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Cost & financial aid brief

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

Updated October 1, 2026

[Overview](/school/north-dakota-state-university-main-campus/)Cost & aid[Outcomes](/school/north-dakota-state-university-main-campus/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/north-dakota-state-university-main-campus/admissions/)[Majors](/school/north-dakota-state-university-main-campus/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/north-dakota-state-university-main-campus/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much does North Dakota State University-Main Campus cost after financial aid?

North Dakota State University-Main Campus publishes a cost of attendance of $23,716, with in-state tuition and fees at $11,110 and out-of-state at $15,764. Room and board adds another $9,928.

After grants and scholarships, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for aid recipients is $15,543, a savings of $8,173 against the sticker total. Aid covers about 34% of the published cost for the average aid recipient.

That average net price sits above the peer median of $14,068 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $1,475. Azimuth ranks the university #400 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

For families with the tightest budgets, the average net price drops to $9,370 for those earning under $30,000, which is well below the all-aid-recipient average. The spread between the lowest and highest income bands is $9,486, showing that aid narrows the gap but does not flatten it entirely.

Affordability at North Dakota State University-Main Campus is a mixed picture: the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) runs above the peer median, while median federal debt also lands above the peer median. Azimuth ranks the university's affordability pillar in the 72nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $15,543. That figure is above the peer median of $14,068 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $1,475.

Median federal student debt among completers who borrowed is $23,199, above the peer median of $21,229 by $1,970. Average net prices range from $9,370 in the lowest income band to $18,856 in the highest, a spread of $9,486.

Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s by family-income band show a progressive structure. For families earning under $30,000 the average net price is $9,370; for $30,001–$48,000 it is $11,343; for $48,001–$75,000 it is $11,923; for $75,001–$110,000 it is $16,082; and for families earning over $110,000 it is $18,856.

Pell Grant recipients make up 19.7% of undergraduates, providing context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $9,486.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$9,370

**$30–48K**
$11,343

**$48–75K**
$11,923

**$75–110K**
$16,082

**$110K+**
$18,856

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$15,543**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

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 price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s 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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)—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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) loans borrow a median of $14,621.

## Student loans: what does repayment look like?

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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $14,621. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $264.

[Repayment figures](#combined-borrowing) are in the Financial GPS card below. [Borrowing populations and model assumptions](#cost-data-notes).

## Parent loans: what can the family afford?

[How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/)

**Median Parent PLUS debt**
$14,621

**Estimated parent payment**
$186/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| Income | Risk level |
| --- | --- |
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | Caution |
| $100,000 | Safe |
| $150,000 | Safe |
| $200,000 | Safe |

The model holds the parent balance fixed and varies parent income. [Read the assumptions and limits](#cost-data-notes).

## Student and parent loans: the monthly payments

Financial GPS

### What does repayment look like?

**Institution median student debt**
$23,199

**Institution Parent PLUS debt**
$14,621

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

**Estimated student payment · monthly**
$264/mo

**Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly**
$186/mo

**Modeled student + parent payments**
$450/mo

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

#### Student payment as a share of available income

At median graduate earnings of $67,679, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**7.0%** of income above the allowance · Excellent

1.  Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
2.  Good 8–under 12%
3.  Concerning 12–20%
4.  High risk Over 20%

How this estimate works

These are modeled earnings scenarios, not observed earnings percentiles. Annual student payments ÷ (earnings − basic-expense allowance). The starting allowance, $22,590, uses the published framework’s 2024 baseline; it is not a current local living-cost estimate. Change it for your budget, including taxes and other obligations. This combines school-level figures for illustration, not a typical individual’s budget or an official school rating. Parent PLUS is separate.

[Read the framework and its limits](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/).

Payment assumptions

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.

[Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS](/financial-gps/?tool=student&school=north-dakota-state-university-main-campus#student-tool)

## Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/).

Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), 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](/about/).

**Net price and borrowing.** The 2023–24 income-band averages include living costs and cover eligible first-time, full-time aid recipients; public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. They are not individual aid offers. Peer matching supplies overall net prices, not matched income-band averages. [College Scorecard data and documentation](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/).

A personal student-risk assessment also needs your major and borrowing plan; these school-level illustrations do not assign you a personal risk zone.

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates. Private-loan figures from the Common Data Set are separate from these federal repayment illustrations.