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🎓 College profile

Minerva University

CA · Private nonprofit · Large city · 9,856 applicants 2023

4% admit rate

🧭 A parent's read

  • Kids finish — on time. 89% graduate in four years. Nationally, barely half do — and a fifth year elsewhere quietly adds $30–70k to the real price. On-time completion is the most underrated ROI number in this decision.
  • 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.

Get your child's odds at Minerva University Free Family Decision Report — Reach / Match / Likely + your real net price. Minerva University starts already on the list. Start →

🎯 Parent/student verdict

Reach

Highly 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 by income, Carnegie classification, scholarship grids) using transparent rule thresholds — not a chat-bot's opinion.

🏛️ Institutional snapshot

What kind of college is this?

Total enrollment
637
Under 1,000
TuitionThe published full price before any aid. Families who don't qualify for need-based aid — common above ~$110K income — pay this, minus any merit scholarships.
$23,630
flat rate (no in/out-of-state split)

⚠️ Sticker price isn't every family's price. Lower- and middle-income families often pay materially less after grants; higher-income families frequently pay close to sticker unless the college offers merit scholarships. Check the school's own net-price calculator for your number.

Admit rateThe share of applicants a college accepts. Useful context, but your student's odds depend on their own grades and scores, not the average.
3.6%
Hyper-selective
Test policyApplicants choose whether to send SAT/ACT scores. At many such colleges, students who submit strong scores are still admitted at higher rates.
Test-optional
2023

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).

4-year completionThe share of students who finish a bachelor's in four years. Nationally barely half do — and a fifth year quietly adds a full extra year of cost to the real price.
89%

📚 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.

1. Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
84 degrees · 49.7%
Often paired with another field (data + biology, design + tech). Outcomes match the second discipline.
2. Social Sciences
34 degrees · 20.1%
Economics + poli sci sub-disciplines pay much more than sociology + anthropology.
3. Business, Management, & Marketing
32 degrees · 18.9%
Broad set of corporate roles. Finance + consulting pay top, accounting + HR pay middle, sales spread is wide.
4. Liberal Arts, Humanities, & General Studies
19 degrees · 11.2%
Flexible degree → many paths. Real outcomes depend on the second skill (data, coding, teaching cert).

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.

🏆 Better merit-aid options
These similar-selectivity schools publish merit scholarships your family can plan around — your kid’s stats could unlock real scholarship dollars.
University of Chicago
IL · Private nonprofit
1 stats-based + 1 competitive scholarships
University of Southern California
CA · Private nonprofit
5 competitive merit scholarships
Vanderbilt University
TN · Private nonprofit
4 competitive merit scholarships
🛡️ Safer in-state options
Same state and similar selectivity, but with a more forgiving admit rate — useful safety / match anchors.
University of California-San Diego
CA · Public
24% admit rate (vs 4% here)
University of California-Irvine
CA · Public
26% admit rate (vs 4% here)
University of California-Santa Barbara
CA · Public
28% admit rate (vs 4% here)

⚖️ Or compare any college side-by-side

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