How much do North Dakota college graduates earn?

The median bachelor's program in North Dakota pays its graduates $48,265 in their first year, the median associate's program $51,214, and the median certificate program $45,426.

How much student debt do North Dakota graduates have?

The median bachelor's program in North Dakota leaves its graduates with $26,000 in federal debt (national $25,000), the median associate's program $12,000 (national $15,186), and the median certificate program $12,000 (national $10,780).

How many North Dakota colleges report graduate pay?

17 North Dakota schools report first-year pay for at least one program, 138 programs in all. 13 of them have at least one program with its own page here.

North Dakota Colleges and Majors, Ranked by Graduate Pay and Debt

138 programs report first-year pay
13 schools with program pages
4 field rankings

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BEA price parities 2024

The short answer

The median North Dakota bachelor's program pays its graduates $48,265 in their first year, $8,224 more than the national median. Of the 3 bachelor's fields ranked in North Dakota, nursing pays the most ($72,522) and teacher education the least ($45,438). The median bachelor's program leaves its graduates with $26,000 in federal debt, compared with $25,000 nationally.

Median first-year pay, bachelor's$48,265Across 98 programs. National $40,042

Median pay after 5 years, bachelor's$58,762Across 99 programs. National $57,933

Median federal debt, bachelor's$26,000Across 102 programs. National $25,000

Prices compared with the US11% lowerBEA price level 89.0, US average 100

Pay and debt by credential

Medians across every North Dakota program at each credential that reports the figure, next to the national median.

Credential	Programs	Year 1 pay	National	Debt	National
Bachelor's	98	$48,265	$40,042	$26,000	$25,000
Associate's	26	$51,214	$38,507	$12,000	$15,186
Certificate	14	$45,426	$31,106	$12,000	$10,780

Bachelor's fields in North Dakota, ranked

Each row is one field's median across its North Dakota bachelor's programs. Field names link to the full ranking of those programs.

#	Field	Programs	Year 1 pay	Debt
1	Nursing (BSN)	7	$72,522	$28,250
2	Business Administration	9	$48,105	$26,000
3	Teacher Education	7	$45,438	$27,000

Some nursing bachelor's programs are for nurses who are already licensed and working (RN-to-BSN). College Scorecard counts them with programs for new students, and their graduates' pay reflects years of nursing experience, so high pay at a program here may not mean higher starting pay for a new nurse.

One associate's field in North Dakota

Each row is one field's median across its North Dakota associate's programs. Field names link to the full ranking of those programs.

Field	Programs	Year 1 pay	Debt
Nursing (ADN)	5	$66,335	$27,310

13 North Dakota schools

Every North Dakota school with at least one program page. School names link to the school's page, which ranks all its programs.

School	City	Type	Programs
Bismarck State College	Bismarck	Public	12
Dakota College at Bottineau	Bottineau	Public	2
Dickinson State	Dickinson	Public	7
Lake Region State College	Devils Lake	Public	3
Mayville State	Mayville	Public	5
Minot State	Minot	Public	8
North Dakota State	Fargo	Public	42
North Dakota State College of Science	Wahpeton	Public	12
University of Jamestown	Jamestown	Private nonprofit	3
University of Mary	Bismarck	Private nonprofit	5
University of North Dakota	Grand Forks	Public	25
Valley City State	Valley City	Public	6
Williston State College	Williston	Public	3

"Programs" counts the school's programs that report first-year pay.

Common questions

The median nursing bachelor's program in North Dakota pays its graduates $72,522 in their first year, the most of 3 bachelor's fields ranked here. Business administration is next, at $48,105.

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.
Medians are across programs, not students: each program counts once, however many graduates it has.
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 figures when their main campus is in another state.
Price levels are the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities for 2024.

Sources

U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024