Best Pharmacy Technician Schools Near Cottage Grove, MN (2026)

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

Cottage Grove, Minnesota has 5 accredited schools offering pharmacy technician programs, with tuition ranging from $5,940 to $16,032 per year for indexed programs. Cottage Grove has a population of about 40,124. Median household income is $121,452 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 39.3% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro area, the top-earning pharmacy technician-related role is Health Technologist and Technician at a median $59,540 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Pharmacy Technician Schools to Cottage Grove

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer pharmacy technician programs near Cottage Grove, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Cottage Grove 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 Cottage Grove. 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

Saint Paul College

Saint Paul, MN 12.8 miles from Cottage Grove
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
48.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 33%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $38,399
Avg net price $11,495/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 71

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Minneapolis Community and Technical College

Minneapolis, MN 20.5 miles from Cottage Grove
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
45.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 26%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $40,086
Avg net price $13,812/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 43

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Hennepin Technical College

Brooklyn Park, MN 30.2 miles from Cottage Grove
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
58.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 43%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $49,460
Avg net price $10,272/yr
Tuition
In‑state$5,940
Out‑of‑state$5,940
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 87

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Anoka-Ramsey Community College

Coon Rapids, MN 32.2 miles from Cottage Grove
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
46.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 24%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $48,342
Avg net price $16,434/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 19

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science

Rochester, MN 59.3 miles from Cottage Grove
  • 4 year
82.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 93%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $79,652
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 17

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

South Central College

North Mankato, MN 70.8 miles from Cottage Grove
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
60.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 35%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $45,068
Avg net price $9,082/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 56

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

Rasmussen University-Minnesota

St. Cloud, MN 80.3 miles from Cottage Grove
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
59.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 50%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $39,080
Avg net price $17,962/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 100%
  • Programs offered: 35

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Minnesota West Community and Technical College

Granite Falls, MN 129.2 miles from Cottage Grove
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
58.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 49%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $45,285
Avg net price $11,191/yr
Tuition
In‑state$6,491
Out‑of‑state$6,491
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 72

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Pharmacy Technician Wages Near Cottage Grove

Cottage Grove 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)
Pharmacy Technician$48,520Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI$46,298
Health Technologist and Technician$59,540Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI$56,813

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.

Cottage Grove at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population40,124Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$121,452Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+39.3%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)104.8 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Cottage Grove-Area Cities With Pharmacy Technician Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited pharmacy technician schools are near Cottage Grove, MN?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering pharmacy technician programs near Cottage Grove. The closest is Saint Paul College in Saint Paul, MN (12.8 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science (59.3 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying pharmacy technician roles near Cottage Grove?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying pharmacy technician-related roles near Cottage Grove are: Health Technologist and Technician ($59,540), Pharmacy Technician ($48,520). 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 Woodbury instead of Cottage Grove?

Woodbury, MN is 6.2 miles from Cottage Grove and has its own set of local pharmacy technician programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Cottage Grove an affordable place to study pharmacy technician?

Cottage Grove’s median household income of $121,452 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Cottage Grove 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 Pharmacy Technician Programs

Other Programs Available in Cottage Grove

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Cottage Grove:

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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