Public · University

Bemidji State University

Bemidji, Minnesota · Remote town

56.0%
Admit rate
$15,261
Avg net price
48%
Graduation rate
$53,755
Median earnings

Bemidji State University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Bemidji, Minnesota (remote town setting), enrolling 3,139 undergraduates.

PublicMidsize · 3,139 undergradsRemote townSelective · 56% admitNCAA Division II with football · Northern Sun Intercollegiate ConferenceCold wintersSnowy

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Bemidji State University's admitted students.

Admit rate
56.0%
ACT (mid 50%)
18–24
Avg GPA (est.)
3.19

Enter a test score to see where you land against Bemidji State University's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Bemidji State University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Bemidji, Minnesota

Bemidji is a city in and the county seat of Beltrami County, Minnesota, United States. Bemidji Township was surveyed by European Americans in 1874. In 1897, the county attorney declared the original Bemidji township organization illegal (no reason given) and the township reorganized on June 26, 1897. The Concordia Language Villages are near Bemidji. They have supported several language conversational groups (including French, Chinese, Norwegian, Spanish, Italian, and German) that meet weekly in local coffeehouses. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Remote town
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
99 miles to Fargo, ND
To Great Lakes shore
139 miles
Nearest airport
73 miles to Thief River Falls (TVF)

How Bemidji State University compares

Selectivity56.0%

More selective than 80% · #7 most selective of 35 in Minnesota

SAT average1090

Higher than 27%

Graduation rate48%

Higher than 35% · #30 of 39 in Minnesota

First-year retention73%

Higher than 38%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$53,755

Higher than 49% · #24 of 38 in Minnesota

Average net price$15,261

Cheaper than 72% · #6 cheapest of 39 in Minnesota

Median debt at graduation$19,750

Lower than 76%

Student–faculty ratio18 : 1

Lower than 18%

Undergraduate enrollment3,139

Larger than 70%

Percentiles compare Bemidji State University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Minnesota.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

3,460students
  • Undergraduate3,13991%
  • Graduate3219%

Undergraduates by gender

3,139undergrads
  • Women1,87860%
  • Men1,26140%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White77%
  • Black3.5%
  • Hispanic4.4%
  • Asian1.7%
  • Other or multiracial13%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
3,139
Graduate enrollment
321
Student–faculty ratio
18 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
28%
First-generation students
27%
Students over 25
28%
Median family income
$57,931
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$93,843
Endowment
$39,810,000

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Admissions

Admission rate
56.0%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
1090
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite
18–24
Average GPA (estimated)
3.19

Cost

In-state tuition
$10,237
Room & board
$10,462
Books & supplies
$890
Total cost of attendance
$22,744
Average net price
$15,261

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
48%
Graduated on time (4 years)
33%
First-year retention
73%
Transferred to another college
31%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$47,469
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$53,755
Median debt at graduation
$19,750
Students with federal loans
42%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
61%

About 15% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
33%
Low-income (Pell)
43%
First-generation
43%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
935
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
30%
Housing charge (year)
$6,085
Meal plan (year)
$3,956
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division II with football
Football conference
Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference
Varsity athletes
406 (239 men · 167 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (10)

Football118
Baseball59
Ice Hockey54
Basketball36
Soccer34
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)32
Golf25
Softball20
Volleyball18
Tennis10

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.4 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
16
Property offenses (2022–2024)
1

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (4,072 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

5.7reported offenses a year
5.3 violent a year0.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
3.0
Fondling
2.0
Statutory rape
0.3
Burglary
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$10,073
$30–48k
$10,207
$48–75k
$12,201
$75–110k
$15,857
$110k+
$19,940

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$54,520

$12,201/year × about 4.5 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

70%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$3,363
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 70% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $3,363. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 445 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$53,755
Typical debt at graduation
$19,750
Debt vs. one year's pay
37%
Out-earn a HS grad
67%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.7 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$49,451
Men
$58,633

Men out-earn women by $9,182 (19%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
79°F
Winter low
-4°F
Annual rain
26.5″
Annual snow
48.9″

Average temperature

HighLow
-10°40°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.04.1JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Cass Lake, MN US station (13.9 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Bemidji State University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Bemidji State University side by side →

Colleges near Bemidji State University

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.