Public · Community college

Dakota College at Bottineau

Bottineau, North Dakota · Remote rural

#5 for grad earnings in North Dakota

0%
Transfer rate: $10,039
Avg net price: 48%
Grad / completion: $40,576
Median earnings

Dakota College at Bottineau is a public associate-granting institution in Bottineau, North Dakota (remote rural setting), enrolling 399 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicSmall · 399 undergradsRemote ruralNJCAA Division IICold wintersSnowy

About Bottineau, North Dakota

Bottineau is a city in Bottineau County, North Dakota, United States. Bottineau was founded in 1883 as Oak Creek as a customs station and an overnight stagecoach stop. The town name was changed to Bottineau in 1884 in honor of Pierre Bottineau (c. 1814–1895), a Métis pioneer, hunter, and trapper, who became a successful land speculator. Bottineau is also home to the Bottineau County Fair, which is the state's oldest county fair. (Wikipedia)

Setting: Remote rural
Highest degree offered: Associate
Nearest big city: 141 miles to Bismarck, ND
To Great Lakes shore: 412 miles
Nearest airport: 55 miles to Minot (MOT)

How Dakota College at Bottineau compares

Graduation rate48%

Higher than 35% · #8 of 16 in North Dakota

First-year retention63%

Higher than 30%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$40,576

Higher than 71% · #5 of 14 in North Dakota

Average net price$10,039

Cheaper than 70% · #7 cheapest of 15 in North Dakota

Median debt at graduation$10,507

Lower than 41%

Student–faculty ratio9 : 1

Lower than 86%

Undergraduate enrollment399

Larger than 58%

Percentiles compare Dakota College at Bottineau with the nation's 3,519 two-year and certificate schools, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count two-year and certificate schools in North Dakota.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

Women19850%
Men20150%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White59%
Black5.8%
Hispanic6.5%
Asian0.8%
Other or multiracial28%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 399
Student–faculty ratio: 9 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 13%
First-generation students: 40%
Students over 25: 21%
Median family income: $31,970
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $51,966
Endowment: $2,486,715

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

Where students come from

Home state of the 106 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

From North Dakota45%
Other U.S. states31%
International24%

A regional draw: about 45% of first-years come from North Dakota, the rest from elsewhere.

24% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Cost

In-state tuition: $5,388
Out-of-state tuition: $6,294
Room & board: $9,060
Books & supplies: $1,000
Total cost of attendance: $16,774
Average net price: $10,039

Outcomes

Graduated: 48%
First-year retention: 63%
Transferred to another college: 0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $32,758
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $40,576
Median debt at graduation: $10,507
Students with federal loans: 15%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 50%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students

48%

Low-income (Pell)

22%

First-generation

27%

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: 259
Dorm capacity vs undergrads: 65%
Housing charge (year): $3,320
Meal plan (year): $5,650
Application fee: $35
Athletics: NJCAA Division II
Varsity athletes: 133 (71 men · 62 women)

Varsity sports (5)

Ice Hockey39

Baseball37

Basketball29

Volleyball15

Softball13

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

Campus safety

Safety grade: A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students: 0.0 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024): 0
Property offenses (2022–2024): 0

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

$7,225

$30–48k

$6,229

$48–75k

$8,476

$75–110k

$11,796

$110k+

$16,037

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.

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.

49%

of first-years get a grant from the school

$3,228

average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 49% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $3,228. 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 97 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): $40,576
Typical debt at graduation: $10,507
Debt vs. one year's pay: 26%
Out-earn a HS grad: 61%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.6 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Strong value

Graduates here tend to earn well relative to what they borrow — typical debt pays back fast, and most out-earn a high-school graduate.

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

$34,412

Men

$45,816

Men out-earn women by $11,404 (33%) 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: 19.2″
Annual snow: 49.8″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Bottineau, ND US station (0.9 mi from campus).

What Dakota College at Bottineau graduates study — and earn

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssoc.

72 grads— 1 yr$32k 5 yr$12k debt

72—$31,919$11,500 Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing AssistantsCert.

41 grads$61k 1 yr— 5 yr$18k debt

41$60,969—$17,648 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssoc.

37 grads$71k 1 yr$66k 5 yr$28k debt

37$71,421$65,983$28,334 Agricultural Business and ManagementAssoc.

10 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

10———Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesCert.

6 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

6———ForestryAssoc.

5 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

5———Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsAssoc.

5 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

5———Teaching Assistants/AidesAssoc.

4 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

4———Health and Medical Administrative ServicesCert.

4 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

4———Entrepreneurial and Small Business OperationsAssoc.

4 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

4———Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business ServicesAssoc.

2 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

2———Wildlife and Wildlands Science and ManagementAssoc.

2 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

2———

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 Dakota College at Bottineau

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Dakota College at Bottineau side by side →

Williston State College

Public

Williston, North Dakota · Remote town · 162 mi to Bismarck

Students: 651
Tuition: $6k
Transfer: 0%
Earnings: $44k

Lake Region State College

Public

Devils Lake, North Dakota · Remote town · 128 mi to Bismarck

Students: 611
Tuition: $6k
Transfer: 16%
Earnings: $50k

Clinton Community College

Public

Plattsburgh, New York · Distant town · 16 mi to Burlington

Students: 400
Tuition: $7k
Transfer: 13%
Earnings: $39k

Clatsop Community College

Public

Astoria, Oregon · Remote town · 72 mi to Portland

Students: 493
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 10%
Earnings: $39k

Lamar Community College

Public

Lamar, Colorado · Remote town · 131 mi to Colorado Springs

Students: 400
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 25%
Earnings: $39k

Ellsworth Community College

Public

Iowa Falls, Iowa · Remote town · 68 mi to Des Moines

Students: 499
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 29%
Earnings: $41k

Colleges near Dakota College at Bottineau

Turtle Mountain College

Belcourt, ND · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 543 students

32 mi

Minot State University

Minot, ND · Public · Bachelor's · 2,062 students

56 mi

Lake Region State College

Devils Lake, ND · Public · Associate · 611 students

87 mi

Cankdeska Cikana Community College

Fort Totten, ND · Public · Associate · 222 students

89 mi

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.