North Dakota State University-Main Campus Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

At North Dakota State University-Main Campus, the typical aid recipient sees the sticker price reduced by $8,173, with aid covering about 34% of the published cost. Average net prices are smallest for the lowest incomes: $9,370 for families earning under $30,000, $11,343 for the $30,001–$48,000 band, $11,923 for $48,001–$75,000, $16,082 for $75,001–$110,000, and $18,856 for those earning over $110,000.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $9,486, a pattern that coincides with larger aid amounts for lower-income families.

North Dakota State University-Main Campus publishes a cost of attendance of $23,716, with in-state tuition and fees at $11,110 and room and board at $9,928. For families earning under $30,000, the average net price—what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships—is $9,370; for the $48,001–$75,000 band it is $11,923, and for families earning over $110,000 it is $18,856.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $9,486. Azimuth ranks the university #400 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Aid covers about 34% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, a savings of $8,173 against the sticker price. The average net price across all aid recipients is $15,543, which sits above the peer median of $14,068 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $1,475.

Out-of-state students face a higher published tuition of $15,764 before aid. Graduates who borrow federal loans leave with a median debt of $23,199.

About 93.2% of federal aid recipients take federal loans, and that debt is above the peer median of $21,229 by $1,970. It corresponds to an estimated payment of $264 a month if repaid over ten years.

Parents who take out Parent PLUS loans borrow a median of $14,621.

Completing borrowers at North Dakota State University-Main Campus carry a median federal student debt of $23,199. That median is above the $21,229 figure at comparable institutions (same type and size) by $1,970.

Across all undergraduates, 93.2% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Parent borrowers show median Parent PLUS debt of $14,621.

In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported that 68% of graduates borrowed from any source, including 66% with federal loans and 30% with private loans. Average cumulative borrowing was $33,062 per borrower, with federal borrowers averaging $21,014 and private borrowers averaging $27,894. Debt sits above the peer median alongside broad undergraduate borrowing.

Graduates of North Dakota State University-Main Campus see earnings that outpace both peers and expectations. Four years after completion, the median is $67,679, a figure in the 72nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

That is above the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $10,378. Graduates earn about $4,090 more than the model expects for similar students, an outcome in the 69th percentile nationally.

Earnings scenarios derived from the university's program mix show a typical earnings level at the same median, with a downside scenario of $50,706 and an upside scenario of $92,010. On the cost side, the median federal student debt at completion is $23,199, which is above the $21,229 peer median.

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $264 a month if repaid over ten years. Above-expected earnings combined with a debt load that is only modestly above the peer median point to a solid return for graduates.

Median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $14,621. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $264.

Sources and reporting periods: methodology.

Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.