Private nonprofit · University
University of Mary
Bismarck, North Dakota · Fringe rural
- 75.3%
- Admit rate
- $17,770
- Avg net price
- 67%
- Graduation rate
- $60,909
- Median earnings
University of Mary is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Bismarck, North Dakota (fringe rural setting), enrolling 2,416 undergraduates. It has a Roman Catholic religious affiliation.
Will you get in?
See where your numbers land against University of Mary's admitted students.
- Admit rate
- 75.3%
- SAT (mid 50%)
- 1110–1340
- Avg GPA (est.)
- 3.34
Enter a test score to see where you land against University of Mary's admitted students.
A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and University of Mary's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.
About Bismarck, North Dakota
Bismarck is the capital city of the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Burleigh County. The Hidatsa name for Bismarck is mirahacii arumaaguash ("Place of the tall willows"); the Arikara name is ituhtaáwe [itUhtaáwe]. The Belle Mehus Auditorium, named after a local piano teacher, is a 1914 historic building in downtown Bismarck and a center for arts in the area. Performances of Northern Plains Dance and the Bismarck-Mandan Symphony Orchestra are held there. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Fringe rural
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 6 miles to Bismarck, ND
- To Great Lakes shore
- 409 miles
- Nearest airport
- 3 miles to Bismarck (BIS)
How University of Mary compares
More selective than 54% · #4 most selective of 8 in North Dakota
Higher than 48%
Higher than 71% · #1 of 9 in North Dakota
Higher than 72%
Higher than 69% · #3 of 9 in North Dakota
Cheaper than 61% · #6 cheapest of 9 in North Dakota
Lower than 45%
Lower than 42%
Larger than 63%
Percentiles compare University of Mary with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in North Dakota.
Student body
Undergraduate vs. graduate
- Undergraduate2,41670%
- Graduate1,04030%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women1,57365%
- Men84335%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White79%
- Black2.6%
- Asian1.6%
- Other or multiracial17%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 2,416
- Graduate enrollment
- 1,040
- Student–faculty ratio
- 14 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 21%
- First-generation students
- 18%
- Students over 25
- 12%
- Median family income
- $77,856
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $73,674
- Endowment
- $75,162,860
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 559 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From North Dakota34%
- Other U.S. states64%
- International1.8%
A national draw — only 34% of first-years come from North Dakota; 64% arrive from other states.
2% 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.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 75.3%
- Test scores
- Considered but not required
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- 1110–1340
- SAT average
- 1159
- SAT reading
- 580–680
- SAT math
- 530–660
- ACT composite
- 21–26
- Average GPA (estimated)
- 3.34
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $22,356
- Room & board
- $9,276
- Books & supplies
- $1,222
- Total cost of attendance
- $33,672
- Average net price
- $17,770
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)
- 67%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 57%
- First-year retention
- 84%
- Transferred to another college
- 20%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $50,191
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $60,909
- Median debt at graduation
- $24,000
- Students with federal loans
- 44%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 70%
About 10% 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)
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
- 1,441
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 60%
- Housing charge (year)
- $3,620
- Meal plan (year)
- $5,340
- Application fee
- $30
- Athletics
- NCAA Division II with football
- Football conference
- Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference
- Varsity athletes
- 584 (333 men · 251 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 (11)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- A
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 0.3 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 4
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 10 campuses (3,861 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.
Four-year (or more) true cost
Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.
$13,087/year × about 4.2 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.
A meaningful share of freshmen — 100% — get grant money from University of Mary itself, averaging $12,001, which softens the sticker price.
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 457 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)
- $60,909
- Typical debt at graduation
- $24,000
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 39%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 80%
Typical debt would take roughly 3.9 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 $9,848 (17%) 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
- 85°F
- Winter low
- 2°F
- Annual rain
- 19.1″
- Annual snow
- 50.5″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Bismarck, ND US station (3.3 mi from campus).
What University of Mary 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 University of Mary
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare University of Mary side by side →
York College of Pennsylvania
York, Pennsylvania · Midsize suburb · 23 mi to Lancaster
- Students
- 3,265
- Admission
- 74%
- Net price
- $19k
- SAT
- 1162
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $61k
Pacific Lutheran University
Tacoma, Washington · Large suburb · 32 mi to Seattle
- Students
- 2,401
- Admission
- 78%
- Net price
- $20k
- SAT
- 1168
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $67k
St. Joseph's University-New York
Brooklyn, New York · Large city · 3 mi to New York
- Students
- 3,144
- Admission
- 72%
- Net price
- $19k
- SAT
- 1190
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $64k
Mount St. Mary's University
Emmitsburg, Maryland · Distant rural · 48 mi to Harrisburg
- Students
- 1,768
- Admission
- 74%
- Net price
- $23k
- SAT
- 1176
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $64k
Elmhurst University
Elmhurst, Illinois · Large suburb · 16 mi to Chicago
- Students
- 3,006
- Admission
- 74%
- Net price
- $24k
- SAT
- 1151
- GPA
- 3.3
- Earnings
- $61k
Norwich University
Northfield, Vermont · Distant rural · 36 mi to Burlington
- Students
- 2,428
- Admission
- 74%
- Net price
- $22k
- SAT
- 1190
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $66k
Colleges near University of Mary
United Tribes Technical College
Bismarck, ND · Private nonprofit · Associate · 569 students
The Hair Academy
Bismarck, ND · Private for-profit · Certificate · 65 students
Bismarck State College
Bismarck, ND · Public · Associate · 2,839 students
Sitting Bull College
Fort Yates, ND · Public · Associate · 257 students
Dickinson State University
Dickinson, ND · Public · Bachelor's · 1,090 students
University of Jamestown
Jamestown, ND · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,041 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.










