Affordable Colleges in North Dakota
All 17 colleges in North Dakota, ordered by average net price — what students actually pay per year after grants and scholarships, not the sticker price on the brochure.
The most affordable is Turtle Mountain College at about $3,428 a year; the costliest here is University of Jamestown at $19,567. A typical North Dakota school on this list lands near $11,456.
Cheapest first, that means Turtle Mountain College, United Tribes Technical College and Sitting Bull College. A low average is not a low bill for everyone — aid depends on your family's income — but it is the right place to start looking.
Narrow it down
Every college in North Dakota, cheapest first · 17
Ranked by average net price per year after grants and scholarships — the figure beside each name, with the share of students on federal Pell grants where the school reports it. Schools that report no net price are listed last.
- Turtle Mountain College
- United Tribes Technical College
- Sitting Bull College
- Williston State College
- Cankdeska Cikana Community College
- Dakota College at Bottineau
- Bismarck State College
- North Dakota State College of Science
- Mayville State University
- Valley City State University
- Minot State University
- Lake Region State College
- Dickinson State University
- North Dakota State University-Main Campus
- University of Mary
- University of North Dakota
- University of Jamestown
Questions families ask
- What is the most affordable college in North Dakota?
- By average net price — what students actually pay per year after grants and scholarships — it is Turtle Mountain College at about $3,428 a year. That is an average across all students there; your own cost depends on your family's income, so check the school's net price calculator.
- What is the difference between sticker price and net price?
- Sticker price is the published tuition before any aid. Net price is what students actually pay after grants and scholarships are subtracted — not loans, which you pay back. Net price is usually far lower, and at expensive private colleges the gap can be tens of thousands a year, which is why every figure on this page is net price rather than tuition.
- How much does college in North Dakota cost on average?
- Across the 17 colleges in North Dakota that report a figure, the middle of the range is about $11,456 a year after aid, running from $3,428 to $19,567.
- Are community colleges cheaper in North Dakota?
- On this data, yes. The typical two-year college in North Dakota has a net price around $11,261 a year, against about $11,890 at the typical four-year school — a difference of roughly $629 a year. Credits often transfer, so two years at a community college can cut the cost of a four-year degree substantially.
- What does the Pell grant percentage mean?
- It is the share of undergraduates at that school receiving a federal Pell grant — need-based aid that does not have to be repaid. A higher share usually means the school enrols more students from lower-income families. Across the colleges listed here it runs from 10% to 78%, with a middle of about 21%. It is the only aid figure the Department of Education publishes per school, so it is the only one shown.
Which of these actually fits you?
A list is a starting point, not an answer. Two minutes of questions gives you a shortlist ranked on cost, academics, size and location — with the reaches labelled honestly.
Find your match — free