Bismarck State College
Public Community College in Bismarck, ND. Six-year graduation rate 47%. Median 10-year earnings $54,277.
Students who entered Bismarck State College land at a median of $54,277 a decade later, close to what most four-year schools deliver. Six-year completion sits at 47%, near the national average for undergraduate institutions. Graduates leave owing a median of $11,533 — modest by four-year standards. Mobility is where this school separates itself: 2.5% of students move from the bottom income quintile to the top.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ Debt-to-income ratio 0.21 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Academics
47% graduate within six years — average, but that average still hides a large group who do not. First-year retention is 77% — the single largest point of attrition on this campus. Retention runs well ahead of completion, which means students are not leaving immediately; they are leaving somewhere between the second year and the finish line. A 15% transfer-out rate accounts for part of that gap: those students left for another institution rather than dropping out, and the graduation rate above counts them as non-completers here. Part-time students fare worse, returning at 42% — relevant if you plan to work while enrolled.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 2,629 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Average net price is $10,462 a year after grant aid — low for a four-year institution, though your own figure depends on aid eligibility. Net price varies modestly by income — $6,140 at $0–30k against $13,979 at $110k+ — so the average is a fair guide for most families. About 59% get grants averaging $5,262, so plan on the possibility of paying closer to full price. About 31% borrow federally, roughly the national pattern.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 703 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $6,140 |
| $30–48k | $5,828 |
| $48–75k | $8,524 |
| $75–110k | $12,160 |
| $110k+ | $13,979 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 820 of these 2,629 students, totalling $4,868,209 — an average of $5,937 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Burleigh County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)