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2021 Best Colleges for the Money (With No Aid) in North Dakota

8 Colleges
$23,668 Avg Cost (Without Aid)*
4.5 Years Avg Time to Graduate*

With all of the options you have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its Best North Dakota Schools For The Money For Those With No Aid ranking as one tool you can use to help make this decision.

Our analysis looked at 8 schools to determine which ones were the best for overall value for the money with no aid in North Dakota. This ranking doesn't just identify the colleges with the lowest costs. Rather, it highlights those institutions that offer excellent educational experiences for a lower cost than other schools of roughly the same caliber. Because of this, it is possible for one college to rank better than another, even if the latter college has a lower average cost.

Learn more about our ranking methodology.

To calculate the average cost amount, we sum up the total expenses to attend a school - such as tuition, fees, room and board, books and supplies, and other living expenses. This estimate is meant to give you a better picture of how much money you'll have to pay each year, either through self-pay, loans, or external scholarships.

One Size Does Not Fit All

We know that one set of rankings doesn't always help you determine the best school for you, so we've created the ability to narrow your list by location and field of study as well as alternative rankings that prioritize different factors, such as those of importance to veterans and returning adults or those seeking diversity and overall quality.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. If you're torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another!

Top Colleges for the Money (Without Aid) in North Dakota

Learn more about these excellent schools below:

Our analysis found North Dakota State University - Main Campus to be the best school for overall value for the money with no aid in North Dakota in this year’s ranking. Fargo, North Dakota is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 2,588 students in 2018-2019.

At North Dakota State University, the average time it takes a student to graduate is 4.5 years, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $22,897 for students who receive no aid. When we combine these numbers, we estimate that the cost to get a bachelor’s degree from North Dakota State University is $103,723. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. North Dakota State University also took the #1 spot in our Best Colleges in North Dakota rankings.

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#2

University of North Dakota

Grand Forks, North Dakota

Out of the 8 schools in North Dakota that were part of this year’s ranking, University of North Dakota landed the #2 spot on the list. UND is located in Grand Forks, North Dakota and has a fairly large student population. In 2018-2019, this school awarded 2,231 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.

The average student at UND graduates in less than 4.6 years, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $23,604 for students who receive no aid. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from UND is about $108,342. When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.

The low student loan default rate of 3.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, UND is ranked #2 for overall quality in North Dakota.

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#3

Dickinson State University

Dickinson, North Dakota

The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Dickinson State University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for the money in North Dakota. Located in Dickinson, North Dakota, the small public school handed out 267 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.

The average student at DSU graduates in less than 4.6 years, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $19,924 for students who receive no aid. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from DSU is about $91,451. When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, DSU is ranked #5 for overall quality in North Dakota.

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#4

Valley City State University

Valley City, North Dakota

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Valley City State University. The school came in at #4 in North Dakota on this year’s best value ranking. Valley City State University is a small public school situated in Valley City, North Dakota. It awarded 300 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.

At Valley City State University, the average time it takes a student to graduate is 4.4 years, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $19,053 for students who receive no aid. Thus, the average cost to get a bachelor’s degree from the Valley City State University is $84,024. When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.

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#5

University of Mary

Bismarck, North Dakota

A rank of #5 on our Best Colleges for the Money in North Dakota list means University of Mary is a great place for students working on their bachelor’s degree. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Bismarck, North Dakota, and it awarded 532 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.

It takes the average student at UMary about 4.4 years to graduate, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $30,500 for students who receive no aid. This means that the average student pays around $135,420 to get a bachelor’s degree from UMary. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.

UMary also took the #3 spot in our Best Colleges in North Dakota rankings.

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#6

Minot State University

Minot, North Dakota

With a ranking of #6, Minot State University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for the Money in North Dakota list. MSU is a small public school situated in Minot, North Dakota. It awarded 607 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.

The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at MSU is 4.6 years, and the average full-time cost to attend the school for students who receive no aid is around $19,386. Thus, the average cost to get a bachelor’s degree from the MSU is $89,176. The sooner a student graduates, the more money they can save.

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#7

Mayville State University

Mayville, North Dakota

Mayville State University did quite well in the 2021 Best Value Colleges in North Dakota ranking, coming in at #7. Located in Mayville, North Dakota, the small public school handed out 200 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.

It takes the average student at Mayville State University about 4.6 years to graduate, and it costs students who receive no aid about $19,164 per year to attend the school. Thus, the average cost to get a bachelor’s degree from the Mayville State University is $88,729. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.

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#8

University of Jamestown

Jamestown, North Dakota

University of Jamestown ranked #8 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in North Dakota list. Located in Jamestown, North Dakota, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 191 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.

It takes about 4.3 years for the average student at JC to complete their degree, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $34,814 for students who receive no aid. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from JC is about $150,396. The sooner a student graduates, the more money they can save.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. JC not only placed well in our value rankings, but it is also #4 on our Best Colleges in North Dakota list.

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Notes and References

Footnotes

*These averages are for the top 8 schools only.

  • For our state-specific rankings, we use in-state tuition to calculate average cost. For our national and regional rankings, we use a weighted average of in-state and non-resident tuition.

References

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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