to 4,408 over the past 10 years — 58 percent growth compared to 8 percent growth over the same period for White non-Hispanic undergraduates. The greatest increases were seen among African American (up 96 percent) and Hispanic undergraduates (up 57 percent). Graduate students of color on our campuses have doubled over the past decade from 582 students in fall 1996 to 1,354 in fall 2006.
Students of color are also leading the growth in new student enrollments with a five percent increase in freshmen students of color from fall 2005 to fall 2006. Among transfer students, the increase in students of color was more dramatic (up 15 percent) for the same period. Students of color comprise 13 percent of new entering students. In terms of degrees granted, it is worth noting that private colleges award 29 percent of bachelor’s degrees that go to students of color in the state — and 37 percent of the master’s degrees.
Minnesota private colleges also enroll more than half of all foreign undergraduates choosing Minnesota for higher education with 482 foreign graduate students and 1,065 foreign undergraduates. All 17 of our campuses have students actively engaged in community-based learning and international education, and several of our colleges and universities are nationally recognized for their high percentages of students who study abroad.
Minnesota’s Private Colleges are accessible
Financial aid is a critical component in making a private college education accessible to Minnesota students. More than 25 percent of private college students come from families with incomes less than $50,000 — about the same proportion as at the state's public four-year colleges and universities.
Making college financially accessible for lower-income students is especially important since they are more likely to be the first in their family to enroll in college and typically have less information about college than their peers.
An integral part of Minnesota’s higher education enterprise
Looking at the larger picture, it is important to remember how private colleges are one branch of higher education in the state. The other two are Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system (MnSCU) and the University of Minnesota. These systems have a synergistic relationship. The public community colleges, for example, often “feed” four-year institutions, and MPCC institutions produce about one-third of the graduates that enroll in graduate programs at the University of Minnesota. It takes the combined efforts of all three systems to produce the number of educated workers our state needs to remain economically competitive. See the Higher Education Enterprise
In this context, private colleges are vital partners in providing an educated, diverse citizenry for our state’s future.