It's not easy to decide which school to attend when you have so many options available. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our Best Associate Degree Colleges in North Dakota ranking is part of that endeavor.
We analyzed 6 colleges and universities across North Dakota to determine which ones have the best associate degree programs. Our ranking methodology focuses on different objective factors to make this determination of the best schools. In the next few paragraphs, we'll talk a little about what we use in our analysis and why.
Better Early-Career Average Salaries
One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of associate graduates during the early years of their career. While associate degree recipients from schools in North Dakota earn an average starting salary of $48,480, those from the top 6 school on this list made an average of $51,733.
Starting Salary ( 37493 to 65080 )
Student Loan Borrowing
Students may also take on a lot of debt while working on their associate so we factor that into our rankings as well.
When attending a school in North Dakota, associate degree students accumulate an average of $8,532 in student debt before graduation.
We consider this number in conjunction with average post-graduation earnings to gauge the difficulty associate recipients will have paying back their loans.
Additional Ranking Factors We Use
In addition to average post-graduation earnings and average student debt loads, we also look at a host of other factors to determining our Best Associate Degree Schools ranking.
These factors include things like the educational resources, the demand associated with the school, whether or not the school offers online classes, and the student body caliber - just to name a few.
Are you more interested in the top associate degree schools in your area? Try narrowing this list by location. Also, check out our other college rankings to help you with your college decision.
Our analysis found Rasmussen University - North Dakota to be the best school for associate degrees in North Dakota in this year’s ranking. Rasmussen University - North Dakota is located in Fargo, North Dakota and has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 210 associate degrees to qualified graduate students.
Graduates with a associate degree from Rasmussen University - North Dakota make an average of $52,986 per year during the early years of their career. Associate students leave the school with an average of $8,532 in student loans.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Bismarck State College. It ranked #2 on our 2025 Best Associate Degree Schools in North Dakota list. BSC is located in Bismarck, North Dakota and has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 759 associate degrees to qualified graduate students.
Upon graduation, associate degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $61,332 during the early years of their career.
Out of the 6 associate degree schools in North Dakota that were part of this year’s ranking, North Dakota State College of Science landed the #3 spot on the list. Wahpeton, North Dakota is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associate degrees to 501 students in 2021-2022.
The average salary of a graduate with a associate degree from North Dakota State College of Science is $49,588 during the early years of their career.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Dakota College at Bottineau. It ranked #4 on our 2025 Best Associate Degree Schools in North Dakota list. MSU-Bottineau is a public institution located in Bottineau, North Dakota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 150 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
Upon graduation, associate degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $71,421 during the early years of their career.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Lake Region State College. The school came in at #5 in North Dakota on this year’s best associate degree schools ranking. Lake Region State College is a public institution located in Devils Lake, North Dakota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 173 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
Graduates with a associate degree from Lake Region State College make an average of $43,112 per year during the early years of their career.
Williston State College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Schools in North Dakota list. Located in Williston, North Dakota, the small public school handed out 254 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
The average salary of a graduate with a associate degree from Williston State College is $31,958 during the early years of their career.
The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
