Best Online Colleges in North Dakota of 2025

University Headquarters (HQ) is an industry-leading, independent educational organization that provides independent college rankings using a proprietary formula to create first class, unbiased rankings. The team at University HQ strives to provide accurate and trustworthy rankings that highlight the best programs in North Dakota.

Featured Online Programs

North Dakota is home to a diverse economy that is fueled by its educated population. North Dakotans have many strong options when it comes to working in their home state. Perhaps the most popular choice for employment is the trade, transportation, and utilities sector, which employs more people than any other single industry sector. Following that, government and education and health services are close behind. Regardless of which industrial sector is most popular, North Dakota's economy is currently maintaining strong employment numbers. While a few sectors have reported falls in overall employment, those retractions are small and relatively rare in the North Dakota economy.

To ensure that workers remain fully prepared for the demands of the contemporary North Dakotan economy, the state's colleges and universities provide appropriate degree programs. From community colleges and associate degrees to universities and master’s degrees, students in North Dakota can pursue the credentials that will make them successful for a lifetime.

north_dakota_map_university | University HQ

Search Programs

Online Higher Education in North Dakota

College education is not cheap, even in North Dakota. However, state residents are able to find tremendous value in the state's publicly funded colleges and universities. In fact, North Dakotans pay an average of only around $7,500 for tuition and fees. Even students from other states can find a great value in North Dakota. Non-resident tuition in North Dakota averages only around $8,000, which is less than in-state tuition in some states.

However, the cost of living raises the cost significantly. This is where online education, or distance learning, can be of great help. This is because an online student has more options in terms of where they would like to study. If their university is in a larger city, such as Fargo, they can take the online option and live in a more affordable town up near the Canadian border, for example.

Find Your Online North Dakota Program

In fact, it seems that North Dakota's students are following trends found across the United States. The state's undergraduate population tends to favor exclusively online degree programs by nearly 25%. Nearly half of all students take at least some of their courses online, with fewer opting for an exclusively on-campus experience. These numbers are fairly steady for graduate students, as well, nearly half of whom are in school exclusively online or are taking some portion of their courses online.

While online education tends to cost roughly the same as a campus degree, it does offer more benefits. The chief benefit is that students have a lot more flexibility for when they choose to study and even when they choose to submit assignments. While each program and instructor will have their own rules, the lack of rigid class times can be very appealing to students who need time for their jobs or families.

Our School Rankings Methodology

Our researchers are constantly striving to provide students with the most objective, useful rankings possible. The goal is to present information that students and their families can weigh against their own subjective thoughts regarding college degree programs. For instance, some may prefer certain schools based on the athletic team or whether it’s a family tradition to attend. But our researchers evaluate educational statistics such as the retention rate, graduation rate, and student-to-faculty ratios to determine which online degree program is the best.

The retention rate is a figure many might not be familiar with. This statistic measures how many first-time, full-time students return to campus for a second year. A high retention rate indicates that students and their families are pleased with the campus, faculty, and curriculum. Then a high graduation rate likewise indicates a very strong academic program, as does a very small student-faculty ratio.