Minnesota·Educational Instruction and Library Occupations·SOC 25-3011

Best Adult Basic Education programs in Minnesota, ranked by enrollment

Teach or instruct out-of-school youths and adults in basic education, literacy, or English as a Second Language classes, or in classes for earning a high school equivalency.

18 schools in Minnesota run programs that feed this job, graduating 209 people a year. The job pays a median of $76,800 in Minnesota across about 2,880 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledTeacherAdult Basic Education Instructor (ABE Instructor)ESL Instructor (English as a Second Language Instructor)GED Instructor (General Educational Development Instructor)InstructorAdult EducatorLiteracy CoachEnglish Teacher
Graduates / yr
209
in Minnesota
Median pay · Minnesota
$76,800
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
2,880
people employed
Schools
18
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
56%
across those schools
Median net price
$21,150
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Minnesota that lead to this job

Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.

3 programs in Minnesota that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Minnesota (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Minnesota page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1
CIP 13.1401In Minnesota
127
60.8%
14$36,305$26,250
2
CIP 13.1201In Minnesota
52
24.9%
5$41,127$25,500
3
CIP 13.0202In Minnesota
30
14.4%
4$56,738$19,664

Top 18 schools in Minnesota

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 3 of the 18 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1Capella University
Minneapolis, MN Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs
39Adult and Continuing Education and Teaching20%$19,369
2Hamline University
Saint Paul, MN Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
39Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language/ESL Language Instructor60%$20,98188%
3University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN Public · 2 feeder programs
34Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language/ESL Language Instructor$23,28885%80%
4Minnesota State University - Mankato
Mankato, MN Public · 2 feeder programs
25Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language/ESL Language Instructor54%88%
5Concordia University - Saint Paul
Saint Paul, MN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
14Multicultural Education46%$17,32879%
6Saint Cloud State University
Saint Cloud, MN Public · 1 feeder programs
13Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language/ESL Language Instructor40%95%
7The College of Saint Scholastica
Duluth, MN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
8Multicultural Education71%$21,15093%
8Walden University
Minneapolis, MN Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs
6Adult and Continuing Education and Teaching$36,427
9Minnesota State University Moorhead
Moorhead, MN Public · 1 feeder programs
5Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language/ESL Language Instructor57%59%
10North Central University
Minneapolis, MN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
5Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language/ESL Language Instructor66%$23,45299%
11University of Minnesota - Duluth
Duluth, MN Public · 1 feeder programs
5Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language/ESL Language Instructor65%89%
12Bethel University
Saint Paul, MN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
4Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language/ESL Language Instructor71%$25,22588%
13Saint Mary's University of Minnesota
Winona, MN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
3Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language/ESL Language Instructor66%$18,16393%
14Southwest Minnesota State University
Marshall, MN Public · 1 feeder programs
3Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language/ESL Language Instructor45%62%
15Metropolitan State University
Saint Paul, MN Public · 1 feeder programs
2Adult and Continuing Education and Teaching$42,47144%99%
16Winona State University
Winona, MN Public · 1 feeder programs
2Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language/ESL Language Instructor57%75%
17Augsburg University
Minneapolis, MN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
1Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language/ESL Language Instructor52%$23,58582%
18Crown College
Saint Bonifacius, MN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
1Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language/ESL Language Instructor45%$26,70623%

All 18 schools in Minnesota

Every school in Minnesota with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.

All schools in Minnesota that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
Capella UniversityMinneapolisPrivate for-profit392
Hamline UniversitySaint PaulPrivate not-for-profit392
University of Minnesota - Twin CitiesMinneapolisPublic342
Minnesota State University - MankatoMankatoPublic252
Concordia University - Saint PaulSaint PaulPrivate not-for-profit141
Saint Cloud State UniversitySaint CloudPublic131
The College of Saint ScholasticaDuluthPrivate not-for-profit81
Walden UniversityMinneapolisPrivate for-profit62
Minnesota State University MoorheadMoorheadPublic51
North Central UniversityMinneapolisPrivate not-for-profit51
University of Minnesota - DuluthDuluthPublic51
Bethel UniversitySaint PaulPrivate not-for-profit41
Saint Mary's University of MinnesotaWinonaPrivate not-for-profit31
Southwest Minnesota State UniversityMarshallPublic31
Metropolitan State UniversitySaint PaulPublic21

What adult basic education, adult secondary education, and english as a second language instructors earn in Minnesota

What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.

Median annual in Minnesota
$76,800
Mean annual
$75,930
Jobs in state
2,880
What the range looks like
10th pct$50,430Median$76,80090th pct$100,280
Versus the national median
+24.8%

U.S. median $61,540. Minnesota pays above the national figure.

Job concentration
4.06×

Concentrated here: Minnesota employs more of this job per worker than the U.S. average.

Metro areas in Minnesota

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
$79,210median
2,040 jobs
Duluth, MN-WI
$74,320median
100 jobs
St. Cloud, MN
$76,400median
90 jobs
Rochester, MN
$71,620median
120 jobs
Mankato, MN
$60,820median
100 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
-13.7%
Decline
Openings per year
3,900
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
-5,600
40,900 → 35,300
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree

Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.

How to get in

The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors page.

How to become a Adult Basic Education

Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree

Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.

Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

Top skills

Reading ComprehensionActive ListeningSpeakingLearning StrategiesWritingMonitoring

The same job in other states

Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.

Related careers in Minnesota

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 8 majors mapped to Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors7 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
  • 13.0201Bilingual and Multilingual Education
  • 13.0202Multicultural Education
  • 13.0299Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education, Other
  • 13.1201Adult and Continuing Education and Teaching
  • 13.1401Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language/ESL Language Instructor
  • 13.1402Teaching French as a Second or Foreign Language(no graduates reported)
  • 13.1499Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language, Other
  • 13.1502Adult Literacy Tutor/Instructor

Common questions

Answers for people weighing adult basic education, adult secondary education, and english as a second language instructors programs in Minnesota.

What degree do you need to become an Adult Basic Education?+

Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language/ESL Language Instructor, which awarded 127 degrees in Minnesota in 2024-25, 60.8% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming an Adult Basic Education?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 3 programs to this occupation. The largest are Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language, Teacher Education and Professional Development, Bilingual. Together they graduate about 209 people a year in Minnesota.

How much do adult basic education, adult secondary education, and english as a second language instructors earn in Minnesota?+

The median is $76,800 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 24.8% above the U.S. median of $61,540. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.

Is demand for adult basic education, adult secondary education, and english as a second language instructors growing?+

BLS projects a -13.7% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, decline, with roughly 3,900 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

How many schools offer programs for this career in Minnesota?+

18 institutions in Minnesota reported graduates from at least one of the 3 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.

What other job titles do adult basic education, adult secondary education, and english as a second language instructors work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Teacher, Adult Basic Education Instructor (ABE Instructor), ESL Instructor (English as a Second Language Instructor), GED Instructor (General Educational Development Instructor) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 25-3011.

Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors in other statesNew YorkIndianaUtahIdahoMichiganCaliforniaArizonaPennsylvania

About the data on this page

Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).

  • BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics

    May 2025

    Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.

  • BLS Employment Projections

    2024–34

    Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.

  • IPEDS Completions

    2024-25 (provisional)

    Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.

  • College Scorecard, Field of Study

    2020-21 cohorts

    Median graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.

  • Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes

    latest available

    Graduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.

  • NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk

    CIP 2020 / SOC 2018

    Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.

  • O*NET Database 30.3

    30.3

    Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.

    Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA

All Clema data sources and release dates →

Explore every U.S. college in one conversation

Clema turns plain-language questions into sourced answers across every U.S. institution — earnings, aid, acceptance, graduation, safety, and athletics from IPEDS, College Scorecard, and 10+ federal datasets, built in.

Free for teams up to 3 · No credit card