by our College Data Analytics Team
With all of the graduate school options in North Dakota, narrowing things down is no easy task. This list ranks **4** schools by overall quality and student outcomes, using our 2027 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, College Factual evaluated 4 graduate schools across over 20 objective factors such as graduation rate, post-graduation earnings, and per-student spending, drawing primarily on U.S. Department of Education data (IPEDS and College Scorecard). Learn more about our ranking methodology.
This is how starting salaries are distributed among the top-ranked graduate schools:
Learn more about these excellent graduate schools below:
University Of Mary earned the #1 spot in this year's Best Graduate Schools ranking in North Dakota. Located in Bismarck, ND, University Of Mary is a private not-for-profit institution. University Of Mary graduates 67% of students within six years. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $22,356. University Of Mary graduates report median early-career earnings of $65,565. University Of Mary students take on a median of $26,983 in debt.
Out of the 4 graduate schools in North Dakota in this year's ranking, North Dakota State University Main Campus landed the #2 spot. Set in Fargo, ND, North Dakota State University Main Campus is a public institution. The six-year graduation rate is 64%. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $10,910, with out-of-state students paying around $15,564. Graduates go on to earn a median of $54,076 early in their careers. Graduates carry a median of $25,153 in student loans.
University Of North Dakota came in at #3 on this year's Best Graduate Schools ranking in North Dakota. University Of North Dakota is a public school based in Grand Forks, ND. The six-year graduation rate is 60%. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $10,951, while out-of-state students pay about $15,570. Graduates go on to earn a median of $64,378 early in their careers. Typical student debt is $25,110.
You'll be in good company at Jamestown College, which ranked #4 this year. Set in Jamestown, ND, Jamestown College is a private not-for-profit institution. The six-year graduation rate is 49%. In-state tuition and fees average $24,990. Median early-career earnings reach $59,681. Graduates carry a median of $27,000 in student loans.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked graduate schools only.
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 edition. The methodology weighs a blend of student outcomes (graduation rate, post-graduation earnings), affordability, and per-student spending drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
References
See our data sources and methodologies.
