10-yr median earnings
$62,203
Federal aid recipients only
Public · Fargo, North Dakota
North Dakota State University-Main Campus
North Dakota State University-Main Campus is a public institution in Fargo, North Dakota. Former students earn a median of $62,203 ten years after enrollment at an average net price of $15,543/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.
- $15,543
- Avg net price / yr
- $62,203
- 10-yr median earnings
- 63.8%
- 150%-time completion
- 95.0%
- Acceptance rate
The verdict
North Dakota State University-Main Campus pairs top-quartile former-student earnings with open admission.
According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
- Top 13%
- former-student earnings, US
- 95.0%
- acceptance rate
- 63.8%
- 150%-time completion
- +15%
- earnings, 6→10 yrs
City: Midsize
Carnegie: R1
North Dakota State University-Main Campus is a public institution in Fargo, North Dakota enrolling 9,471 undergraduates, using College Scorecard institution data retrieved in July 2026. The acceptance rate is 95.0% with an average SAT of 1,150. Federally aided former students who were working and not enrolled had median earnings of $62,203 ten years after entry. Average net price for the reported Title IV-recipient cohort is $15,543. 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 North Dakota State University-Main Campus
North Dakota State University-Main Campus operates as a public institution located in Fargo, North Dakota (city: midsize), with a reported undergraduate enrollment of 9,471 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; North Dakota State University-Main Campus is categorized as "Doctoral Universities: Very High Research Activity" 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
C+
College Value Score
64/100
North Dakota State University-Main Campus
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 A
$62,203
10-year median former-student earnings
Net Price C
$15,543
Average annual cost after grants and aid
Completion Rate C+
63.8%
Completion within 150% of normal time
Debt F
$23,199
Median federal debt at graduation
Loan Repayment A+
91.8%
Borrowers repaying loans within 3 years
Retention C
78.4%
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
$15,543
After grants and scholarships
150%-time completion
63.8%
Full-time, first-time cohort
150%-time completion vs portal median (57.1%) 63.8%
Four-year-institution cohort
College ROI Quadrant - North Dakota State University-Main Campus 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 North Dakota State University-Main Campus 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.
North Dakota State University-Main Campus: former-student earnings vs. every US college
10-year median earnings, College Scorecard
$62,203 Top 13% higher than 87% 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
9,471
Undergraduate enrollment
95.0%
Acceptance rate
1,150
SAT average
63.8%
150%-time completion
$62,203
10-yr median earnings
78.4%
First-year retention
Admissions
| Admission Rate | 95.0% |
| SAT Average | 1,150 |
| ACT Average | 23 |
| ACT (25th-75th) | 19 – 25 |
Share of applicants admitted
Costs & Financial Aid
Tuition & Net Price
| In-State Tuition | $11,110 |
| Out-of-State Tuition | $15,764 |
| Average Net Price | $15,543 |
Net Price by Family Income
| $0 – $30,000 | $9,370 |
| $30,001 – $48,000 | $11,343 |
| $48,001 – $75,000 | $11,923 |
| Over $110,000 | $18,856 |
19.7%
Pell Grant Rate
52.0%
Federal Loan Rate
$23,199
Median Debt
$246/mo
Monthly Payment
2013–2023: what North Dakota State University-Main Campus costs has stayed close to flat
Average net price moved +13.4% over 10 years, from $14,404 to $16,334 in nominal dollars. The median college measured over the same span moved +14.6%.
11 reported years. Nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation.
2013 · $14,4042023 · $16,334
Over the same years, enrollment went -17.7% (11,629 → 9,567 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
47.9%
Female
17.3%
First Generation
Outcomes
63.8%
150%-Time Completion
78.4%
Retention Rate
$54,312
Median Earnings (6yr)
$62,203
Median Earnings (10yr)
78.6%
Earning Over $25K
91.8%
Loan Repayment, Completers (3yr)
Programs & Earnings
Top programs at North Dakota State University-Main Campus by completer earnings
Median earnings of program completers, College Scorecard field-of-study file
- Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical S…
Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration
$135,133 median earnings
- Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical S…
Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration
$125,175 median earnings
- Registered Nursing, Nursin…
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
$119,874 median earnings
- Construction Engineering T…
Construction Engineering Technology/Technician
$95,019 median earnings
- Electrical, Electronics, a…
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering
$94,510 median earnings
- Computer Engineering
Computer Engineering
$92,878 median earnings
- Business Administration, M…
Business Administration, Management and Operations
$91,876 median earnings
- Mechanical Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
$87,702 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.
Nearby Schools
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.
New Jersey Institute of Technology
Newark, NJ
9,019 students · 452 apart
University of Southern Mississippi
Hattiesburg, MS
10,075 students · 604 apart
University of Maine
Orono, ME
8,496 students · 975 apart
University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus
Denver, CO
10,519 students · 1,048 apart
Similar Reported Net Price
Other Public institutions with the nearest reported average net price.
University of Houston-Clear Lake
Houston, TX
$15,563 net price · $20 apart
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Greater Allegheny
McKeesport, PA
$15,521 net price · $22 apart
Montclair State University
Montclair, NJ
$15,566 net price · $23 apart
Lake Superior College
Duluth, MN
$15,492 net price · $51 apart
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 is the acceptance rate at North Dakota State University-Main Campus? ▼
North Dakota State University-Main Campus is a public institution in Fargo, North Dakota. The acceptance rate is 95.0%. The average SAT score is 1,150. Undergraduate enrollment is 9,471 students.
How much do North Dakota State University-Main Campus former students earn? ▼
Federally aided former students at North Dakota State University-Main Campus who were working and not enrolled had median earnings of $62,203 ten years after entry; the cohort is not limited to graduates. Six years after entry, the corresponding median is $54,312.
How much does North Dakota State University-Main Campus cost? ▼
The average net price at North Dakota State University-Main Campus is $15,543. In-state tuition is $11,110 and out-of-state tuition is $15,764. Median student debt at graduation is $23,199.
What is the graduation rate at North Dakota State University-Main Campus? ▼
North Dakota State University-Main Campus has a 63.8% 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 78.4%.
Is North Dakota State University-Main Campus worth the student debt? ▼
The median student debt at North Dakota State University-Main Campus is $23,199, while former students earn a median of $62,203 ten years after enrollment. That debt represents about 37% of those annual earnings. Among borrowers who completed their program, 91.8% are repaying their loans within 3 years. Estimated monthly loan payment is $246.
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 North Dakota State University-Main Campus
- North Dakota State University-Main Campus's reported 10-year former-student earnings land in the 87th percentile among reporting colleges.
- The average net price after aid is $15,543 - 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.