Public · Community college
Ridgewater College
Willmar, Minnesota · Remote town
- 14%
- Transfer rate
- $10,046
- Avg net price
- 50%
- Grad / completion
- $43,827
- Median earnings
Ridgewater College is a public associate-granting institution in Willmar, Minnesota (remote town setting), enrolling 2,162 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.
About Willmar, Minnesota
Willmar is a city in, and the county seat of, Kandiyohi County, Minnesota, United States. Agricultural expansion and Willmar's establishment as a division point on the Great Northern Railway determined its growth. The first settlers arrived during the 1850s, attracted to the fertile land and abundant timber and game. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Remote town
- Highest degree offered
- Associate
- Nearest big city
- 89 miles to Minneapolis, MN
- To Great Lakes shore
- 181 miles
- Nearest airport
- 57 miles to Saint Cloud (STC)
How Ridgewater College compares
Higher than 38% · #19 of 42 in Minnesota
Higher than 45%
Higher than 81% · #23 of 40 in Minnesota
Cheaper than 70% · #7 cheapest of 43 in Minnesota
Lower than 29%
Lower than 35%
Larger than 83%
Percentiles compare Ridgewater College 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 Minnesota.
Student body
Undergraduates by gender
- Women1,11351%
- Men1,04949%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White74%
- Black5.1%
- Hispanic13%
- Asian1.6%
- Other or multiracial5.8%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 2,162
- Student–faculty ratio
- 19 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 32%
- First-generation students
- 31%
- Students over 25
- 24%
- Median family income
- $37,534
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $84,411
- Endowment
- $3,733,000
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $6,121
- Room & board
- —
- Books & supplies
- $1,236
- Total cost of attendance
- $15,694
- Average net price
- $10,046
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
- 50%
- First-year retention
- 70%
- Transferred to another college
- 14%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $40,862
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $43,827
- Median debt at graduation
- $12,000
- Students with federal loans
- 25%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 54%
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
- No
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- NJCAA Division III
- Varsity athletes
- 76 (49 men · 27 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
- A
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 0.0 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (3,148 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.
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: 1% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $2,333. 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 363 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)
- $43,827
- Typical debt at graduation
- $12,000
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 27%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 55%
Typical debt would take roughly 2.7 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
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.
Men out-earn women by $12,786 (34%) 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
- 3°F
- Annual rain
- 28.7″
- Annual snow
- 46.1″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Willmar Wwtp, MN US station (2.8 mi from campus).
What Ridgewater College 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 Ridgewater College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Ridgewater College side by side →
Minnesota North College
Hibbing, Minnesota · Remote town · 58 mi to Duluth
- Students
- 2,013
- Tuition
- $6k
- Transfer
- 18%
- Earnings
- $46k
South Central College
North Mankato, Minnesota · Small suburb · 68 mi to Minneapolis
- Students
- 1,946
- Tuition
- $6k
- Transfer
- 14%
- Earnings
- $45k
Minnesota West Community and Technical College
Granite Falls, Minnesota · Remote rural · 105 mi to Sioux Falls
- Students
- 1,762
- Tuition
- $6k
- Transfer
- 15%
- Earnings
- $45k
St Cloud Technical and Community College
Saint Cloud, Minnesota · Small city · 61 mi to Minneapolis
- Students
- 3,113
- Tuition
- $6k
- Transfer
- 16%
- Earnings
- $47k
Minnesota State Community and Technical College
Fergus Falls, Minnesota · Fringe rural · 52 mi to Fargo
- Students
- 2,942
- Tuition
- $6k
- Transfer
- 47%
- Earnings
- $46k
Riverland Community College
Austin, Minnesota · Distant town · 91 mi to Minneapolis
- Students
- 2,003
- Tuition
- $6k
- Transfer
- 15%
- Earnings
- $45k
Colleges near Ridgewater College
Minnesota West Community and Technical College
Granite Falls, MN · Public · Certificate · 1,762 students
Saint Johns University
Collegeville, MN · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,395 students
College of Saint Benedict
Saint Joseph, MN · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,370 students
Rasmussen University-Minnesota
St. Cloud, MN · Private for-profit · Certificate · 8,617 students
University of Minnesota-Morris
Morris, MN · Public · Bachelor's · 936 students
Alexandria Technical & Community College
Alexandria, MN · Public · Associate · 1,533 students
Model College of Hair Design
Saint Cloud, MN · Private for-profit · Certificate · 199 students
Saint Cloud State University
Saint Cloud, MN · Public · Bachelor's · 5,088 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.