Students who are trying to decide whether or not an online degree program is right for them should consider these super convenient online colleges in North Dakota. Online degree programs tend to be much cheaper than on-campus degrees. Another great benefit of online degree programs is that they allow students to create a class schedule that works best for them. This is great for students who already have demanding schedules. Finally, online degrees also open up students to schools that they are not geographically located near. Below you will find a ranking of our top nonprofit online colleges in North Dakota as ranked by their tuition rate per credit.
Ranking the Best Online Colleges in North Dakota
#1. Bismarck State College
Established in 1939, Bismarck State College is a public college. Located in Bismarck, Bismarck State College is a member of the North Dakota State University System. Originally a community college, Bismarck State College was founded as a response to a growing call from the community for an accessible institution of higher learning. Known as Bismarck Junior College at this time, the school was operated out of the third floor of Bismarck High School. After operating from there for twelve years, Bismarck Junior College finally received funding from the state of North Dakota to begin construction on its own campus. Bismarck Junior College completed the transition to its own campus in 1955. However, this new campus was almost immediately too small for the quickly growing Bismarck Junior College. Fortunately, another plot of land was donated on the edge of Bismarck. Moving to this new location, Bismarck Junior College was afforded the ample space that it needed to continue to grow. Soon after moving to this new location, Bismarck State College began opening additional satellite campuses across the state of North Dakota. Today, Bismarck State College enrolls almost 3,800 students.
Featured Programs
Students at Bismarck State College can choose from a wide variety of academic programs offered at the school. At this time, Bismarck State College offers over twenty different undergraduate degree programs to select from. Of these programs, many of them are made available to students entirely online. By offering these programs to students online, Bismarck State College has ranked among the top online universities and colleges in North Dakota. Bismarck State College is a public institution.
Accreditation: Bismarck State College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC).
Tuition: $244/credit
Click here for a list of Bismarck State College‘s online programs.
#2. Minot State University
Located in Minot, North Dakota, Minot State University is a public university. Established in 1913, Minot State University was originally known as the Minot Normal School. Developed as part of a plan by the North Dakota government to help bolster the quality of the state’s public education system, Minot Normal School was opened in the northwestern part of the state with the aim of providing teacher training courses to students. By 1924, Minot Normal School expanded beyond solely providing teacher training into providing bachelor’s degrees. At this time, the school was offering a limited number of bachelor’s degrees–mainly ones related to education. This resulted in the school begin renamed to Minot State Teacher’s College. As time went on, Minot State Teacher’s College slowly worked towards expanding its curriculum. By 1964, it was clear that Minot State Teacher’s College offered much more than educational degrees, and the school was renamed to Minot State College. The next big change came for Minot State College in 1987. It was at this point that the school had reached university status and was renamed to Minot State University. In a little over seventy years, Minot State University went from state normal school to state university. Today, Minot State University boasts a student body of around 3,500 students.
Home of the Beavers, Minot State University currently maintains a large catalog of academic programs from which to enroll in. At the time of this writing, students at Minot State University can choose from over sixty different undergraduate degrees as well as over ten graduate degrees. Many of these programs are also offered to students entirely online. By dedicating resources to online learning, Minot State University has ranked among the top online universities and colleges in North Dakota. Minot State University is a public institution.
Accreditation: Minot State University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC).
Tuition: $294/credit
Click here for a list of Minot State University‘s online programs.
#3. Mayville State University
Written into the North Dakota Constitution, Mayville State University was first established in 1889. A public university, Mayville State University is located in Mayville, North Dakota. Having just been admitted into the Union, North Dakota was interested in rapidly building up the quality of its public education system. To do so, North Dakota established a series of normal schools across the state that were to act as teacher training facilities. Mayville Normal School was one of these facilities. Over the coming years, Mayville Normal School would expand its curriculum to offer its students the opportunity to enroll in bachelor’s in education programs. Completing this transition in 1926, Mayville Normal School was renamed in 1926. Now operating as a teacher’s college, Mayville State Teacher’s College soon expanded its offerings to include even more academic degree programs. By offering more college degrees, Mayville State Teacher’s College was renamed once again to Mayville State University in 1987. It was at that time in Mayville State University’s history that the school started to offer graduate degree programs as well as undergraduate degrees. Now, Mayville State University has grown to enroll nearly 1,200 students.
Mayville State University offers its students a large catalog of academic programs to choose from. Currently, students at Mayville State University can choose from dozens of undergraduate and graduate degree programs offered at the school. A selection of these degree programs is also made available to students entirely online. By offering these programs online, Mayville State University has earned its place among the top colleges online in North Dakota. Mayville State University is a public institution.
Accreditation: Mayville State University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC).
Tuition: $295/credit
Click here for a list of Mayville State University‘s online programs.
#4. Dickinson State University
With the motto “Small Community. Big Opportunity”, Dickinson State University is a public university. Located in Dickinson, North Dakota, Dickinson State University was first established in 1918. Originally known as Dickinson Normal School, Dickinson State University was founded as part of North Dakota’s effort to create an infrastructure of normal schools throughout the state that would act as teacher training facilities. This plan was set in place in order to help create a workforce of highly-educated teachers. Originally operating out of Dickinson High School, construction for Dickinson State University’s official campus began in 1924. It was around this time that Dickinson Normal School was renamed to Dickinson State Teachers College due to its addition of bachelor of education programs. The inclusion of this first bachelors degree led Dickinson State Teachers College to begin offering students even more academic programs to enroll in. This led to the school being renamed to Dickinson State College and then finally to Dickinson State University after offering students graduate programs. Now a member of the North Dakota University System, Dickinson State University is home to a student body known as the Blue Hawks.
Enrolling almost 1,400 students, Dickinson State University maintains a large catalog of academic programs from which students can choose to enroll in. At the time of this writing, students at Dickinson State University can select from over seventy-five different undergraduate degrees as well as a number of graduate programs. A large selection of these programs is made available to students entirely online. By offering these programs online, Dickinson State University has ranked among the top online colleges in North Dakota. Dickinson State University is a public institution.
Accreditation: Dickinson State University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC).
Tuition: $331/credit
Click here for a list of Dickinson State University‘s online programs.
#5. Valley City State University
Located in Valley City, North Dakota, Valley City State University is a public university. Originally founded in 1890, Valley City State University is a member of the North Dakota University System. Originally known as Valley City State Normal School, Valley City State University began its history as a teacher training facility. During this time, Valley City State Normal School was part of a network of normal schools located throughout the state of North Dakota. Working to train teachers for jobs across the state, Valley City State Normal School soon began to expand beyond just offering students the opportunity for teacher training. After offering its first bachelor’s degrees in 1921, Valley City State Normal School was renamed to Valley City State Teachers College. Following the end of World War II, Valley City State Teachers College expanded its degree offerings beyond degrees in education, resulting in another name change to Valley City State College. In 1986, the school received university status and was renamed to State University of North Dakota-Valley City. This name was changed just a year later to the current name of Valley City State University. It was also around this time that Valley City State University was made part of the North Dakota University System. Today, Valley City State University enrolls over 1,400 students.
Students at Valley City State University can select from a large catalog of academic programs offered at the school. Currently, Valley City State University is offering over eighty different undergraduate degrees for students to enroll in as well as a number of graduate programs. Many of the programs at Valley City State University are also available online. By offering these programs to students online, Valley City State University has ranked among the top online colleges in North Dakota. Valley City State University is a public institution.
Accreditation: Valley City State University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC).
Tuition: $540/credit
Click here for a list of Valley City State University‘s online programs.
#6. North Dakota State University
Established in 1890, North Dakota State University is a public research university. Located in Fargo, North Dakota, North Dakota State University was originally founded as the North Dakota Agricultural College. While officially established in 1890, plans for the North Dakota Agricultural College began seven years earlier. The first classes at the North Dakota Agricultural College were held in rooms rented from Fargo College. By 1892, the first set of buildings that now make up the North Dakota State University campus were completed, and North Dakota Agricultural College settled into its new home. Over the course of the coming decades, North Dakota Agricultural College would grow its curriculum to include programs outside the scope of an agricultural college. Adding degree programs from a variety of different academic disciplines, it was decided that North Dakota Agricultural College would be renamed to North Dakota State University in 1960. Shortly after this, the North Dakota State University System was created, and North Dakota State University was made the flagship of this network of schools. Since then, North Dakota State University has grown to become one of the largest schools in the state, enrolling almost 14,400 students.
Students at North Dakota State University are able to choose from a large catalog of academic programs offered by the school. At the time of this writing, North Dakota State University is offering its students over 170 undergraduate degree programs as well as over 80 master’s degrees and almost fifty doctoral programs. A large amount of these programs is made available to students entirely online. By offering these programs to students online, North Dakota State University has ranked among the top online colleges in North Dakota. North Dakota State University is a public institution.
Accreditation: North Dakota State University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC).
Tuition: $545/credit
Click here for a list of North Dakota State University‘s online programs.
#7. University of Mary
A private Catholic university, the University of Mary is located in Bismarck, North Dakota. With the current motto “The Light of Life”, the University of Mary was first established in 1959. Originally opened as Mary College, the University of Mary was founded by a group called the Benedictine Sisters of Annunciation Monastery. In its earliest years, Mary College was operated by the Benedictine Sisters of Annunciation Monastery as a women’s college. However, this was changed during the 1960s when the school began admitting men into its programs. From the very beginning, the University of Mary saw fast growth, especially when it came to the school’s student population. Originally only offering its students degrees in education and nursing, the University of Mary was fast to expand its curriculum to cover a wide range of different degree programs to choose from. In 1986, the University of Mary underwent another major change when it began offering its students the opportunity to enroll in a variety of different master’s degrees. This change led to the school being renamed to the University of Mary. In 2005, the University of Mary launched its University of Mary Worldwide initiative, which focused on bringing more of its academic programs to students online. Today, the University of Mary boasts a student body of almost 3,700 students.
Students at the University of Mary are able to enroll in a large number of different degree programs offered at the school. At the time of this writing, the University of Mary offers over sixty-five different academic programs from which students can enroll in. Many of these programs are also offered to students entirely online. By dedicating resources to online learning, the University of Mary has placed among the top online colleges in North Dakota. University of Mary is a private institution.
Accreditation: University of Mary is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC).
Tuition: $560/credit
Click here for a list of University of Mary‘s online programs.
#8. University of North Dakota
The state’s oldest public university, the University of North Dakota is a public research university. Founded in 1883, the University of North Dakota actually predates North Dakota’s statehood. Enrolling its first class of students a year after its founding, the University of North Dakota occupied a small campus just outside of Grand Forks, North Dakota. Over time, the University of North Dakota campus grew and became intertwined with downtown Grand Forks. Building a trolley system between the two locations, the University of North Dakota was able to stay better connected to the city it was slowly growing towards. During World War II, enrollment at the University of North Dakota skyrocketed. With this influx of students came a major initiative to grow the campus to include more housing and academic buildings. With this growth came the creation of additional degree programs from which students could enroll in. Now, the University of North Dakota has grown to become a large integral part of Grand Forks. The school is also home to many important research facilities including the Energy and Environmental Research Center and the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center. Today, the University of North Dakota enrolls almost 14,700 students.
With the motto “Light and Law”, the University of North Dakota offers its students many different academic programs to enroll in. Currently, students at the University of North Dakota can pick from over ninety different undergraduate programs, over fifty graduate programs, and almost thirty doctoral programs. A large number of these programs are also made available to students entirely online. By offering these programs online, the University of North Dakota has placed among our top online universities and colleges in North Dakota. University of North Dakota is a public institution.
Accreditation: University of North Dakota is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC).
Tuition: $864/credit
Click here for a list of University of North Dakota‘s online programs.
NPCO Staff
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