What Metropolitan State University does

Metropolitan State University is a public university and constituent member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System, governed by the Board of Trustees under Minnesota Statutes chapter 136F. Founded in 1971 and headquartered at 700 East Seventh Street in Saint Paul, Minnesota, the university operates additional campuses in Minneapolis (Management Education Center) and Brooklyn Park (Public Safety and Police Science Center), along with a fully online channel delivered through the D2L Brightspace learning management system. It employs 10,000+ faculty and staff who are employees of the State of Minnesota.

The university delivers undergraduate, graduate, transfer, and international student programs across seven academic colleges: Business and Management; Sciences (including Computer Science and Cybersecurity); Nursing and Health Sciences; Liberal Arts; Community Studies and Public Affairs; Individualized Studies (including the TREC prison education program); and the School of Urban Education. Student support services include career development, mental health counseling, accessibility resources, a campus food pantry, tutoring, library services, TRIO Programs for disadvantaged students, and international student services. A flagship recent initiative is the NSA-funded Cybersecurity Clinic launched in mid-2024 at Saint Paul, where cybersecurity students deliver prevention, detection, and response services to local small businesses, nonprofits, and government entities.

Metro State generates revenue primarily through tuition and fees at rates comparable to the Minnesota State system, supplemented by state appropriations, federal financial aid (including North Star Promise Scholarship disbursements), and targeted federal grants such as the $1.45 million NSA cybersecurity clinic award. Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer enrollment via campus visits, "Meet Metro" information sessions, online application portals, and community outreach. The university holds regional accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission and ranks 1st in the Midwest and 12th nationally on CollegeNet's 2025 Social Mobility Index.

Name

Metropolitan State University

Legal name

Metropolitan State University

Website

https://metrostate.edu

Company type

Public

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Metropolitan State University is a public Minnesota State system university serving Twin Cities students across three campuses and online, with undergraduate, graduate, and transfer programs focused on social mobility and an NSA-funded Cybersecurity Clinic.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Urban/Metropolitan Public Research Universities (EDAHAAAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Research Universities with Multi-Campus Systems (EDAHAAAI), Correctional Education Programs (Community College-Delivered) (EDAHADAN)

Keywords

• Public higher education
• Undergraduate degree programs
• Graduate degree programs
• Continuing professional education
• Cybersecurity clinic services

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Paul

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Public university funded primarily through tuition and fees from undergraduate and graduate students. Rates are comparable to Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system.
2. Government Grants: Federal grants including NSA funding for specialized programs such as the $1.45 million cybersecurity clinic grant to serve small businesses.
3. Financial Aid Programs: North Star Promise Scholarship and other financial aid programs supporting student enrollment

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Metropolitan State University delivers public higher education through undergraduate and graduate degree programs across multiple colleges, available both on-campus across the Twin Cities and 100% online. The university supplements academic instruction with student support services (career, counseling, accessibility, library) and runs an NSA-funded Cybersecurity Clinic providing practical cybersecurity defense support to small businesses, nonprofits, and local governments while giving students hands-on experience.

Product overview

Metropolitan State University is a public university and member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system. The university offers a comprehensive portfolio of undergraduate and graduate academic programs through multiple colleges (Business, Sciences, Liberal Arts, Nursing, Community Studies, and Individualized Studies), alongside extensive student support services. The institution operates as a single unified university rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. Academic programs span business, computer science and cybersecurity, nursing, liberal arts, human services, and specialized tracks including teacher preparation and prison education (TREC Program). Student services include career development, mental health counseling, accessibility resources, food assistance, and library services. A notable initiative is the NSA-funded Cybersecurity Clinic launching mid-2024.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Undergraduate and Graduate Academic Programs University-wide degree programs spanning multiple colleges including Business, Liberal Arts, Sciences, Nursing, and Individualized Studies, available on-campus and 100% online for undergraduate, graduate, transfer, and international students.
• NSA-Funded Cybersecurity Clinic Student-operated cybersecurity clinic funded by a $1.45 million NSA grant that helps small businesses, nonprofits, and local government entities prevent, detect, and respond to cyberattacks while providing students practical cybersecurity experience. Scheduled to open mid-2024 in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
• Institute for Professional Development Continuing education and professional development programs for working adults and professionals, delivered as a separate operating unit within the university.
• Career Center Services Career development services for enrolled students including resume reviews, job search tools, interview preparation, internship placement, career advising, and Handshake platform access.
• Counseling and Mental Health Services Mental health services for students including individual counseling, case management, telepsychiatry, group therapy, and the Metro CARES 24/7 crisis support line, plus the Togetherall peer support platform.
• Center for Accessibility Resources (CAR) Disability services providing accommodations, assistive technology, ASL interpreting, CART captioning, test accommodations, and accessibility consultations for students with disabilities.
• Library and Information Services Academic library services including research support, tutoring, OneSearch database access, study spaces, and access to library resources for students and faculty.
• Online Learning Platform (D2L Brightspace) 100% online degree programs and certificates delivered through the D2L Brightspace learning management system, accessible globally to enrolled students.

Quantifiable outcome

• Ranked 1st in Midwest and 12th in nation for social mobility (CollegeNet 2025)

Named customers7 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Mitchell Hamline School of LawcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 June 2026Mitchell Hamline School of Law launched its 2026 Summer Partnership in Law (SPIL) program with Metro State University, designed to provide undergraduate students with an introduction to legal education. The program runs from May 19 through August 11, 2026, offering coursework in legal reasoning, analysis, and writing at tuition rates comparable to the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system. The initiative specifically targets nontraditional and historically underrepresented students.
• Local Small BusinessescoreOthersThe cybersecurity clinic serves local small businesses, nonprofits, and government entities to defend against cyberattacks, safeguard Minnesota's economy, and address the growing demand for cybersecurity professionals.
• Minnesota State Colleges and Universities SystemcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMetro State University is a member of the Minnesota State system, which includes public two and four-year institutions of higher education. This partnership provides shared resources, transfer pathways, and consistent tuition structures across institutions.
• Allied Universal SecurityminorOthersMetro State University contracts with Allied Universal Security for uniformed professional security staff to provide campus safety services.
• Kitchen CoalitionminorOthersPartnership with Kitchen Coalition to provide free meals for the Metro State community through the campus food pantry.
• Second Harvest HeartlandminorOthersPartner food bank supporting the Metro State food pantry with food resources for students and community members.
• United Way 211minorOthersReferral partnership providing students with access to health and human services information 24/7 through United Way 211.
• TogetherallminorOthersPartnership with Togetherall providing peer-to-peer mental health support platform available 24/7/365 to Metro State students for free.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Bemidji State University: Minnesota State system public university of similar size and mission; offers comparable undergraduate and graduate programs and shares the system's tuition band and transfer-friendly admissions approach.
• Metropolitan State University of Denver: Public urban/metropolitan university explicitly designed to serve nontraditional, working-adult, and commuter students in a major metro (Denver); highly comparable mission, urban setting, and student demographic to Metro State Minnesota.
• Saint Cloud State University: Minnesota State system public university with similar enrollment scale and comprehensive programming; competes for the same in-state applicant pool and shares system-wide governance, tuition structures, and transfer pathways.
• Winona State University: Minnesota State system public university of comparable enrollment and tuition band; shares Metro State's mission of accessible undergraduate education and serves overlapping nontraditional/transfer populations.
• Minnesota State University, Mankato: Fellow Minnesota State system public comprehensive university of similar scale and profile; offers comparable undergraduate/graduate programs with a similar tuition band and serves a similar nontraditional and transfer student base, making it the closest direct peer.

Broad incumbents

• University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee: Public urban research university serving a comparable nontraditional and commuter student base in a Midwestern metro (Milwaukee); shares Metro State's mission of access and social mobility, though at greater scale and with research university status.
• University of Minnesota Twin Cities: State flagship research university headquartered in the same Twin Cities market; competes for a broader applicant pool but draws from the same metro student base and dwarfs Metro State in brand recognition, program breadth, and research stature.

Emerging players

• Western Governors University: Nonprofit online-first university targeting working-adult and nontraditional learners nationwide with competency-based, low-tuition programs; competes directly with Metro State's online offerings for adult learners seeking flexible, affordable credentials.
• Southern New Hampshire University: Large nonprofit online university serving adult and nontraditional learners with affordable tuition; competes with Metro State's online degree programs for working-adult students nationally and has rapidly scaled in the same market segment.

Regional players

• Hamline University: Private nonprofit university in Saint Paul serving similar Twin Cities metro students; competes for overlapping adult learner and graduate populations, particularly in management and professional programs (and is Mitchell Hamline's separate Mitchell campus partner).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/choose_metro
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCWqIRPMMnBeUe0tgJB9n1hg
• Facebookfacebook.com/172163569539992
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/metropolitan-state-university
• Instagraminstagram.com/metrostate

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Metropolitan State University