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AlmaSpire

San Francisco, CA · Private · 637 undergraduates · urban

Minerva University

Extremely selective

Minerva replaces the conventional campus model with small active-learning seminars and a curriculum that moves through global cities.

Campus image / ©2025. Minerva Project, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Institutional profile

Top tier Strong in academic standing, and strong in mobility.

No physical campus; students rotate through seven cities across four years.

Academic Strong Affordability Strong Career Solid Mobility Strong Experience Solid
Academic standing Strong
Affordability Strong
Career outcomes Solid
Mobility Strong
Student experience Solid
Admission
3.6% admitted

9,856 applicants in the reported year

Price by income
Varies across five income ranges

Compare recent average annual costs by household income

Completion
82.7%

The strongest comparable outcome available

What sets Minerva University apart

Academic design

Courses are discussion-based and interdisciplinary, emphasizing transferable habits of critical thinking, communication, collaboration, decision-making and problem solving.

Campus pattern

Students begin in San Francisco and then live in additional global cities, using each location as part of their academic and community experience.

Career & value signal

The city rotation is not study abroad layered onto a home campus; geographic movement is built into the undergraduate curriculum itself.

Can I get in?

3.6% admitted

Start with the academic record, then make the intended direction and school-specific fit concrete.

Recent applicant pool

9,856

About 4 in every 100 applicants were admitted.

Admission rate 3.6%
Entering class

Record over scores

No score range is published for the entering class, so the transcript, the course rigor, and the required materials carry the file.

Testingflexible
Return for a second year97%
Finish the degree82.7%

In the season card

Where your GPA sits in the entering class

The full entering-class GPA distribution for Minerva University, in nine bands from 4.0 down, with your own record marked on it.

See where I land

In the season card

What Minerva University weighs when it reads a file

See how this college describes the role of grades, testing, essays, recommendations, activities, and demonstrated interest.

  • Course rigor  
  • GPA  
  • Test scores  
  • Essay  
  • Recommendations  
  • Extracurriculars  
  • Demonstrated interest  
See what counts here

What moves the application

The evidence that separates a strong file

01

Show preparation for this curriculum

Courses are discussion-based and interdisciplinary, emphasizing transferable habits of critical thinking, communication, collaboration, decision-making and problem solving.

02

Make institutional fit specific

Minerva replaces the conventional campus model with small active-learning seminars and a curriculum that moves through global cities.

03

Use the application route carefully

Keep academic direction and school-specific choices coherent across the application.

How to apply

Rounds, route, and required materials

Build the calendar around the earliest realistic application round and assemble each required item once.

Early ActionNov 1
Regular DecisionJan 5
Fee and waiverNo application fee

Check eligibility for a fee waiver

Can I afford it?

Compare annual cost by household income.

Start with the average net price for your income range, then set that estimate beside your other realistic options.

Published annual cost$40,490
Affordability profileStrong

In the season card

Average annual cost by household income at Minerva University

Compare recent average net prices across five federal income ranges and estimate a 4-year cost for yours.

  • $0–30k 
  • $30–48k 
  • $48–75k 
  • $75–110k 
  • $110k+ 
Open the price by income

Is it worth it?

Completion, debt, and earnings

Read completion, borrowing, field mix, and earnings together. One university-wide earnings figure does not describe every student path.

Complete within 8 years82.7%

Degree completion across the reported entering cohort

Return after year one97%

First-year students who return for year two

Median federal debtWhat students owe on the way out

And what that comes to against what they earn.

Median earnings

Reported 10 years after enrollment

What is campus life like?

Minerva University beyond the classroom

Students begin in San Francisco and then live in additional global cities, using each location as part of their academic and community experience.

Academics

A defining academic feature

Courses are discussion-based and interdisciplinary, emphasizing transferable habits of critical thinking, communication, collaboration, decision-making and problem solving.

Campus setting

What shapes an ordinary week

Students begin in San Francisco and then live in additional global cities, using each location as part of their academic and community experience.

Career & value

Where the degree can lead

The city rotation is not study abroad layered onto a home campus; geographic movement is built into the undergraduate curriculum itself.

637 undergraduatesPacificurban settingCampus housing available