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Public Community College

Northland Community
and Technical College

Public Community College in Thief River Falls, MN. Six-year graduation rate 56%. Median 10-year earnings $44,425.

Verdict Mixed outcomes
Northland Community and Technical College · Campus
Median earnings · 10 yr
$44,425
Median debt at grad
$12,000
Graduation rate
56%
Federal loan default
0%

The median ten-year earnings figure of $44,425 sits near the national middle rather than at either extreme. Six-year completion sits at 56%, near the national average for undergraduate institutions. Median debt at graduation is $12,000, a light load against those earnings.

Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.

Green Flags
  • Debt-to-income ratio 0.27 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
  • 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Red Flags

Academics

Full-time retention
70%
Transfer-out rate
11%
Student:faculty
18:1

56% graduate within six years — average, but that average still hides a large group who do not. First-year retention is 70% — the single largest point of attrition on this campus. Retention and completion are close, which places the gap between entering and finishing almost entirely in year one. Part-time students fare worse, returning at 57% — relevant if you plan to work while enrolled. A 18:1 ratio is unremarkable; expect a mix of lecture halls and seminars.

Financial Aid

Average net price
$13,776
Full-time, first-time undergraduates paying the in-state rate who were awarded grant or scholarship aid
% receiving grants
61%
degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
% receiving federal loans
41%
degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates

IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 1,382 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates

At $13,776 a year on average after grant aid, cost is low here relative to most undergraduate institutions. Net price varies modestly by income — $11,348 at $0–30k against $18,536 at $110k+ — so the average is a fair guide for most families. About 61% get grants averaging $4,965, so plan on the possibility of paying closer to full price. 41% of students take federal loans, a middling borrowing rate.

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.

% receiving grants
62%
Average grant
$5,754

IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 230 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 $11,348
$30–48k $10,526
$48–75k $13,206
$75–110k $15,823
$110k+ $18,536

IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24

Federal student loans went to 573 of these 1,382 students, totalling $3,674,360 — an average of $6,412 each.

IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24

Local housing costs

Typical rents near campus (Pennington County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.

Studio
$774/mo
1 bedroom
$855/mo
2 bedroom (whole unit)
$1,122/mo

HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026

Veterans & GI Bill

GI Bill students
21
Yellow Ribbon
No
Principles of Excellence
Yes

VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)

Compare Northland Community and Technical College with peer institutions

How we evaluate Northland Community and Technical College

IPEDS
US Department of Education
College Scorecard
Post-grad earnings
Census PSEO
Earnings by major
Opportunity Insights
Mobility by institution
Read our full methodology →