10-yr median earnings
$54,277
Federal aid recipients only
Public · Bismarck, North Dakota
Bismarck State College
Bismarck State College is a public institution in Bismarck, North Dakota. Former students earn a median of $54,277 ten years after enrollment at an average net price of $10,270/yr — as a public institution, published Scorecard outcomes are the federal Title-IV cohort view of former students — not every graduate and not a guarantee for any one enrollee.
- $10,270
- Avg net price / yr
- $54,277
- 10-yr median earnings
- 47.6%
- 150%-time completion
The verdict
Bismarck State College posts top-quartile former-student earnings.
According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
- Top 23%
- former-student earnings, US
- 47.6%
- 150%-time completion
- +8%
- earnings, 6→10 yrs
City: Small
Carnegie: Bacc/Assoc's
Bismarck State College is a public institution in Bismarck, North Dakota enrolling 2,839 undergraduates, using College Scorecard institution data retrieved in July 2026.. Federally aided former students who were working and not enrolled had median earnings of $54,277 ten years after entry. Average net price for the reported Title IV-recipient cohort is $10,270. This profile combines source fields with separately labeled PlainCollege comparisons and derived metrics.
Institution data retrieved July 2026; field-of-study data retrieved March 2026.
What the IPEDS & College Scorecard Data Shows for Bismarck State College
Bismarck State College operates as a public institution located in Bismarck, North Dakota (city: small), with a reported undergraduate enrollment of 2,839 students. Institution-level records in the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) classify each school by Carnegie category, ownership sector, and urban/rural locale, which is how this profile's peer group and cost cohort are determined; Bismarck State College is categorized as "Baccalaureate/Associate's Colleges: Associate's Dominant" under the Carnegie classification system, a meaningful signal when comparing like-to-like institutions.
Admissions and cost fields are IPEDS-derived values published through the Scorecard and retain their source reporting periods. Average net price subtracts grant and scholarship aid from cost of attendance for full-time, first-time undergraduate Title IV recipients. It is a defined cohort average, not a personalized price; the income-band fields provide more context but still do not replace an institution's current net-price calculator.
Earnings use Treasury-derived records for federally aided former students who were working and not enrolled in the measurement year; the entry cohort includes completers and noncompleters. IPEDS completion and retention rates use separate first-time, full-time cohorts, so their denominator is not the earnings cohort. Read cost, completion, and earnings as distinct historical measures, not as a causal verdict or an individual forecast.
College Value Score
B-
College Value Score
66/100
Bismarck State College
A 6-metric composite of earnings, cost, and completion outcomes benchmarked against every reporting US college, not a ranking of teaching quality, campus life, or fit for any individual student. See the full methodology.
Earnings B+
$54,277
10-year median former-student earnings
Net Price B+
$10,270
Average annual cost after grants and aid
Completion Rate F
47.6%
Completion within 150% of normal time
Debt C+
$11,533
Median federal debt at graduation
Loan Repayment A+
85.1%
Borrowers repaying loans within 3 years
Retention C-
76.8%
First-year students returning for year two
Each axis is the percentile score shown in the breakdown at left; the shape shows this school's overall profile at a glance.
Avg net price
$10,270
After grants and scholarships
150%-time completion
47.6%
Full-time, first-time cohort
150%-time completion vs portal median (57.1%) 47.6%
Four-year-institution cohort
College ROI Quadrant - Bismarck State College vs peers
Each dot is a college plotted by 10-year median earnings (x-axis) vs average net price (y-axis), colored by completion within 150% of normal time. Bottom-right = high earnings/lower price; top-left = lower earnings/higher price.
How Bismarck State College ranks nationally
Where this school's former-student earnings fall within the full national distribution of every US college that reports to the College Scorecard, not just its peer set.
Bismarck State College: former-student earnings vs. every US college
10-year median earnings, College Scorecard
$54,277 Top 23% higher than 77% of 5,103 US colleges
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US colleges. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard · Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals
Quick Facts
2,839
Undergraduate enrollment
-
Acceptance rate
-
SAT average
47.6%
150%-time completion
$54,277
10-yr median earnings
76.8%
First-year retention
Costs & Financial Aid
Tuition & Net Price
| In-State Tuition | $5,247 |
| Out-of-State Tuition | $7,331 |
| Average Net Price | $10,270 |
Net Price by Family Income
| $0 – $30,000 | $6,140 |
| $30,001 – $48,000 | $5,828 |
| $48,001 – $75,000 | $8,524 |
| Over $110,000 | $13,979 |
14.6%
Pell Grant Rate
20.3%
Federal Loan Rate
$11,533
Median Debt
$122/mo
Monthly Payment
What students pay at Bismarck State College rose +35.5% since 2013
Average net price for the reported Title IV-recipient cohort went from $7,915 in 2013 to $10,725 in 2023, a rise of $2,810 in nominal dollars. Across the 4,315 colleges measured over the same 2013–2023 span, the median change was +14.6%.
11 reported years. Nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation.
2013 · $7,9152023 · $10,725
Over the same years, enrollment went -18.7% (3,233 → 2,629 students).
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, per-year fields (2013–2023). Net price is the average cost after grant and scholarship aid for federally-aided undergraduates.
Student Demographics
Race & ethnicity
Student body at a glance
44.9%
Female
27.2%
First Generation
Outcomes
47.6%
150%-Time Completion
76.8%
Retention Rate
$50,401
Median Earnings (6yr)
$54,277
Median Earnings (10yr)
74.9%
Earning Over $25K
85.1%
Loan Repayment, Completers (3yr)
Programs & Earnings
Top programs at Bismarck State College by completer earnings
Median earnings of program completers, College Scorecard field-of-study file
- Business Administration, M…
Business Administration, Management and Operations
$122,948 median earnings
- Industrial Production Tech…
Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians
$121,039 median earnings
- Electromechanical Technolo…
Electromechanical Technologies/Technicians
$118,853 median earnings
- Electrical/Electronic Engi…
Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians
$115,316 median earnings
- Electrical and Power Trans…
Electrical and Power Transmission Installers
$101,828 median earnings
- Electrical/Electronic Engi…
Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians
$94,634 median earnings
- Electrical and Power Trans…
Electrical and Power Transmission Installers
$68,875 median earnings
- Registered Nursing, Nursin…
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
$66,683 median earnings
What this shows The highest-earning programs at a school are not necessarily its most popular ones - a small specialized program can post strong median earnings without reflecting the outcome most students here actually see.
Explore Data-Matched Colleges
Matches use Scorecard measures among reporting colleges — not state-system recommendations or geographic proximity.
Similar Enrollment and Sector
Other Public institutions closest in reported enrollment, preferring the same Carnegie classification.
Similar Reported Net Price
Other Public institutions with the nearest reported average net price.
Similar 2013–2023 Net-Price Trend
Same-sector institutions with the same direction and nearest fitted annual change; only series with R² of at least 0.40 qualify.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the admissions statistics for Bismarck State College? ▼
Bismarck State College is a public institution in Bismarck, North Dakota. Undergraduate enrollment is 2,839 students.
How much do Bismarck State College former students earn? ▼
Federally aided former students at Bismarck State College who were working and not enrolled had median earnings of $54,277 ten years after entry; the cohort is not limited to graduates. Six years after entry, the corresponding median is $50,401.
How much does Bismarck State College cost? ▼
The average net price at Bismarck State College is $10,270. In-state tuition is $5,247 and out-of-state tuition is $7,331. Median student debt at graduation is $11,533.
What is the graduation rate at Bismarck State College? ▼
Bismarck State College has a 47.6% completion rate within 150% of normal time at a four-year institution (typically six years for a bachelor’s program). The first-year retention rate is 76.8%.
Is Bismarck State College worth the student debt? ▼
The median student debt at Bismarck State College is $11,533, while former students earn a median of $54,277 ten years after enrollment. That debt represents about 21% of those annual earnings. Among borrowers who completed their program, 85.1% are repaying their loans within 3 years. Estimated monthly loan payment is $122.
Sources & methodology
Public-college profiles lean on IPEDS enrollment and Scorecard Title-IV outcomes. State appropriations are outside this page; the figures below are the federal cohort measures only.
Every number is read live from the Mar–Jul 2026 Scorecard/IPEDS retrievals. Public institutions often enroll large Title-IV cohorts, so medians can be stable — still cohort averages, never a personal forecast. Read the full methodology for how the data is sourced, computed, and verified.
- College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education - former-student earnings, cost & completion (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- IPEDS, National Center for Education Statistics - enrollment, admissions, Carnegie class & demographics (nces.ed.gov/ipeds).
- U.S. Treasury / IRS earnings linkage - median earnings 6 & 10 years after enrollment for federal-aid recipients (irs.gov).
- College Scorecard, Field of Study - program-level (credential) earnings & debt (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- Federal Student Aid (Title IV / NSLDS) - U.S. Department of Education - net price, student debt & aid-recipient repayment outcomes (studentaid.gov).
What this means for Bismarck State College
- Bismarck State College's reported 10-year former-student earnings land in the 77th percentile among reporting colleges.
- The average net price after aid is $10,270 - compare it against schools with similar outcomes but a lower cost.Find similar schools that cost less
- See how this school compares to every other college in North Dakota.Browse North Dakota
Public-college Scorecard figures are historical Title-IV cohort averages — confirm current tuition, aid, and admissions rules with the institution before deciding.
Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. Public-institution profiles compile Scorecard Title-IV earnings, IPEDS enrollment/admissions, and Treasury linkage fields — no editor-typed figures. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Review the public data changelog. Data current as of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals.