Public · Community college
North Dakota State College of Science
Wahpeton, North Dakota · Remote town
- 0%
- Transfer rate
- $11,261
- Avg net price
- 55%
- Grad / completion
- $50,513
- Median earnings
North Dakota State College of Science is a public associate-granting institution in Wahpeton, North Dakota (remote town setting), enrolling 1,909 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.
About Wahpeton, North Dakota
Wahpeton is a city in and the county seat of Richland County, North Dakota, United States. Wahpeton was founded in 1869 and is the principal city of the Wahpeton Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Richland County, North Dakota and Wilkin County, Minnesota. Wahpeton's twin city is Breckenridge, Minnesota, on the other side of the river. Wahpeton is the home of several large manufacturing plants, including Woodcraft Industries, Inc., WCCO Belting, Minn-Dak Farmers Cooperative, Cargill, ComDel Innovation, Heartland Precision, Doosan/Bobcat, Masonite and Wil-Rich. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Remote town
- Highest degree offered
- Associate
- Nearest big city
- 43 miles to Fargo, ND
- To Great Lakes shore
- 216 miles
- Nearest airport
- 46 miles to Hector (FAR)
How North Dakota State College of Science compares
Higher than 42% · #6 of 16 in North Dakota
Higher than 61%
Higher than 91% · #2 of 14 in North Dakota
Cheaper than 65% · #9 cheapest of 15 in North Dakota
Lower than 29%
Lower than 73%
Larger than 81%
Percentiles compare North Dakota State College of Science 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
- Women70537%
- Men1,20463%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White81%
- Black6.7%
- Hispanic3.6%
- Asian0.9%
- Other or multiracial8.2%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 1,909
- Student–faculty ratio
- 12 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 16%
- First-generation students
- 24%
- Students over 25
- 9%
- Median family income
- $51,056
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $67,824
- Endowment
- $65,955,039
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 714 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From North Dakota55%
- Other U.S. states45%
A regional draw: about 55% of first-years come from North Dakota, the rest from elsewhere.
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
- $5,974
- Out-of-state tuition
- $6,973
- Room & board
- $8,096
- Books & supplies
- $1,000
- Total cost of attendance
- $17,265
- Average net price
- $11,261
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
- 55%
- First-year retention
- 79%
- Transferred to another college
- 0%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $48,800
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $50,513
- Median debt at graduation
- $12,000
- Students with federal loans
- 30%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 64%
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
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
- 1,125
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 59%
- Housing charge (year)
- $3,774
- Meal plan (year)
- $3,884
- Application fee
- $35
- Athletics
- NJCAA Division I
- Varsity athletes
- 191 (139 men · 52 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 (5)
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)
- 8
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 6
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (3,367 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.
By offense type, per year
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.
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.
Modest institutional aid: 61% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $2,838. 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 669 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)
- $50,513
- Typical debt at graduation
- $12,000
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 24%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 69%
Typical debt would take roughly 2.4 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
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.
Men out-earn women by $12,687 (29%) 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
- 82°F
- Winter low
- -1°F
- Annual rain
- 24.8″
- Annual snow
- 49.6″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Breckenridge 3E, MN US station (4.7 mi from campus).
What North Dakota State College of Science graduates study — and earn
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 North Dakota State College of Science
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare North Dakota State College of Science side by side →
Bismarck State College
Bismarck, North Dakota · Small city · 2 mi to Bismarck
- Students
- 2,839
- Tuition
- $5k
- Transfer
- 15%
- Earnings
- $54k
Lake Region State College
Devils Lake, North Dakota · Remote town · 128 mi to Bismarck
- Students
- 611
- Tuition
- $6k
- Transfer
- 16%
- Earnings
- $50k
Inver Hills Community College
Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota · Large suburb · 15 mi to Minneapolis
- Students
- 2,193
- Tuition
- $6k
- Transfer
- 37%
- Earnings
- $50k
Dakota County Technical College
Rosemount, Minnesota · Fringe rural · 19 mi to Minneapolis
- Students
- 2,168
- Tuition
- $7k
- Transfer
- 10%
- Earnings
- $52k
Alexandria Technical & Community College
Alexandria, Minnesota · Remote town · 97 mi to Fargo
- Students
- 1,533
- Tuition
- $6k
- Transfer
- 8%
- Earnings
- $49k
Lakeshore Technical College
Cleveland, Wisconsin · Distant rural · 43 mi to Green Bay
- Students
- 1,886
- Tuition
- $5k
- Transfer
- 8%
- Earnings
- $47k
Colleges near North Dakota State College of Science
Minnesota State Community and Technical College
Fergus Falls, MN · Public · Associate · 2,942 students
Rasmussen University-North Dakota
Fargo, ND · Private for-profit · Associate · 52 students
Concordia College at Moorhead
Moorhead, MN · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,829 students
Minnesota State University Moorhead
Moorhead, MN · Public · Bachelor's · 3,072 students
Josef's School of Hair Skin & Body-Fargo
Fargo, ND · Private for-profit · Certificate · 72 students
The Salon Professional Academy-Fargo
Fargo, ND · Private for-profit · Certificate · 95 students
Lynnes Welding Training
Fargo, ND · Private for-profit · Certificate · 55 students
North Dakota State University-Main Campus
Fargo, ND · Public · Bachelor's · 9,471 students
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.











