Catholic School CompassTrue north for Catholic families.
Minnesota State University-Mankato: Old Main and Annex
Photo: Randomeditor1000, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

College · Catholic life on campus

Minnesota State University-Mankato

  • LocationMankato, MN
  • Type and sizePublic · 4-year · 14,709 students
Official website
Campus Ministry Honor Roll badge

Minnesota State University-Mankato is not a Catholic college. This rating measures Catholic life on campus: campus ministry, priests, Mass and confession, student groups, and nearby parishes.

Minnesota State University, Mankato is served by the St. Thomas More Catholic Newman Center at 1502 Warren Street, which the center describes as a ministry of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester. Its staff page lists two priests and a campus ministry director, and FOCUS missionaries lead Bible studies there.

Catholic churches nearby

Map of Minnesota State University-Mankato, its Catholic center and nearby Catholic churches1 mi2 mi3 miSaints Peter and Paul Catholic Church: 1.3 mi1St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church: 1.3 mi2Holy Rosary Catholic Church: 2.0 mi3St. Thomas More Catholic Newman Center: 0.3 miMinnesota State University-Mankato (campus)N1 mi
CampusCatholic centerCatholic church (numbered below)Open a street map ›
  1. Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church — 1.3 mi · 105 North 5th Street, Mankato
  2. St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church — 1.3 mi · 423 West 7th Street, Mankato
  3. Holy Rosary Catholic Church — 2.0 mi · 525 Grant Avenue, North Mankato

Within 3 miles, as mapped by OpenStreetMap contributors. The map may be incomplete. Confirm with the parish or diocese.

Catholic life scorecard

Each line is one thing we looked for. A check means yes, a half means partly, a dash means no. “Not enough information” means official sources did not say.

ACatholic life on campus: Strong (grade A): 85 to 100 points out of 100 on what official sources document. Grades need sources for at least 60% of the checklist.

Catholic life on campus

88 of 100 points on what we could document.

  • Yes: the school meets this item and earns its full points.
    Catholic campus ministry serving this campus (Catholic center, campus ministry, or chaplaincy)Yes
    Sources (1)
    1. St. Thomas More Catholic Newman Center | Mankato, MNcatholicmavs.org · verified Oct. 12, 2026
      “A ministry of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester”
      The center states that it is a ministry of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester.
      “St. Thomas More Catholic Newman Center (507) 387-4154 1502 Warren Street; Mankato, MN 56001”
      The center's address is 1502 Warren Street, Mankato, MN 56001, with phone 387-4154.
  • Yes: the school meets this item and earns its full points.
    Dedicated Catholic center or chapel on or next to campusYes (St. Thomas More Catholic Newman Center at 1502 Warren St. is about a quarter mile from the university's address.)
    Sources (1)
    1. St. Thomas More Catholic Newman Center | Mankato, MNcatholicmavs.org · verified Oct. 12, 2026
      “St. Thomas More Catholic Newman Center (507) 387-4154 1502 Warren Street; Mankato, MN 56001”
      The center's address is 1502 Warren Street, Mankato, MN 56001, with phone 387-4154.
  • Yes: the school meets this item and earns its full points.
    Priest chaplain assigned to campus ministryFull-time priest chaplain (The staff page lists Father Brian Mulligan as Pastor and Father Ben Peters as Associate Pastor of the Newman Center, with the director of campus ministry.)
    Sources (1)
    1. Newman Center Staff | St. Thomas More Catholic Newman Centercatholicmavs.org/staff · verified Oct. 12, 2026
      “Father Brian Mulligan Pastor Father Ben Peters Associate Pastor Rachel Hambrook Director of Campus Ministry”
      The center's staff page lists two priests and a director of campus ministry.
  • Not enough information: official sources do not document this, so it is left out of the grade rather than counted as a no.
    Weekday Mass at the campus ministryNot enough information: not found in official sources.
  • Not enough information: official sources do not document this, so it is left out of the grade rather than counted as a no.
    Sunday Mass at the campus ministry or a campus chapelNot enough information: not found in official sources.
  • Not enough information: official sources do not document this, so it is left out of the grade rather than counted as a no.
    Scheduled confession at the campus ministryNot enough information: not found in official sources.
  • Partly: the school meets some of this item and earns part of the points.
    Catholic student groups and missionary outreach (e.g., FOCUS, Saint Paul's Outreach, Knights of Columbus, Bible studies)One (Counts FOCUS, whose missionaries lead the center's Bible studies.)
    Sources (1)
    1. Newman Center Staff | St. Thomas More Catholic Newman Centercatholicmavs.org/staff · verified Oct. 12, 2026
      “FOCUS missionaries lead our Bible Studies and Discipleship Programs”
      FOCUS missionaries lead the center's Bible studies and discipleship programs.
  • Yes: the school meets this item and earns its full points.
    Formation programs (retreats, OCIA/RCIA, service, small groups)Two or more kinds (Two kinds listed: small-group Bible studies and the Become Catholic inquiry program.)
    Sources (2)
    1. Join A Bible Study | St. Thomas More Catholic Newman Centercatholicmavs.org/bible-study · verified Oct. 12, 2026
      “Bible studies take place at various times during the week. Dive into the scriptures with other Catholic students.”
      The center offers Bible studies for Catholic students at various times during the week.
    2. Become Catholic | St. Thomas More Catholic Newman Centercatholicmavs.org/become-catholic · verified Oct. 12, 2026
      “What interests you about becoming Catholic?”
      The center has a Become Catholic inquiry form, which is not accepting responses at this time.
  • Partly: the school meets some of this item and earns part of the points.
    Catholic church within walking distance (computed from OpenStreetMap)Within 3 milesComputed from OpenStreetMap church locations.
  • Not enough information: official sources do not document this, so it is left out of the grade rather than counted as a no.
    Published weekly schedule of Mass, confession, and adorationNot enough information: no verified Mass times are recorded.

Grades come from the documented indicators under the published rubric. “Not enough information” does not mean the school lacks it.

Strengths

  • The center lists two priests on its staff, including a pastor, and a director of campus ministry.
    Sources (1)
    1. Newman Center Staff | St. Thomas More Catholic Newman Centercatholicmavs.org/staff · verified Oct. 12, 2026
      “Father Brian Mulligan Pastor Father Ben Peters Associate Pastor Rachel Hambrook Director of Campus Ministry”
      The center's staff page lists two priests and a director of campus ministry.
  • The center offers Bible studies for Catholic students and a Become Catholic inquiry program.
    Sources (2)
    1. Join A Bible Study | St. Thomas More Catholic Newman Centercatholicmavs.org/bible-study · verified Oct. 12, 2026
      “Bible studies take place at various times during the week. Dive into the scriptures with other Catholic students.”
      The center offers Bible studies for Catholic students at various times during the week.
    2. Become Catholic | St. Thomas More Catholic Newman Centercatholicmavs.org/become-catholic · verified Oct. 12, 2026
      “What interests you about becoming Catholic?”
      The center has a Become Catholic inquiry form, which is not accepting responses at this time.

Concerns

None recorded.

Know something we missed? Suggest a correction.

The Catholic center

St. Thomas More Catholic Newman Center

  • Address: 1502 Warren Street, Mankato, MN 56001
  • Distance from campus: 0.3 mi (straight line from the campus point in federal IPEDS data)

View on map ↗

Source: catholicmavs.org, verified Oct. 12, 2026

Catholic clubs and student life

3 groups and regular activities · 0 on campus, 0 off campus, 3 location not published

Faith formation 3

  • Bible studies
    Small-group Bible studies for Catholic students, with times arranged by a study leader.
    catholicmavs.org
  • FOCUS Bible studies and discipleship programs
    Bible studies and discipleship programs led by FOCUS missionaries.
    catholicmavs.org
  • Become Catholic
    Inquiry program for students interested in becoming Catholic.
    catholicmavs.org

Everything listed is published by the school, its campus ministry, or the parish. Ask the campus minister what’s happening this semester.

Catholic campus ministry

Sources (1)
  1. St. Thomas More Catholic Newman Center | Mankato, MNcatholicmavs.org · verified Oct. 12, 2026
    “A ministry of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester”
    The center states that it is a ministry of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester.
    “St. Thomas More Catholic Newman Center (507) 387-4154 1502 Warren Street; Mankato, MN 56001”
    The center's address is 1502 Warren Street, Mankato, MN 56001, with phone 387-4154.
    “St. Thomas More Catholic Newman Center (507) 387-4154 1502 Warren Street; Mankato, MN 56001”
    The center's address is 1502 Warren Street, Mankato, MN 56001, with phone 387-4154.

Reach out

Contact details for Rachel Hambrook (Director of Campus Ministry) and 3 official social and news channels are available to signed-in users.

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Academic Excellence

CAcademic Excellence: Mixed (grade C): 55 to 100 points out of 100 on what official sources document. Grades need sources for at least 60% of the checklist.
58 of 100
From federal data, on fixed published scales.

Each measure counts for the share shown.

  • Graduation rate 35% of scoreThis measure counts for 35% of the Academic Excellence score.54%
  • First-year retention 20% of scoreThis measure counts for 20% of the Academic Excellence score.80%
  • Entering students' test scores 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.SAT 1,150 · ACT 23
  • Student-to-faculty ratio 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.21 to 1
  • Instructional spending per student 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.$9,227

Bars show points on each measure’s scale. How Academic Excellence is computed.

Source: College Scorecard (College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026))

Cost and value

Federal data, shown separately. Cost, debt, and earnings are never part of any grade.

Undergraduate students
Fall enrollment (IPEDS)
12,897
Total students14,709
Average net price (per year)
After grants and scholarships, for students receiving federal aid
$19,139
Cost of attendance (per year)$23,995
Median federal debt at graduation$21,106
Graduation rate
First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time
54%
First-year retention80%
Median earnings 10 years after entry$56,922
Admission rate88%
Students receiving Pell grants21%
Admission test scores (middle 50% of admitted students who submitted scores)
Average SAT1150
SAT reading & writing—
SAT math—
ACT composite21–25
Test policyConsidered but not required

Value index: 56 / 100 (how it’s computed)

Sources: College Scorecard · IPEDS College Navigator · Net price calculator
College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026); IPEDS 2024-25 directory and institutional characteristics; fall 2023 enrollment.

Local Church

Diocese of Winona-Rochester

The Most Reverend Robert Barron, Bishop of Winona-Rochester

Formal address: “Your Excellency”

Source: usccb.org, verified Oct. 7, 2026.

Diocese determined from the county, using the diocese’s county list (Wikipedia). Confirm with the diocese.

About this school’s data

  • IPEDS unit ID 173920
  • Carnegie classification: Master's university (larger programs)
  • Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission (U.S. Department of Education DAPIP)
  • Report an error or a newer source

Questions families ask

Is Minnesota State University-Mankato a Catholic college?
No. Minnesota State University-Mankato is not a Catholic college. Catholic School Compass rates the Catholic life on its campus instead. Catholic students are served by St. Thomas More Catholic Newman Center.
What is Minnesota State University-Mankato’s Catholic Life Score?
81 out of 100 (grade A). It measures Catholic life on campus: campus ministry, priests, Mass and confession, student groups, and nearby parishes, together with academics.
Is Minnesota State University-Mankato Compass Recommended?
Yes. Minnesota State University-Mankato meets the Compass Recommended standard for Catholic life on campus.

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