Long known as a great state for education, Minnesota consistently scores well above the national average at all grade levels. The University of Minnesota with its main campus in the Twin Cities is a major research institution. Its nearly 45,000 full-time students earn degrees in 250 fields of study. Former students and faculty have been awarded 12 Nobel Prizes for physics, medicine, chemistry, economics, and peace. In addition to the U of M, there are 12 four year colleges, six community colleges, nine technical institutes, and several proprietary technical and trade schools in the metro area.