The progression of online education in Minnesota can be traced back to 2004, when the Minnesota Online Quality Initiative and the Distance Minnesota consortium were formed. In 2012, Minnesota’s governor signed an advisement “strongly encouraging” all high school students to complete at least one online class before graduating. Currently, there are more than 90 schools with online degree programs in Minnesota.
Minnesota has been one of a handful of states to see tuition increases at public four-year colleges over the past five years. Minnesota’s tuition spikes have been particularly steep, jumping 32.6% between 2006 and 2011. Unfortunately, the state appropriation budget for higher education shrunk by nearly 10% over the same time period In an effort to increase educational access in the state the federal College Access Challenge Grant awarded Minnesota $1.56 million in 2012.
A complete directory of Minnesota’s distance learning programs is below. For more information on the educational environment and performance of Minnesota schools, select the state facts and higher education tabs below.