College profile
Minerva University
CA · Private nonprofit · Large city · 9,856 applicants 2023
A parent's read
- Almost everyone who starts here finishes. 89% graduate within six years — the standard federal measure. Nationally about a third of students who start a bachelor's never finish one, and an unfinished degree is the most expensive outcome in this decision: the debt stays, the credential doesn't.
- Ask the submit question deliberately. This college is test-optional — but at many such colleges, applicants who submit strong scores are admitted at meaningfully higher rates. “Optional” is a strategy decision, not a pass.
Composed from this page's data — every claim is backed by a number in the sections below.
Parent/student verdict
Highly selectiveHighly selective reach for nearly every applicant.
Best for
- Strong overall academic profile (3.9+ unweighted GPA in rigorous coursework + strong essays — school is test-optional, so the transcript carries the most weight)
- Students focused on Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies (the school's signature program)
- Families wanting a small liberal-arts experience
The reality
- Test-optional — but selective. Transcript GPA, course rigor, and essays do the heavy lifting
- With selective universities, build a balanced college list of Reaches, Targets, and Safeties ⓘ
Verdict is composed from this college's structured data (admit rate, SAT bands, net price with aid and at full price, Carnegie classification, scholarship grids) using transparent rule thresholds — not a chat-bot's opinion.
What are your child's odds here?
Enter their numbers once — this and every college page shows their verdict, and the UC campus cards on California school pages light up with it too. Free, no email.
Weighted is the higher GPA, with honors/AP credit in it — pick whichever your school reports. PSAT scores work in the SAT box.
Institutional snapshot
What kind of college is this?
Sticker price isn't every family's price. Lower- and middle-income families often pay materially less after grants — and there's no income cutoff for need-based aidGrant money based on your family's finances (via FAFSA and the college's own forms), not your student's stats., so at expensive schools even families earning $150–200K can qualify. Where need aid thins out, merit scholarships (where offered) bring the price down instead. Check the school's own net-price calculator for your number.
Source: federal IPEDS Admissions 2023 for scores + admit rate; federal College Scorecard (20260606 vintage) for earnings + outcomes. SAT/ACT bands are the 25th–75th percentile of enrolled submitters.
Outcomes & cost
What graduates actually earn, finish, and owe.
Federal College Scorecard data. Earnings are median annual income measured years after entering. Debt is for federal-aid borrowers only (cash-pay students aren't counted).
The real cost
What Minerva University actually costs
The federal file doesn't carry net-price figures for Minerva University, so the published tuition above is the only price we can show you — and it's the price before any aid. That's a gap in the government's data, not a sign this college is expensive or stingy.
Your odds + estimated cost across your whole college list, side by side.
Source: federal IPEDS (published tuition) and College Scorecard, which reports net price only for colleges meeting its cohort-size and Title-IV reporting thresholds.
What students study here
Most popular majors at Minerva University
Top 5 fields of study by bachelor's degrees awarded (most recent IPEDS Completions). Use this to see what Minerva University actually graduates — not just what it markets.
Sources: IPEDS Completions (C2023_a; bachelor's-level first majors, 2-digit CIP family — share is of the top 5 only). Full college-vs-major comparison: /college-outcomes →
Alternatives to Minerva University
Matched not just by selectivity, but by strategic goal — what a family actually decides on.
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Deciding on Minerva University?
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At a glance
JSON · Using this page with an AI assistantMinerva University is a private nonprofit four-year college in CA. It admitted 4% of applicants (9,856 applied, 2023). Test policy: Test-optional.
Tuition: $23,630 in-state, $23,630 out-of-state (net price with aid not reported).
Machine-readable version of this page: https://highschoolreach.com/colleges/minerva-university.json