<PAGE>

                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             Washington, D.C. 20549


                                    FORM S-8
             REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933


                          ADC TELECOMMUNICATIONS, INC.
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)


                   Minnesota                                41-0743912
       (State or other jurisdiction of                   (I.R.S. Employer
        incorporation or organization)                  Identification No.)

                              4900 West 78th Street
                          Minneapolis, Minnesota 55435
               (Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)


             ADC TELECOMMUNICATIONS, INC. 1991 STOCK INCENTIVE PLAN
                            (Full title of the plan)

Robert E. Switz                          Copy to:   Lee R. Mitau
Vice President, Chief Financial Officer             Dorsey & Whitney
     and Secretary                                  220 South Sixth Street
ADC Telecommunications, Inc.                        Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402
4900 West 78th Street
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55435
                     (Name and address of agent for service)

                                 (612) 938-8080
          (Telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

                         CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>

- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                             Proposed maximum         Proposed maximum
Title of securities to   Amount to be        offering price per       aggregate offering       Amount of
be registered            registered          share (1)                price (1)                registration fee

- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<S>                      <C>                 <C>                      <C>                      <C>
Common Stock             2,729,734 shares    $30.50                   $83,256,887.00           $28,724.00
($.20 par value)

- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<FN>
(1)  Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee in
     accordance with Rule 457(h), based upon the average of the high and low
     prices of the Common Stock as reported on the Nasdaq Stock Market National
     Market on March 31, 1995.
</TABLE>

<PAGE>

     Pursuant to Instruction E to Form S-8 under the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended, this Registration Statement relates to the registration of additional
shares of Common Stock, $.20 par value (the "Common Stock"), of ADC
Telecommunications, Inc. (the "Company") under the ADC Telecommunications, Inc.
1991 Stock Incentive Plan, a stock-based employee benefit plan for which the
Company registered 2,795,712 shares of Common Stock under a Registration
Statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on May
3, 1991 (Registration No. 33-40356) and 2,690,408 shares of Common Stock under a
Registration Statement filed with the SEC on March 11, 1994 (Registration No.
33-52637), the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.  The
number of shares set forth in the preceding sentence have been adjusted to
reflect dividends, declared by the Company, of one share for each share held,
effective in June 1993 and February 1995.

                                        3

<PAGE>

                                    PART II.
               INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

Item 3.  INCORPORATION OF DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE.

     The following documents, which have been filed by ADC Telecommunications,
Inc. (the "Company") with the Securities and Exchange Commission, are
incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement, as of their respective
dates:

          (a)  The Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year
     ended October 31, 1994;

          (b)  The Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal
     quarter ended January 31, 1995; and

          (c)  The description of the Company's capital stock contained in any
     registration statement or report filed by the Company under the Securities
     Exchange Act of 1934, including any amendment or report filed for the
     purpose of updating such description.

     All documents filed by the Company pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or
15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, subsequent to the date
hereof and prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment which indicates
that all securities offered hereby have been sold or which deregisters all
securities remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference
herein and to be a part hereof from the respective dates of filing of such
documents.

Item 8.  EXHIBITS.

               5    Opinion of Dorsey & Whitney P.L.L.P.

               23-a Consent of Arthur Andersen LLP

               23-b Consent of Dorsey & Whitney P.L.L.P. (included in Exhibit 5
                    above)

               24   Power of Attorney

Item 9.  UNDERTAKINGS.

A.  POST-EFFECTIVE AMENDMENTS.

     The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

     (1)  To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a
          post-effective amendment to this registration statement:

          (i)       To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of
                    the Securities Act of 1933;

          (ii)      To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising
                    after the effective date of the Registration Statement (or
                    the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which,
                    individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental
                    change in the information set forth in the Registration
                    Statement;

                                        4

<PAGE>

          (iii)     To include any material information with respect to the plan
                    of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration
                    statement or any material change to such information in the
                    Registration Statement;

provided, however, that subparagraphs (i) and (ii) above will not apply if the
information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those
subparagraphs is contained in periodic reports filed by the registrant pursuant
to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are
incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement.

     (2)  That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the
Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be
a new Registration Statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the
offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona
fide offering thereof.

     (3)  To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any
of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the
offering.

B.  SUBSEQUENT DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE.

     The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of
determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the
registrant's annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that is incorporated by reference in the
Registration Statement shall be deemed to be a new Registration Statement
relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities
at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

C.  CLAIMS FOR INDEMNIFICATION.

     Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act
of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the
registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant
has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission
such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is,
therefore, unenforceable.  In the event that a claim for indemnification against
such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred
or paid by a director, officer or other controlling person of the registrant in
the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such
director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being
registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter
has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate
jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public
policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of
such issue.

                                        5

<PAGE>

                                   SIGNATURES

     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant
certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the
requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration
Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly
authorized, in the City of Minneapolis, State of Minnesota on the 3rd day of
April, 1995.
                                         ADC TELECOMMUNICATIONS, INC.



                                         By:  /s/ Robert E. Switz
                                            -------------------------
                                         Robert E. Switz
                                         Vice President, Chief Financial Officer
                                             and Secretary

     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this
Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the
capacities indicated on the 3rd day of April, 1995.


William J. Cadogan*                  Chairman of the Board, President, Chief
                                     Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer
                                     and Director (principal executive officer)

/s/ Robert E. Switz                  Vice President, Chief Financial Officer
- ----------------------------         and Secretary (principal financial officer)
Robert E. Switz

Charles T. Roehrick*                 Vice President and Controller
                                     (principal accounting officer)

James C. Castle, Ph.D.*              Director

Thomas E. Holloran*                  Director

B. Kristine Johnson*                 Director

Charles W. Oswald*                   Director

Alan E. Ross*                        Director

Jean-Pierre Rosso*                   Director

Donald M. Sullivan*                  Director

Warde F. Wheaton*                    Director

John D. Wunsch*                      Director



By:  /s/ Robert E. Switz
     ------------------------------
      Robert E. Switz
      Attorney-in-Fact*

Dated: April 3, 1995


  *By Power of Attorney set forth in Exhibit 24 to this registration statement.

                                        6

<PAGE>


                                  EXHIBIT INDEX


Exhibit                                                                     Page
- -------                                                                     ----

5              Opinion of Dorsey & Whitney P.L.L.P

23-a           Consent of Arthur Andersen LLP

24             Power of Attorney

                                        7
[{"type": "S-8", "sequence": "1", "description": "FORM S-8", "secsgml_size_bytes": 12026}]
{"company-data": {"conformed-name": "ADC TELECOMMUNICATIONS INC", "cik": "0000061478", "assigned-sic": "3661", "irs-number": "410743912", "state-of-incorporation": "MN", "fiscal-year-end": "1031"}, "filing-values": {"form-type": "S-8", "act": "33", "file-number": "033-58409", "film-number": "95526736"}, "business-address": {"street1": "4900 WEST 78TH ST.", "city": "MINNEAPOLIS", "state": "MN", "zip": "55435", "phone": "6129388080"}, "former-company": {"former-conformed-name": "MAGNETIC CONTROLS CO", "date-changed": "19850605"}}
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             Washington, D.C. 20549

                                    FORM S-8
             REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

                          ADC TELECOMMUNICATIONS, INC.
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

                   Minnesota                                41-0743912
       (State or other jurisdiction of                   (I.R.S. Employer
        incorporation or organization)                  Identification No.)

                              4900 West 78th Street
                          Minneapolis, Minnesota 55435
               (Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

             ADC TELECOMMUNICATIONS, INC. 1991 STOCK INCENTIVE PLAN
                            (Full title of the plan)

Robert E. Switz                          Copy to:   Lee R. Mitau
Vice President, Chief Financial Officer             Dorsey & Whitney
     and Secretary                                  220 South Sixth Street
ADC Telecommunications, Inc.                        Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402
4900 West 78th Street
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55435
                     (Name and address of agent for service)

                                 (612) 938-8080
          (Telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

                         CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                             Proposed maximum         Proposed maximum
Title of securities to   Amount to be        offering price per       aggregate offering       Amount of
be registered            registered          share (1)                price (1)                registration fee

- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Common Stock             2,729,734 shares    $30.50                   $83,256,887.00           $28,724.00
($.20 par value)

- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1)  Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee in
     accordance with Rule 457(h), based upon the average of the high and low
     prices of the Common Stock as reported on the Nasdaq Stock Market National
     Market on March 31, 1995.
Pursuant to Instruction E to Form S-8 under the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended, this Registration Statement relates to the registration of additional
shares of Common Stock, $.20 par value (the "Common Stock"), of ADC
Telecommunications, Inc. (the "Company") under the ADC Telecommunications, Inc.
1991 Stock Incentive Plan, a stock-based employee benefit plan for which the
Company registered 2,795,712 shares of Common Stock under a Registration
Statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on May
3, 1991 (Registration No. 33-40356) and 2,690,408 shares of Common Stock under a
Registration Statement filed with the SEC on March 11, 1994 (Registration No.
33-52637), the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.  The
number of shares set forth in the preceding sentence have been adjusted to
reflect dividends, declared by the Company, of one share for each share held,
effective in June 1993 and February 1995.

                                        3
PART II.
               INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

Item 3.  INCORPORATION OF DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE.

     The following documents, which have been filed by ADC Telecommunications,
Inc. (the "Company") with the Securities and Exchange Commission, are
incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement, as of their respective
dates:

          (a)  The Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year
     ended October 31, 1994;

          (b)  The Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal
     quarter ended January 31, 1995; and

          (c)  The description of the Company's capital stock contained in any
     registration statement or report filed by the Company under the Securities
     Exchange Act of 1934, including any amendment or report filed for the
     purpose of updating such description.

     All documents filed by the Company pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or
15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, subsequent to the date
hereof and prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment which indicates
that all securities offered hereby have been sold or which deregisters all
securities remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference
herein and to be a part hereof from the respective dates of filing of such
documents.

Item 8.  EXHIBITS.

               5    Opinion of Dorsey & Whitney P.L.L.P.

               23-a Consent of Arthur Andersen LLP

               23-b Consent of Dorsey & Whitney P.L.L.P. (included in Exhibit 5
                    above)

               24   Power of Attorney

Item 9.  UNDERTAKINGS.

A.  POST-EFFECTIVE AMENDMENTS.

     The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

     (1)  To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a
          post-effective amendment to this registration statement:

          (i)       To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of
                    the Securities Act of 1933;

          (ii)      To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising
                    after the effective date of the Registration Statement (or
                    the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which,
                    individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental
                    change in the information set forth in the Registration
                    Statement;

                                        4
(iii)     To include any material information with respect to the plan
                    of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration
                    statement or any material change to such information in the
                    Registration Statement;

provided, however, that subparagraphs (i) and (ii) above will not apply if the
information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those
subparagraphs is contained in periodic reports filed by the registrant pursuant
to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are
incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement.

     (2)  That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the
Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be
a new Registration Statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the
offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona
fide offering thereof.

     (3)  To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any
of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the
offering.

B.  SUBSEQUENT DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE.

     The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of
determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the
registrant's annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that is incorporated by reference in the
Registration Statement shall be deemed to be a new Registration Statement
relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities
at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

C.  CLAIMS FOR INDEMNIFICATION.

     Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act
of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the
registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant
has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission
such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is,
therefore, unenforceable.  In the event that a claim for indemnification against
such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred
or paid by a director, officer or other controlling person of the registrant in
the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such
director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being
registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter
has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate
jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public
policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of
such issue.

                                        5
SIGNATURES

     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant
certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the
requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration
Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly
authorized, in the City of Minneapolis, State of Minnesota on the 3rd day of
April, 1995.
                                         ADC TELECOMMUNICATIONS, INC.

                                         By:  /s/ Robert E. Switz
                                            -------------------------
                                         Robert E. Switz
                                         Vice President, Chief Financial Officer
                                             and Secretary

     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this
Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the
capacities indicated on the 3rd day of April, 1995.

William J. Cadogan*                  Chairman of the Board, President, Chief
                                     Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer
                                     and Director (principal executive officer)

/s/ Robert E. Switz                  Vice President, Chief Financial Officer
- ----------------------------         and Secretary (principal financial officer)
Robert E. Switz

Charles T. Roehrick*                 Vice President and Controller
                                     (principal accounting officer)

James C. Castle, Ph.D.*              Director

Thomas E. Holloran*                  Director

B. Kristine Johnson*                 Director

Charles W. Oswald*                   Director

Alan E. Ross*                        Director

Jean-Pierre Rosso*                   Director

Donald M. Sullivan*                  Director

Warde F. Wheaton*                    Director

John D. Wunsch*                      Director

By:  /s/ Robert E. Switz
     ------------------------------
      Robert E. Switz
      Attorney-in-Fact*

Dated: April 3, 1995

  *By Power of Attorney set forth in Exhibit 24 to this registration statement.

                                        6
EXHIBIT INDEX

Exhibit                                                                     Page
- -------                                                                     ----

5              Opinion of Dorsey & Whitney P.L.L.P

23-a           Consent of Arthur Andersen LLP

24             Power of Attorney

                                        7