Public · Community college

North Dakota State College of Science

Wahpeton, North Dakota · Remote town

#2 for grad earnings in North Dakota
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.

PublicSmall · 1,909 undergradsRemote townNJCAA Division ICold wintersSnowy

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

Graduation rate55%

Higher than 42% · #6 of 16 in North Dakota

First-year retention79%

Higher than 61%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$50,513

Higher than 91% · #2 of 14 in North Dakota

Average net price$11,261

Cheaper than 65% · #9 cheapest of 15 in North Dakota

Median debt at graduation$12,000

Lower than 29%

Student–faculty ratio12 : 1

Lower than 73%

Undergraduate enrollment1,909

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

1,909undergrads
  • 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)

All students
55%
Low-income (Pell)
36%
First-generation
37%

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)

Football96
Basketball33
Baseball24
Softball22
Volleyball16

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.

4.7reported offenses a year
2.7 violent a year2.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
1.7
Burglary
1.7
Aggravated assault
0.7
Fondling
0.3
Motor vehicle theft
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
$7,803
$30–48k
$7,297
$48–75k
$9,678
$75–110k
$12,078
$110k+
$14,772

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.

61%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$2,838
average award, among those who get one

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.

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
$43,711
Men
$56,398

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

HighLow
-10°40°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.01.93.9JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Breckenridge 3E, MN US station (4.7 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 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 →

Colleges near North Dakota State College of Science

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.