Minnesota State University, Mankato Admission Requirements for International Students 2027: Acceptance Rate, Tuition, Scholarships and Deadline

Minnesota State University, Mankato admission requirements for international students are a completed secondary education (usually 12 years) with results equal to at least a US 3.0 GPA, and English proof such as TOEFL 61, IELTS 5.5, Duolingo 95 or PTE 47. SAT and ACT are optional, there are no essays, and the $20 application fee can be waived with the code INTLMAV. Minnesota State Mankato admitted 88% of first-year applicants in the latest federal data.

Cost is the main reason students pick it. Every new international bachelor’s student receives the International Maverick Scholarship automatically, which cuts tuition and fees from $21,013 to $13,137 a year in the university’s current estimate, for a total budget of about $34,295. For fall 2027 the application deadline for students who need an F-1 visa is 1 May 2027. All details were checked on mnsu.edu on 29 October 2026.

Minnesota State Mankato ranking and international profile

U.S. News places Minnesota State Mankato in its Regional Universities Midwest list, not National Universities. We could not load the U.S. News profile to confirm the current number, and third-party sites do not agree on the edition, so we have not printed one. In the 2025 Open Doors Report, Minnesota State Mankato was 15th in the US among master’s-level institutions for international student numbers.

Minnesota State Mankato acceptance rate and admission standard

We could not find a public Common Data Set. Federal figures reported by CollegeData for 2024-25 show 9,098 first-year applicants and an 88% admission rate, which works out to about 8,000 admits. No separate international rate is published.

For international first-years the rule is clear. You need proof that you completed secondary education, generally 12 years, and cumulative results equal to a US 3.0 GPA or better. Minnesota State Mankato lists country minimums on its first-year page; for example, for the Gambia it asks for WASSCE B3 or better, and for India a CBSE external score in the 61 to 70 band or better. If your country is not listed, email the Kearney International Center before you apply.

Minnesota State Mankato tuition for international students

The university’s current nine-month estimate for international bachelor’s students (the page is undated; it says final figures usually appear by July each year) is below. It also tells families to budget for at least an 8% increase.

Per semester, tuition and fees come to about $6,568 with the scholarship and $10,507 without.

Minnesota State Mankato scholarships for international students

There is no need-based aid for international students and no CSS Profile or ISFAA. Two university awards matter for new first-years.

International Maverick Scholarship

• Who gets it: all new undergraduate international students, automatically, unless they opt out.
• Value: the university does not print a dollar figure, but its two budgets differ by $7,876 a year. EducationUSA describes it as saving more than $7,000 a year.
• To keep it after the first year: stay in valid F-1 or J-1 status, earn a term GPA of 2.5 or a cumulative Minnesota State Mankato GPA of 3.0, and complete at least 12 credits each semester. Grades of F, W, I, IP and NC do not count as completed credits.

Global Maverick Access Scholarship

• Amount: $4,000 over four years, paid as $500 a semester against tuition. 20 awards a year.
• Eligibility: admitted first-year students with a high school GPA of 3.5 or equivalent, no previous university study, high school finished within five years, and citizenship of one of 76 listed countries.
• Countries: the list includes Rwanda, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Sierra Leone, Botswana, Malawi, Namibia, Angola, the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Mexico, Brazil and much of Latin America and the Caribbean. Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and Ethiopia are not on it.
• How to apply: through the Kearney International Center portal, fall intake only, by 1 May 2027. Results come by 15 May.
• Extra: winners get help finding an on-campus job from the first semester. Deferring your start forfeits the award.

Minnesota State Mankato admission requirements for international students: how to apply

1. Start the online application: enter your name exactly as in your passport. You do not need a US Social Security number.
2. Citizenship: choose “International Visa Holder or Seeker” and your visa type.
3. Education: if you studied outside the US, choose “non-US” and “other-international”.
4. Programme: choose your start term, “earn bachelor’s degree” and Minnesota State University, Mankato as the campus.
5. Fee: $20, non-refundable, or enter the promo code INTLMAV to waive it.
6. Upload documents: about 24 hours after you submit, you get an email explaining how to upload your passport page, English scores, transcripts, certificates and any optional SAT or ACT scores.

English requirements

Nursing and Aviation (Professional Flight) ask for higher scores. The university’s pages do not mention the new TOEFL 1 to 6 scale or country exemptions, so if you took TOEFL after 21 January 2026 or come from an English-speaking country, confirm with international@mnsu.edu.

Minnesota State Mankato deadlines for fall 2027

The university lists these as standing month-and-day deadlines without a year; the scholarship date is based on this year’s date, so confirm on the official page when the call opens. There is no Early Decision or Early Action.

Presenting your application well (no essays required)

Minnesota State Mankato does not ask international first-years for essays or recommendation letters. Your transcript and its conversion to a 3.0 GPA do the work, and for the Global Maverick Access Scholarship a 3.5 equivalent. Most of your effort should go into the documents.

• Upload every year of secondary results, including the grading key.
• Add national exam certificates (WASSCE, KCSE, CBSE and so on) as well as school reports.
• Translate anything not in English before upload.
• If your results sit near the line, a short note on your class position helps the evaluator.

A sample line for such a note, for illustration only: “Our school marks out of 100 and few students pass 75; my 78 average placed me third of 96 in the final year.” Keep it factual and ask your school to confirm the rank on letterhead if they can.

What happens after you apply

1. Document email: arrives about 24 hours after submission; upload everything quickly.
2. Admission decision: includes the International Maverick Scholarship automatically.
3. Global Maverick Access application: if your country is eligible and your GPA is 3.5, apply in the portal by 1 May.
4. I-20 and visa: submit your financial evidence for the I-20, pay the SEVIS fee, then book the F-1 interview.
5. Arrival: attend international orientation (the $200 fee is in the budget) and enrol in at least 12 credits to protect your scholarship.

Common mistakes international applicants make

• Paying the fee: the INTLMAV code waives it.
• Applying for the Global Maverick Access award from an ineligible country: such applications are not reviewed.
• Withdrawing from classes: W grades do not count toward the 12 credits needed to keep the International Maverick Scholarship.
• Budgeting with this year’s figure: the university itself says to plan for an 8% rise.
• Choosing Nursing or Aviation on minimum scores: both need higher English results.

Costs scholarships do not cover

• Housing and meals: $13,658 for nine months on campus.
• Health insurance: $3,300.
• Winter clothing: Minnesota winters are long and cold, and the official budget has no line for a coat and boots.
• Visa, SEVIS fee and flights.
• Summer study: not in the nine-month budget.

Campus and city

Mankato is a small city in southern Minnesota, roughly 80 miles southwest of Minneapolis-St Paul. The university teaches nursing, aviation, engineering, business, computer science and education among its undergraduate programmes. Life is quieter and cheaper than in a big city. With students from Ethiopia, Nepal and Japan forming the largest groups, you will not be the only international student in your class.

Graduate admissions at Minnesota State Mankato

Master’s and doctoral applicants use a separate international graduate admission process with their own checklist, deadlines and tuition table, and departments set programme requirements. The International Maverick Scholarship described above is for undergraduates. For funded US graduate options, see the best American scholarships for international students.

Minnesota State Mankato compared with similar universities

For another Midwestern option, read our guide to the Iowa State University International Merit Scholarship, or compare with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Who should apply to Minnesota State Mankato

Apply if you have at least a 3.0 equivalent, want an affordable bachelor’s degree with a scholarship you do not have to compete for, and are comfortable with a small city and cold winters. Its low English minimums (IELTS 5.5, Duolingo 95) also help students whose test scores fall short of the 6.5 that many universities ask for. If you are from one of the 76 eligible countries with a 3.5, the Global Maverick Access award adds $1,000 a year.

It is not right for students who need full funding, or whose results convert to below 3.0, since that is the admission floor. For fully funded colleges, see our Amherst College financial aid guide.

FAQ on Minnesota State Mankato admission for international students

What is the Minnesota State Mankato acceptance rate?

88% of 9,098 first-year applicants in the 2024-25 federal data. International applicants need results equal to a US 3.0 GPA.

How much is the International Maverick Scholarship?

The university’s budgets show it cutting tuition and fees from $21,013 to $13,137 a year, a saving of $7,876. It is automatic for new international undergraduates.

What IELTS score does Minnesota State Mankato need?

5.5 overall. It also accepts TOEFL iBT 61, Duolingo 95 and PTE 47; Nursing and Aviation need more.

Is there an application fee for international students?

The fee is $20, but the university’s application guide says the promo code INTLMAV waives it.

Sources and updates

Admission standards, country minimums and deadlines come from Minnesota State Mankato’s international first-year students page and its international undergraduate application process and calendar; English minimums and the $20 fee from the international paperwork page; the budget from the international bachelor’s cost of attendance page; International Maverick Scholarship renewal rules and the Global Maverick Access Scholarship from the university’s scholarship pages, with the eligible country list from EducationUSA. International enrolment figures come from the university’s 21 November 2025 Open Doors news release. Admission statistics are 2024-25 federal figures reported by CollegeData. The U.S. News profile could not be loaded. Checked on 29 October 2026.

Jude Chinecherem

I am Jude Chinecherem, a final-year MBBS student at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. I know what it feels like to want an education your family cannot afford. When my parents could not pay for my schooling, I had to learn how to find scholarships and work the system out on my own, with nobody to guide me. I came out the other side, and now I share everything I learned so the next student does not have to figure it out alone. This is the advice I wish someone had given me back then.