Accounting Schools in Minnesota

Minnesota offers natural beauty in its 10,000 lakes, along with metropolitan areas offering vibrant arts, culture, and sports opportunities. The state’s strong and diverse economy generates a $446 billion a year gross domestic product and hosts 17 Fortune 500 companies, including 3M, Target, Best Buy, and General Mills.

Businesses and other organizations in the state need skilled accounting professionals to help manage and analyze their financial records and documents. If you’re interested in entering the profession, consider accounting schools in Minnesota. The state offers numerous options, including online learning opportunities.

Discover what to expect from an accounting school in Minnesota, including your options for online vs. in-person delivery and opportunities for accounting graduates. Explore financial aid opportunities in the state and Minnesota’s requirements for certified public accountants (CPAs).

Earning an accounting degree in Minnesota — whether you live in the state or not — may meet your personal and professional needs. Dozens of two-year and four-year institutions of higher learning offer degrees with various levels, price points, admission requirements, and concentrations in Minnesota.

Students who graduate from Minnesota schools and plan to remain in the area after graduation can benefit from in-state networking opportunities. These experiences may include internships, volunteer work, or part-time accounting jobs.

This type of networking sometimes leads to letters of recommendation, mentorship, and job offers before and after graduation. Accounting graduates can find many relevant jobs in Minnesota. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the state employs 30,400 accountants and auditors, for example. These professionals earn competitive salaries in Minnesota, with a median annual salary of $81,100 as of May 2024.

If paying for school is a concern, consider that Minnesota offers many scholarships to college students, including the North Star Promise Scholarship. Starting in fall 2024, this program will offer a tuition-free higher education opportunity to eligible Minnesota residents.

Prospective students looking for accounting schools in Minnesota enjoy many options, with 50 four-year institutions and 28 two-year colleges in the state. More students enroll in distance education in Minnesota than the national average.

The percentage of adults age 25 or older with an associate or bachelor’s degree is higher in Minnesota than the national average and about the same for graduate degrees.

Make sure any of your prospective schools hold institutional accreditation. This status indicates that a third-party organization approved by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation or the U.S. Department of Education evaluated the school’s student outcomes, faculty, and curriculum.

These accrediting groups ensure that colleges deliver high-quality academic programs. Programmatic accreditation is an additional stamp of approval for individual programs or departments within colleges.

Attending an accredited school is required to receive federal financial aid. When choosing a school in Minnesota, look for accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission, the state’s primary accrediting body.

In general, in-state students pay more to attend public four-year and public two-year colleges in Minnesota than the national average. Out-of-state students, on the other hand, pay a little bit less here than the national average. The average cost of college tuition and fees at a private four-year college in Minnesota is very close to the national average.

Students who need help paying for college can consider several forms of financial aid, including scholarships, grants, loans, and fellowships. One option is the Minnesota Academic Excellence Scholarship, which provides funding to outstanding students pursuing bachelor’s degrees at Minnesota universities.

Prospective students in Minnesota can save money by attending schools that allow them to pay in-state tuition. For example, in-state students pay nearly $13,000 in tuition and fees for one year at a public four-year school, as of the 2022-2023 school year. An out-of-state student, on the other hand, pays nearly $27,000 to attend the same school.

Minnesota has state tuition reciprocity agreements in place with North Dakota and Wisconsin. It also has an agreement with Manitoba in Canada and a limited agreement with Iowa Lakes Community College. The state participates in the Midwest Student Exchange Program, which offers reduced tuition to students attending school in Minnesota but live in some Midwest states, including Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Ohio.

The cost of living can affect how you budget for your education when considering a school in Minnesota. According to the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center, the state’s cost of living index score of 94.2 means that, on average, basic necessities in the state cost 6% less than the national average, allowing your money to go a bit further here.

In particular, students can save a lot of money on housing by choosing schools in Minnesota. Housing costs 80.3% of the national average here.

Minnesota offers many career opportunities for accounting graduates. Demand for accountants is likely to grow as organizations need help making sure they comply with tax and legal regulations in other countries. The need for accountants usually mirrors the economy as a whole, so Minnesota’s strong economy is a good sign for accounting professionals looking for their first job.

Most accountants in Minnesota work in the Seven-County Minneapolis-St. Paul area, so if you’re job-hunting, consider focusing your search here.

Keep reading to learn about popular accounting careers in Minnesota, including jobs with strong projections and encouraging salary data. We also highlight some of the best accounting jobs based on the required education level.

Minnesotans with accounting degrees can find many potential career options in the state. Some of the most popular accounting jobs include credit counselor, accountant and auditor, and bookkeeping and auditing clerk.

Graduates looking for the best-paid accounting jobs in the state should consider jobs like financial analyst, financial manager, and personal financial advisor. These lucrative roles often require a master’s degree.

However, even bachelor’s-level accounting professionals can earn competitive salaries in positions like securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents; property appraisers and assessors; and compliance officers, all of which make earn median annual salaries of more than $79,000.

Each state has its own requirements and rules for becoming a CPA. If you’re considering this credential, you’ll need to check the rules for the state where you plan to practice.

The Minnesota Board of Accountancy provides detailed information about the requirements and process for becoming a CPA in the state. The list below outlines the basic rules for becoming a CPA in Minnesota. Each candidate must: