Which Bismarck State College associate's program has the lowest debt?

Electrician Training graduates leave with a median of $7,832 in federal loans, the lowest among 7 Bismarck State College associate's programs that report debt.

How much does Bismarck State College cost?

In-state tuition and fees are $5,247 a year, and $7,331 for out-of-state students. After grants and scholarships, the average net price is $10,270 a year.

How many Bismarck State College programs report graduate pay?

One bachelor's program, 8 associate's programs, and 3 certificate programs at Bismarck State College report first-year pay, and 11 of them also report federal debt.

Bismarck State College Programs, Ranked by Graduate Pay and Debt

Public college
Bismarck, ND
2,839 undergraduates

College Scorecard June 2026 release

The short answer

8 Bismarck State College associate's programs report what graduates earn. Electrical Engineering Technology pays the most in the first year ($89,460), and Liberal Arts and General Studies the least ($33,358). The median program pays $61,700. Bismarck State College also has one bachelor's program and 3 certificate programs that report pay.

In-state tuition and fees$5,247Per year. Out-of-state $7,331

Average net price after aid$10,270Per year

Graduation rate47%Within 6 years

One bachelor's program

Each figure is the median for the program's graduates. "Rank in North Dakota" compares first-year pay with the same field's bachelor's programs across North Dakota.

Program	Year 1 pay	Year 5 pay	Debt	Rank in North Dakota
Business AdministrationAbout 40 graduates a year	$100,668	$130,501	$15,452	1st of 9

Program names link to the program's own page, and North Dakota ranks link to the full ranking for the field.

All 8 associate's programs, ranked

Each figure is the median for the program's graduates. "Rank in North Dakota" compares first-year pay with the same field's associate's programs across North Dakota. Programs that don't report a figure are listed last when you sort by it.

#	Program	Year 1 pay	Year 5 pay	Debt	Rank in North Dakota
1	Electrical Engineering TechnologyAbout 65 graduates a year	$89,460	$114,086	$14,236	1st of 2
2	Industrial TechnologyAbout 43 graduates a year	$82,310	$113,847	$12,000	1st of 2
3	Electromechanical TechnologyAbout 20 graduates a year	$77,701	$106,999	$12,000	1st of 1
4	NursingAbout 42 graduates a year	$66,335	$67,782	$25,382	3rd of 5
5	Electrician TrainingAbout 11 graduates a year	$57,065	Not reported	$7,832	1st of 1
6	Agricultural BusinessAbout 34 graduates a year	$38,623	$59,268	$12,000	2nd of 2
7	BusinessAbout 11 graduates a year	$36,062	$40,571	Not reported	1st of 1
8	Liberal Arts and General StudiesAbout 293 graduates a year	$33,358	$50,084	$12,000	1st of 4

Program names link to the program's own page, and North Dakota ranks link to the full ranking for the field. A program gets its own page when it reports both pay and debt and at least five North Dakota programs in the field do too.

One more associate's program reports debt but not pay, so it isn't listed.

All 3 certificate programs, ranked

Each figure is the median for the program's graduates. "Rank in North Dakota" compares first-year pay with the same field's certificate programs across North Dakota. Programs that don't report a figure are listed last when you sort by it.

#	Program	Year 1 pay	Year 5 pay	Debt	Rank in North Dakota
1	Practical NursingAbout 38 graduates a year	$61,629	Not reported	$18,297	1st of 2
2	Electrician TrainingAbout 41 graduates a year	$48,853	$78,479	$5,500	1st of 1
3	Vehicle Maintenance and RepairAbout 26 graduates a year	$44,309	$55,078	$6,275	1st of 1

Quick picks: associate's programs

Highest first-year pay

Electrical Engineering Technology$89,460
Industrial Technology$82,310
Electromechanical Technology$77,701
Nursing$66,335
Electrician Training$57,065

Lowest median debt

Electrician Training$7,832
Industrial Technology$12,000
Electromechanical Technology$12,000
Agricultural Business$12,000
Liberal Arts and General Studies$12,000

Largest programs

Liberal Arts and General StudiesAbout 293 graduates a year
Electrical Engineering TechnologyAbout 65 graduates a year
Industrial TechnologyAbout 43 graduates a year
NursingAbout 42 graduates a year
Agricultural BusinessAbout 34 graduates a year

Common questions

Electrical Engineering Technology graduates earn a median of $89,460 in their first year, the most of 8 Bismarck State College associate's programs that report pay.

About this data

Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid, and earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school.
Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
Tuition, net price, graduation rate, and admission rate are for the whole school, not one program.
Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of North Dakota rankings when their main campus is in another state.
Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago.

Sources

U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
NCES, IPEDS tuition and fees, 2023-24, for in-district tuition labels