Best Entrepreneurship Schools Near Forest Lake, MN (2026)

Updated August 25, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Forest Lake, Minnesota has 5 accredited schools offering entrepreneurship programs. Forest Lake has a population of about 20,678. Median household income is $89,879 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 35.7% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro area, the top-earning entrepreneurship-related role is Marketing Manager at a median $173,040 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Entrepreneurship Schools to Forest Lake

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer entrepreneurship programs near Forest Lake, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Forest Lake city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Forest Lake. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

Metropolitan State University

Saint Paul, MN 21.2 miles from Forest Lake
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
60.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 57%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $64,705
Avg net price $16,863/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 70%
  • Programs offered: 23

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN 23.4 miles from Forest Lake
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
83.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 83%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $69,020
Avg net price $16,778/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 91%
  • Programs offered: 25

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

University of St Thomas

Saint Paul, MN 24.2 miles from Forest Lake
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
73.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 78%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $73,739
Avg net price $29,155/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 87%
  • Programs offered: 17

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Capella University

Minneapolis, MN 24.3 miles from Forest Lake
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
29.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 27%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $42,189
Avg net price $17,956/yr
Tuition
In‑state$14,400
Out‑of‑state$14,400
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 37%
  • Programs offered: 27

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

North Central University

Minneapolis, MN 24.5 miles from Forest Lake
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
43.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 56%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $45,064
Avg net price $25,817/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 80%
  • Programs offered: 3

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Minneapolis College of Art and Design

Minneapolis, MN 25.7 miles from Forest Lake
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
44.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 64%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $40,873
Avg net price $29,926/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 78%
  • Programs offered: 5

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

Saint Cloud State University

Saint Cloud, MN 61.3 miles from Forest Lake
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
54.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 51%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $55,813
Avg net price $13,529/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 69%
  • Programs offered: 24

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Minnesota State University-Mankato

Mankato, MN 92.0 miles from Forest Lake
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
58.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 57%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $56,922
Avg net price $19,139/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 80%
  • Programs offered: 34

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Minnesota schools on the Minnesota entrepreneurship page.

Entrepreneurship Wages Near Forest Lake

Forest Lake is part of the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro area (BLS area code 33460). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Minnesota statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
General and Operations Manager$103,570Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI$98,826
Management Analyst$101,560Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI$96,908
Marketing Manager$173,040Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI$165,115
Market Research Analyst$97,910Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI$93,426

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.

Forest Lake at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population20,678Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$89,879Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+35.7%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)104.8 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Forest Lake-Area Cities With Entrepreneurship Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited entrepreneurship schools are near Forest Lake, MN?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering entrepreneurship programs near Forest Lake. The closest is Century College in White Bear Lake, MN (15.3 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is North Hennepin Community College (22.7 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying entrepreneurship roles near Forest Lake?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying entrepreneurship-related roles near Forest Lake are: Marketing Manager ($173,040), General and Operations Manager ($103,570), Management Analyst ($101,560). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Minnesota statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Lino Lakes instead of Forest Lake?

Lino Lakes, MN is 8.5 miles from Forest Lake and has its own set of local entrepreneurship programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Forest Lake an affordable place to study entrepreneurship?

Forest Lake’s median household income of $89,879 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Forest Lake while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Minnesota public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.

Learn More About Entrepreneurship Programs

Other Programs Available in Forest Lake

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Forest Lake:

Data verified: August 25, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.

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