University of Minnesota Admission Requirements for International Students 2027: Acceptance Rate, Tuition, Scholarships and Deadlines

University of Minnesota admission requirements for international students are among the simplest of any major US research university. For the Twin Cities campus you submit the Common App with your self-reported courses and grades, an English score unless you are exempt, the Certification of Finances form, and a $55 fee. No essay, recommendation letters, transcript or SAT/ACT score is required for fall 2027 admission. You can apply by 1 November 2026, 1 December 2026 or 1 January 2027, and all three dates give full scholarship consideration.

Minnesota is also generous by public-university standards. It admitted 76.4% of international applicants for fall 2025, and every international applicant who applies on time is considered automatically for the Global Excellence Scholarship of $5,000 to $20,000 a year for up to four years. The full 2026-27 cost for an international undergraduate is $67,085 for nine months, so most students still need substantial family funding. Everything here was checked on the University of Minnesota’s own pages on 29 October 2026.

University of Minnesota ranking

The University of Minnesota Twin Cities lists these U.S. News Best Colleges 2027 edition results on its admissions rankings page:

The same page lists the College of Science and Engineering tied at No. 14 among public engineering programmes, with biomedical, environmental, mechanical, civil and computer science engineering all in the top 20 among publics.

University of Minnesota acceptance rate and class profile

The University of Minnesota’s Common Data Set for 2025-26 breaks admissions down by residency, so you can see how international applicants fared:

International students made up nearly a fifth of all applicants, and about one in twelve admitted international students enrolled. The admitted class for fall 2026 had a middle 50% unweighted GPA of 3.51 to 3.96 and a high school rank in the 75th to 95th percentile. Few students sent test scores (about 7% sent an SAT and 34% an ACT), so those ranges matter less than your grades.

Each college has its own profile, and they differ. For fall 2026 admits:

The university says these ranges describe admitted students and are not cut-offs. Still, the gap tells you that engineering, business, biology and nursing are much more selective than the 78.9% headline suggests.

University of Minnesota tuition for international students (2026-27)

Students in the Carlson School, the College of Science and Engineering and some College of Liberal Arts majors pay an extra surcharge each semester on top of this. The university will set 2027-28 tuition in July 2027, so your first year may cost a little more than the table. For the I-20 you must show the 12-month figure, $73,002, less any scholarship.

University of Minnesota scholarships for international students

The main award is the Global Excellence Scholarship (GES), a competitive merit award for international freshmen and transfer students.

• Amount for freshmen: $5,000 to $20,000 a year, for up to four years.
• Form of the award: a non-resident tuition waiver that applies to tuition only, not to housing or fees.
• Who qualifies: international freshmen and transfers on an F-1 or another non-immigrant visa (H-4, L-2, E-2, TD and similar). Students who get Minnesota resident or reciprocity tuition are not eligible.
• How to be considered: apply by a freshman deadline and submit the Certification of Finances form. There is no separate scholarship application.
• Result: freshmen are told by the end of March.
• Keeping it: stay full-time (at least 12 credits a semester), complete 30 credits a year, keep satisfactory academic progress and valid visa status, and enrol in consecutive terms. Changing major does not affect it; it pauses during study abroad and resumes when you return.

The university states that it does not offer a full tuition waiver or full scholarship to international students, and F-1 students cannot receive US federal or Minnesota state aid. There is no CSS Profile or ISFAA. In the 2025-26 Common Data Set, 386 international undergraduates were listed as receiving institutional aid, averaging $3,783; the GES is applied as a tuition waiver, so that figure may not capture it fully. Treat $5,000 as the realistic floor and $20,000 as the top award for the strongest applicants.

University of Minnesota admission requirements for international students: the checklist

1. Common App: the fall 2027 application opened on 1 August 2026.
2. Application fee: $55, non-refundable, with an automatic waiver for some applicants. The admissions checklist says the fee is waived for a limited time through the 1 November Early Action deadline.
3. Self-reported courses and grades: fill in the Common App Courses and Grades section. If you skip it, you will be asked to use STARS. College courses taken in secondary school go in as “Dual Enrollment.”
4. English proficiency: required for international applicants and for anyone with fewer than four years of US schooling, unless exempt.
5. Certification of Finances: required if you are on or will need a temporary visa. A notice appears in your Application Tracker. It also triggers scholarship review.
6. Optional short-answer questions: the application has open-ended questions where you can describe your circumstances, and the university lists them among its review factors.

Essays, recommendation letters and a transcript are not required for admission, and you do not need a US Social Security number. Official academic documents, proof of graduation and any official test scores are due by 1 July 2027 if you enrol.

Testing policy

ACT and SAT scores are not required for fall 2027 admission. Students who do not submit a score receive full consideration for admission, scholarships and the University Honors Program. One admissions page says scores are optional through fall 2029, while its footnote and the checklist say fall 2027, so do not assume the policy beyond this cycle.

English requirements

Use TOEFL code 6874; MyBest scores are not accepted. Some programmes admit students with lower scores under an English hold, but the Carlson School requires both the overall and the writing minimum. Citizens of English-speaking countries on the university’s list are exempt, including Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and Seychelles in Africa, as well as Australia, Canada (except Quebec), Ireland, Jamaica, New Zealand and Singapore. You can also qualify through AP, A-level or IB English courses, through ACT scores (21 in English and Reading, plus 8 in Writing) or SAT scores (550 in Reading and Writing on the digital SAT), or by filing an exemption request after you apply.

University of Minnesota deadlines for fall 2027

All three rounds are non-binding and all get the same scholarship and Honors consideration. Applications after 1 January are reviewed only if space and funds remain. The international timeline page gives months and days without years; the years above follow the fall 2027 cycle that opened on 1 August 2026.

How to use the optional short answers, with a sample opening

Minnesota reads your grades first, but its review also weighs context: overcoming barriers, family or work responsibilities, first-generation status, community service and activities linked to your intended major. The optional short-answer questions are the only place to tell the reader about these, so I would answer them even though they are optional.

• Explain your grading system: one sentence on how your school grades or ranks students helps the reader place your results.
• Connect activities to your college: if you apply to Science and Engineering, show the project or competition that proves the interest.
• State hardship plainly: long journeys to school, caring for siblings, a disrupted exam year. Facts, then what you did.
• Keep it short: a few clear sentences beat a long essay nobody asked for.

A sample opening, for illustration only: “My school ranks students by term position rather than GPA, and I finished first in a class of 62 in each of my last four terms while working afternoons in my mother’s pharmacy.” That one line gives context for your grades and your responsibilities; the rest can say what the pharmacy work taught you and why it points you towards the College of Biological Sciences.

What happens after you apply

1. Application Tracker: you get access after submitting. Complete the Certification of Finances form when the notice appears.
2. Housing application: opens in November 2026, before you have a decision.
3. Decision: by 31 January, 28 February or 31 March 2027, depending on your round.
4. Scholarship result: GES and Honors outcomes by the end of March 2027.
5. Confirm by 1 May 2027: pay the non-refundable confirmation fee, then the university issues your I-20 based on your finances.
6. Visa and documents: attend your F-1 interview and send official documents by 1 July 2027. Students arrive at the end of August, and the first tuition payment is due two to three weeks after classes start.

Common mistakes international applicants make

• Skipping the Certification of Finances: without it you are not considered for the GES.
• Missing the writing sub-score: Minnesota checks writing as well as the overall score.
• Entering grades carelessly: your self-reported record is the main academic evidence, and it must match the official documents you send later.
• Expecting a full scholarship: the university says it does not offer full tuition waivers to international students.
• Applying after 1 January: late applications are reviewed only if space and money remain.
• Forgetting surcharges: engineering, business and some liberal arts majors cost more than the base tuition.

Costs the scholarship will not cover

• Living costs: the GES reduces tuition only. Housing, food and transport ($17,752 for nine months) stay with you.
• Health insurance: $3,590 a year, mandatory.
• Summer: the I-20 budget assumes 12 months, about $5,900 more living cost than the nine-month figure.
• Winter clothing: Minnesota winters are long and cold, so a proper coat and boots are a real first-year expense.
• Visa and travel: SEVIS and visa fees and flights are outside the university budget.

Majors, campus and cities

The Twin Cities campus spans Minneapolis and St. Paul and had 42,565 undergraduates in fall 2025, including 2,141 international students. You apply to one of its undergraduate colleges: Science and Engineering, the Carlson School of Management, Biological Sciences, Liberal Arts, Design, Education and Human Development, Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences, or Nursing. Chemical engineering, nursing, business and psychology are among its best-known programmes.

The Minneapolis side sits on the Mississippi River close to downtown, and the St. Paul campus is home to agriculture and some design and life science programmes. A big-city setting means more internships and part-time options after your first year, within F-1 rules.

University of Minnesota graduate admissions for international students

Graduate applications go to individual programmes through the Graduate School, and each programme sets its deadline, test requirements and funding. The Graduate School publishes its own English language proficiency minimums, which differ from the undergraduate table above, so check that page and your programme before booking a test. Funding for research degrees usually comes through assistantships from the department.

Minnesota compared with other big public universities

For another Midwest university with a published award for international students, read our Iowa State University International Merit Scholarship guide, and for full-need options see the best American scholarships for international students.

Who should apply to Minnesota

Apply if you have good grades, want a large research university in a real city, and your family can cover roughly $50,000 to $65,000 a year after a GES award. The application is cheap and short, there is no essay to write, and your chances as an international applicant are better than at most comparable universities. Students from Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya also save the cost of an English test.

Minnesota is a weak fit if you need full funding, because the top GES award still leaves most of the cost to you, or if you cannot face long, cold winters. I would apply in the earliest round you can complete well, submit the Certification of Finances straight away, and answer the optional questions.

FAQ on University of Minnesota admission requirements for international students

What is the University of Minnesota acceptance rate for international students?

For fall 2025 it was 76.4%: 6,040 of 7,903 international applicants were admitted to the Twin Cities campus, according to the 2025-26 Common Data Set.

How much is the Global Excellence Scholarship?

For freshmen it is $5,000 to $20,000 a year for up to four years, applied as a tuition waiver. You are considered automatically if you apply by a deadline and submit the Certification of Finances.

Does the University of Minnesota require essays or the SAT?

No. Essays, recommendation letters and the SAT or ACT are not required for fall 2027. Optional short-answer questions are available, and an English score is required unless you are exempt.

How much does the University of Minnesota cost for international students?

The 2026-27 estimate is $67,085 for nine months, including $44,743 in tuition and fees. The I-20 uses a 12-month total of $73,002.

Sources and updates

Application parts, the testing policy and the fee come from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities freshman checklist and admissions overview. Dates are from the international freshman admissions timeline, English rules from the English proficiency information page, and the 2026-27 international costs and scholarship rules from the international costs page and the Global Excellence Scholarships page. Admission numbers, test ranges and enrolment are from the university’s 2025-26 Common Data Set (Office of Institutional Data and Research); fall 2026 admit ranges are from the admissions overview. Rankings are as listed on the admissions rankings page for the U.S. News 2027 edition; the U.S. News profile itself could not be loaded. Checked on 29 October 2026; this guide will be updated when 2027-28 tuition is set.

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.