Cost comparison
Affordable colleges in North Dakota
CampusPin lists 20 colleges in North Dakota. The 20 below are ordered by lowest published in-state tuition, with a median of $7,054 and a median average net price of $11,673 among those reporting it. Tuition, total cost, and net price are three different numbers — the table keeps them separate.
North Dakota college costs by the numbers
- Lowest published in-state tuition
- Turtle Mountain Community College ($2,794)
- Median in-state tuition (20 reporting)
- $7,054
- Median net price after aid (20 reporting)
- $11,673
- Highest graduation rate
- University of Mary (67%)
- Largest by enrollment
- University of North Dakota (13,252 students)
North Dakota colleges by published in-state tuition
Lowest published in-state tuition first. Every figure is as reported by the institution to federal data collections; blank cells are unreported values, not zeros.
| College | In-state tuition | Out-of-state tuition | Avg. net price | Graduation rate | Acceptance rate | Public/private | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turtle Mountain Community College | $2,794 | $2,794 | $3,428 | 43% | 100% | Private | Belcourt, ND |
| Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College | $3,870 | $3,870 | $3,669 | 7% | 100% | Public | New Town, ND |
| Cankdeska Cikana Community College | $3,950 | $3,950 | $6,507 | 28% | 100% | Public | Fort Totten, ND |
| Sitting Bull College | $4,010 | $4,010 | $4,605 | 22% | 100% | Public | Fort Yates, ND |
| United Tribes Technical College | $4,632 | $4,632 | $2,010 | 21% | 100% | Private | Bismarck, ND |
| Bismarck State College | $5,247 | $7,331 | $10,270 | 47% | 100% | Public | Bismarck, ND |
| Dakota College at Bottineau | $5,388 | $6,294 | $10,039 | 48% | 100% | Public | Bottineau, ND |
| Lake Region State College | $5,520 | $5,520 | $13,577 | 52% | 100% | Public | Devils Lake, ND |
| North Dakota State College of Science | $5,974 | $6,973 | $11,261 | 55% | 100% | Public | Wahpeton, ND |
| Williston State College | $6,128 | $6,128 | $5,932 | 42% | 100% | Public | Williston, ND |
| Mayville State University | $7,979 | $11,237 | $11,456 | 41% | 100% | Public | Mayville, ND |
| Valley City State University | $8,514 | $13,544 | $11,890 | 53% | 99% | Public | Valley City, ND |
| Minot State University | $8,702 | $8,702 | $12,703 | 45% | 65% | Public | Minot, ND |
| Dickinson State University | $9,118 | $9,118 | $14,092 | 51% | 37% | Public | Dickinson, ND |
| University of North Dakota | $10,951 | $15,570 | $18,551 | 60% | 77% | Public | Grand Forks, ND |
| North Dakota State University-Main Campus | $11,110 | $15,764 | $15,543 | 64% | 95% | Public | Fargo, ND |
| Rasmussen University-North Dakota | $13,957 | $13,957 | $18,227 | 29% | 100% | Private | Fargo, ND |
| Trinity Bible College and Graduate School | $19,700 | $19,700 | $19,359 | 46% | 26% | Private | Ellendale, ND |
| University of Mary | $22,356 | $22,356 | $17,770 | 67% | 75% | Private | Bismarck, ND |
| University of Jamestown | $24,990 | $24,990 | $19,567 | 49% | 88% | Private | Jamestown, ND |
What the North Dakota cost data shows
- Turtle Mountain Community College has the lowest published in-state tuition on this page at $2,794 per year. Published tuition is the sticker price and excludes housing, food, books, and fees.
- Median published in-state tuition is $6,051 across the public colleges here and $16,829 across the private ones — a $10,778 difference at sticker price. Private colleges often discount heavily, so compare net price before ruling one out.
- Median average net price is $11,673 across the 20 colleges here that report it. Net price includes housing and other costs, so it can exceed tuition alone.
How this list was built
This page lists colleges CampusPin holds for North Dakota, sorted by published in-state tuition, lowest first. That sort is the only ranking applied — there is no CampusPin score, no editorial ordering, and no “#1 cheapest” claim.
Published tuition is the sticker price for instruction. Total cost of attendance adds housing, food, books, and fees. Average net price is what students actually paid on average after grant and scholarship aid, reported to federal collections for a prior entering class. Net price is an average across a whole cohort and varies substantially by family income, so treat it as a comparison tool between colleges rather than a prediction of your own bill.
Figures come from the institution’s federal reporting (20 of 20 North Dakota institutions report in-state tuition). Always confirm current costs with the college’s financial aid office before making a decision.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the cheapest college in North Dakota?
- Of the 20 North Dakota colleges on this page, Turtle Mountain Community College in Belcourt reports the lowest published in-state tuition at $2,794 per year. That is the sticker price before aid and before housing and food; the college's net price after grants may rank differently.
- Is tuition the same as the total cost of college?
- No. Published tuition covers instruction only. Total cost of attendance adds housing, food, books, transportation, and fees. Net price is what students actually paid on average after grant and scholarship aid was applied, and across the 20 North Dakota colleges reporting it here the median is $11,673. Compare all three before deciding a college is or isn't affordable.
- Are public colleges cheaper than private colleges in North Dakota?
- At sticker price, yes on this page: median published in-state tuition is $6,051 at the public colleges listed and $16,829 at the private ones. Private colleges typically discount more heavily through institutional grants, so the gap in net price is usually much smaller than the gap in tuition.
- Will I personally pay these amounts at a North Dakota college?
- Almost certainly not exactly. Net price varies widely by family income, and the figures here are averages across a previous entering class reported to federal collections. Use them to compare colleges against each other, then run the numbers for your own situation with the net price estimator and confirm with each financial aid office.
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Data sources & methodology
Cost, aid, and outcome figures for North Dakota colleges are compiled from federal datasets and each institution's own reporting.
Sources used across this page
Not every source informs every figure. Each data point draws on the source appropriate to it see the relevant section and the data dictionary for field-level provenance.
IPEDS / NCES College Navigator
Federal enrollment, admissions, tuition, retention, and program data. Released annually with a 1–2 year lag.
U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard
Net price by income band, post-graduation earnings, and federal aid context.
Institutional websites
Each school's official admissions, registrar, and financial-aid pages are the authoritative source for current details.
Where a value is unavailable it is shown as unavailable, never as 0, free, or a negative judgment. Always confirm final details with the institution before applying.
Suggested citation
CampusPin. Affordable Colleges in North Dakota. Retrieved from https://campuspin.com/affordable-colleges/north-dakota