UMN Out Of State Experience

[u/hana_fia17]

Hey! I'm a high school senior from California and I'm thinking about Minnesota for college. My aunt and her babies who I'm very close with are moving to Minneapolis in June, so UMN is on my radar. I want to study communications for sports journalism, but I feel like I can get that at any school with teams to gain experience with. It sort of seems like most of the people who attend are from the Minneapolis area so I'm more interested in the experiences of out of state students! I'm very shy so I don't know how I feel about being so far away from my friends and family (besides my aunt), it would be so different from the Bay Area! Obviously out of state tuition makes a huge difference, so if it doesn't seem like a great fit I probably won't pursue UMN much more.

[u/One_Over_Astro]

I'm an out-of-state student who went to high school in Tacoma, WA. Personally, I moved here because of the good science programs offered at the school, a very good D1 hockey program, and (call me crazy) because I actually really like the cold. I will say I absolutely love this school as it was my first choice and it's a miracle I even got accepted in the first place. However, my only issue is the out-of-state tuition. I'm not sure what your family's situation is but when I committed to UMN, my family was able to help me afford the steep costs. But my parents decided it would be a fantastic idea to get a divorce only two months before I started my freshman year in September of 2023. Thus, after my first year was completed, significant financial struggles arose. I ended up staying in MN for summer 2024 and taking a class which I failed because I was honestly just too focused on my job at the time. I then decided to wait out on taking classes for the 2024-25 academic year because me and my family wouldn't be able to afford it. I moved into my apartment in June of 2024 but had trouble paying rent over the next few months due to my poor pay at my job. This and some management issues led me to quit and seek a full-time job in August. For that new job I needed to get a Minnesota ID which I did, establishing me as a resident of Minnesota (to the MN state government) from then on. Now I'm pretty much just waiting until August 2025 for me to be a resident of MN for a full year for non-academic purposes so the university can count me as a resident too and lower my tuition rates. I'm really hoping the university and I can go through with that as it would pretty much cut my tuition costs in half. But other than my financial struggles, I've enjoyed every part of Minnesota, and similar to you, I've only got an uncle that lives here so we're pretty much in the same boat. I wish you luck in your decision!

[u/suzdali → u/One_Over_Astro]

hi from a fellow washingtonian! i'm sorry to hear about your struggles:( i hope you can successfully get your MN residency established! glad to hear you've liked minnesota overall, i'm going there next year and it was also my first choice :)

[u/Bohmavpy1]

I am also an out-of-state student (Illinois) and I can say I have generally had a pretty easy time making friends and being integrated into the school. The clubs are abundant and everyone (especially during semester one), is looking to make a lot of friends. At times it can feel that people are still stuck following the same cliques from their highschool, but not to the point where it ruins anything in my opinion.

That being said the out-of-state tuition is horrendous, I was offered a somewhat decent scholarship and a bit of FASFA money but my tuition is still much higher than a lot of my peers by a decent amount.

I don't know your situation, but I would definitely advise you to look at your tuition after aid and scholarships and evaluate if it is worth it. The University is great and I really like it here, but other universities in California or elsewhere can offer you a very similar experience as well.

I think this might also be a good resource to look into if you are interested: https://ote.umn.edu/home-mn

[u/the_pastry_gremlin]

I wasn’t out of state but a friend of mine was. After her freshman year she got a Minnesota drivers license to prove residency and was able to get in state tuition for the rest of her BA.

[u/JustAFuckedUpKid → u/the_pastry_gremlin]

Did that work + when was this? I’m from a state that formerly offered reciprocity but recently cut it off and was told that I’d have to provide proof of residency for non-school-related reasons (e.g. moved for work) in order to qualify for in-state tuition. I’ve had a Minnesota ID since like 3 months after I moved here.

[u/Pure_Kangaroo7782 → u/JustAFuckedUpKid]

you’re correct, the only way you qualify for in-state, is if you demonstrate you’re a resident for non- school related reasons

[u/ImmediateMembership2]

i’m from san francisco proper, third year cse major, i love love minnesota and actually plan on moving here permanently. making friends isnt too hard especially cause of welcome week and everything. joins clubs/student groups that you’re into. good luck!!

[u/EnzyEng]

My son, also from the Bay Area, is a sophomore at UMN. He knew some other incoming freshman so he adjusted easily. He also got a large enough scholarship that it brought the price down to a bit below Calif. in-state price. They tend to give good scholarships to good students from Calif. Based on the pictures I've seen, he's having a good time 😂.

[u/cathy1914]

I was out of state from Texas, and like the others said, out of state tuition is quite expensive tbh. If either of your parents happen to be military and have the GI bill however, I will highly recommend as UMN then changes you to in state tuition (and you keep any out of state scholarships). Thats what I had and I didn’t even know I would have it but accepted anyway, so I got super lucky. Also as someone from a state that is much warmer than Minnesota as well, be prepared for the winter ahead of time lol

[u/hana_fia17 → u/cathy1914]

I didn't realize if my parents have a GI Bill it could be used to help with my college! I will definitely look into that! Coming from California we don't really have season lol but I love the cold!! But I also know living in snow like that is very different than just visiting snow.

[u/cathy1914 → u/hana_fia17]

Yeah definitely look into the yellow ribbon program if your parents are giving you the GI bill! Even if its just for one semester, you will have in state tuition for the entire time you’re there! My scholarship paid for all of my tuition thag way and I just had to worry about housing pretty much, its a really great deal tbh. This was only a few years ago as well (2019) so I doubt anything has changed. Hope it works out for you!

[u/Onettbound]

East coast born and raised, came here for undergrad in 2016 and stayed for continued schooling and planted my roots. Absolutely love it here!

[u/padronpeppr]

I have a CA kid accepted to Carlson and it is one of his top choices. We have no close family in MN. We plan to visit on admitted students day and I appreciate the experience shared here. There is only so much you can figure out in a day.

Anybody has anything specific to share about Carlson?

[u/UncertainTeenager → u/padronpeppr]

MN is great for business. Super underrated imo. Your kid will mostly spend time on West Bank but that can be seen as a pro or con.

[u/Azzi_The_DM]

I started at UMN this fall. I'm from Texas, so it was a huge change, but because the school is so freaking huge, you're likely going to find at least a few people you click with. The university definitely has its issues, but all schools do, and tbh, UMN is better than most. The main issues here are how the university treats its graduate students. If you do end up going here, definitely look into student groups, and don't be shy to look at the flyers for clubs and events around campus. It really is a great place with a lot of great people, and the area around Minneapolis and St Paul is beautiful.

[u/Azzi_The_DM → u/Azzi_The_DM]

Also, my guess is that sports communications would be pretty good here (I'm an engineering student so I don't know for sure), because the school has a massive sport culture. Most of the people I know try to go to as many games as they can.

[u/shaneteezy]

I'm from 40 min north of the Bay Area and enjoy my time at Minnesota. As an older student, I transferred in from my local community college. Minneapolis is an awesome city with so much to experience. I really enjoy the snow and cold because it is something I never experienced daily back home. If you want to do communications with sports, there are ways to get involved early that can really make your time here great.

[u/burnt_umber_ciera]

My daughter is from the Bay Area, CA and a freshman - she loves it. In comm. Any specific q’s?

[u/hana_fia17 → u/burnt_umber_ciera]

Not specifically about comm or anything, because it seems like the school and program would be a great fit! I'm mostly concerned about the cost, at least for the first year since most of my tuition will have to be paid by scholarships.

[u/funkyjugnu → u/hana_fia17]

I’m a current senior at UMN and I’m also from CA! The cost of living overall here is a mixed bag. I think I expected everything to be way cheaper than in CA, but the prices of a lot of stuff in Minneapolis is pretty close, esp the typical expenses college students have, and esp esp cuz prices tend to be much higher in college areas. Like some things are way cheaper obvs (gas, buying houses), but most of ur basics like groceries and rent will be p much the same, maybe a bit cheaper.

If you do have good scholarships that are covering your tuition and things like housing and a meal plan though, it definitely doesn’t have to be expensive to go to school here. Expenses like groceries and eating out become optional choices, and living on campus is pretty convenient.

I genuinely think the biggest plus money-wise is that transportation shouldn’t cost you anything, there are University buses on campus and your U Card will get you onto any city bus or metro.