About the College of Liberal Arts
The College of Liberal Arts is committed to intellectual freedom, the pursuit of new knowledge, and the belief that the liberal arts are the foundation of academic learning.
CLA prepares students to be independent and original thinkers, to be innovators in their chosen fields, to create meaning in their lives and in their life’s work, and to become productive citizens and leaders in their communities and the world.
Established in 1868, the College of Liberal Arts supports the University of Minnesota's land-grant mission as home to disciplines in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. With 31 departments on the Minneapolis campus, it is the largest college in the University of Minnesota system.
About Our Faculty
| Tenured and tenure-track faculty | 461 |
|---|---|
| Faculty of color (tenured and tenure track) | 31% |
| Female faculty (tenured and tenure track) | 48% |
Our faculty receive many prestigious awards.
- View our most recent Accolades: news about publications, creative activities, and recognition.
- Visit our Faculty of Distinction webpage.
Graduate Students at a Glance
| Graduate student enrollment in 2024 | 1,387 |
|---|---|
| Number of graduate degrees awarded in 2023-24 | 340 |
| Graduate students of color in 2023 | 23% |
| International graduate students in 2023 | 35% |
Graduate Program Rankings
A number of our graduate programs were ranked among the top of their peers both in the United States and the world. Highly-ranked programs depend on field-shaping faculty. See a list of awards and honors our faculty have won.
| Program | US News & World Report* (2025) | Shanghai Ranking: Global* (2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Macroeconomics | 4 | |
| Clinical Psychology | 5 | |
| Industrial-Organizational Psychology | 7 | |
| Sociology of Population | 11 | |
| International Economics | 13 | |
| Statistics | 13 | 38 |
| Audiology | 14 | |
| Speech-Language Pathology | 14 | |
| Social Stratification | 18 | |
| Sociology | 24 | 19 |
| Political Science | 25 | 101-150 |
| History | 26 | |
| American Politics | 27 | |
| Psychology | 29 | 12 |
| Economics | 30 | 29 |
| English | 32 | |
| Fine Arts, Collectively | 64 | |
| Communications | 6 | |
| Geography | 39 |
* These ranking services do not rank all disciplines.
Visit our website for graduate students
Undergraduate Students at a Glance
| Undergraduate student enrollment in Fall 2024 | 12,665 |
|---|---|
| Number of undergraduate degrees awarded in 2024-2025 | 3,101 |
| Students of color or Indigenous students in Fall 2024 | 38% |
| Minnesota residents in Fall 2024 | 69% |
| Wisconsin residents in Fall 2024 | 12% |
| International students in Fall 2024 | 8% |
About the Class of 2029
19,824 students applied for 3,800 undergraduate seats in CLA's class of 2029. Of those students who enrolled:
- 56% graduated in the top 25% of their high school class
- 28 is the average ACT score
- 30% are transfer students
Undergraduate Graduation and Retention Rates
For students who entered the College of Liberal Arts as freshmen.
First- to second-year retention rate: 89%
4-year graduation rate: 66%
5-year graduation rate: 81%
6-year graduation rate: 83%
Visit our website for undergraduate students
Gifts to CLA for FY 2024-2025
| Donors | Dollars |
|---|---|
| 3,334 | $29,168,889 |