Courses are taught by highly-qualified faculty with 82 percent of full-time faculty members hold doctorates or other terminal degrees in their field. On average there is one professor for every 12 students while 61 percent of classes have fewer than 20 students and 99 percent of classes have fewer than 50 students.

And all our member colleges are committed to international experiences.

• More than 4,300 students from our 17 schools study abroad each year — that’s more than half of Minnesota college students who study abroad.
• At seven of our colleges more than 40 percent of students study abroad.

Our four-year graduation rate is the highest in the Minnesota and Midwest — higher than the public systems as well as the other states’ nonprofit colleges. Compared to other states’ four-year graduation rates — for both public and private institutions — our rate ranks second nationally. (This looks at first-year students and measures the share who stayed at the institution and earned their degrees.)

Looking at only the students who started and finished at the same institution, 90 percent of our graduates finish in four years, as opposed to taking longer. At the University of Minnesota 78 percent of graduates finish in four years and for Minnesota State universities the figure is 56 percent.

Our share of Pell Grant recipients graduating in four years ranks first nationally when compared to statewide averages for both public and private institutions.

In the most recent year, our colleges had 49 students who were named Fulbright Fellows, Goldwater Scholars and Truman Scholars. At the University of Minnesota 14 students received those recognitions.