2024 Top Online Colleges in North Dakota

North Dakota features a solid selection of online courses and degrees for postsecondary learners. We’ll take you on a quick tour of the state’s online course catalog, explain how to take online classes at any public college in the state, and cover easy credit transfer methods. In case you’re not satisfied, we’ll also explain how to get cheaper tuition at online schools across state lines. Then, we’ll break down the state’s top performer and notify you of schools with accreditation troubles. Finally, we’ll sum it all up with a list of web resources to get you one step closer to your online degree.

Online Degrees in North Dakota: What to Know

1. Take Online Courses Across the State

Here’s the dilemma. You’re enrolled at one school, but you want to take a class at another. Although this could be a hassle in many states, it’s no problem in North Dakota. That’s because the colleges comprising the North Dakota University System (NDUS) allow students registered at one college to painlessly take classes at other NDUS schools. No extra enrollment necessary. The University System collaborative process was expressly designed to enhance students’ distance education options.

Students can enroll for collaborative status through their home institution. For the uninitiated, NDUS is made up of five community colleges — Bismarck State College, Dakota College at Bottineau, Lake Region State College, North Dakota State College of Science, and Williston State College — and six universities — Dickinson State University, Mayville State University, Minot State University, North Dakota State University, University of North Dakota, and Valley City State University.

2. Find Online Courses at Any Public College in North Dakota

If you choose the collaborative student route, you’ll have access to more than 1,000 online courses. But how to find them? The class search tool, which sits in the CampusConnection wing of the North Dakota University System website, points you toward distance ed courses at any of the state’s 11 public colleges. If you like, you can filter by school, term, subject and/or course style. No matter what, though, make sure to select an online format under “Mode of Instruction.”

3. North Dakota Makes It Easy to Transfer Credits

Thanks to the permeability of the North Dakota University System, it may behoove you to enroll in an inexpensive associate degree program at one of its community colleges and then transfer to a four-year university. Since they’re all part of the NDUS, it’s a fairly straightforward process. For one thing, the system uses common course numbers, so English 101 at one college is, you guessed it, English 101 at another. Moreover, the state’s tribal colleges and private universities have also adopted common course numbers.

NDUS and the tribal colleges have also teamed up to create the General Education Requirements Transfer Agreement (GERTA). Look up your college in the GERTA guide to see which courses automatically count as general education when transferring to another school.

4. Use Reciprocity Agreements to Go Out of State

North Dakota maintains several reciprocity agreements. The first is the Minnesota-North Dakota Tuition Reciprocity Program. North Dakota students may enroll in approved programs at Minnesota public colleges (or vice versa) at a lower rate. On a larger scale, North Dakota’s membership in the Midwest Student Exchange Program (MSEP) means that ND residents will pay no more than 150% of the cost of in-state tuition at participating colleges in eight other Midwestern states.

On a still larger scale, North Dakota also participates in several exchange programs through the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE). The Western Undergraduate Exchange guarantees that North Dakotans pursuing an undergraduate degree will pay no more than 150% of the in-state rate at eligible schools in 14 Western states. Thanks to the Western Regional Graduate Program, graduate students pay the same rate as residents but only in specific programs, most of which are classroom-based rather than online.

(Note: If you’re headed from a MSEP or WICHE member state to North Dakota, you’re also eligible for tuition discounts)

Affordable Online Schools in North Dakota

We put all the colleges in North Dakota through our affordability algorithm, and three schools rose above the rest to meet our standards for quality, flexibility and cost. Check out College Scorecard to see how they compare to other Dakota colleges in terms of graduation rates, debt load and financial aid distribution.

• Dickinson State University

  DSU Online runs certificate, associate and bachelor’s programs. Although it’s a state-run university, Dickinson charges nonresidents the same rate as North Dakotan for online courses. (Read the fine print.) That’s a big bonus for nonresidents looking for an affordable entry point into the state’s higher education system. Learn about how financial aid in the form of scholarships, grants and loans can lower the price further.

• North Dakota State University-Main Campus

  NDSU’s Distance & Continuing Education has the full scoop on its online & hybrid programs. You might even want to speed up your degree by taking online courses through summer school. Students enrolled in NDSU campus programs and high schoolers aiming for early entry or dual credit are also welcome to take online classes. When it comes to tuition & fees, online students are billed at residency rates; check out the Financial Aid & Scholarships section for advice on funding.

  Interested in human sciences or agriculture? NDSU has a fabulous deal! The school is a member of the Great Plains Interactive Distance Education Alliance (Great Plains IDEA), a consortium of 19 public universities that have banded together to offer cool multi-institution graduate programs. Online courses are taught by experienced faculty from many schools, but there’s always one common price per credit hour and no out-of-state fees or distance delivery fees.

• University of North Dakota

  At UND’s Online & Distance Education arm, you’ll find full descriptions of online degrees and online courses, including doctorates! Details on admissions criteria and tuition are listed on each degree page. In many standard programs, online students pay in-state tuition, regardless of residency. Funding & scholarship questions can be directed toward the Student Financial Aid Office.

  Curious about the university’s distance learning reputation? UND is doing just fine—especially in business. In U.S. News & Report rankings for UND online programs, the university is often in the Top 40 of Best Online MBA and Best Online Graduate Business Programs (Excluding MBA). Rankings for its graduate engineering, graduate education and bachelor’s programs are also very respectable.

Online Schools in North Dakota with Accreditation & Quality Concerns

Checking a North Dakota school’s accreditation status is straightforward for two reasons. First, you generally don’t have to worry about state-run colleges. Second, North Dakota houses relatively few private institutions. Here’s how to check your school’s status:

• The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) accredits nearly every degree-granting institution in North Dakota. See its list of North Dakota institutions on its website. Students at HLC-accredited schools are eligible for federal financial aid and can often transfer credits between institutions.
• From HLC’s website, click on any “Public Disclosure Notices” to see if the Commission has taken a negative action against a school. A notice is equivalent to a warning and can usually be cleared up easily; probation means the school is out of compliance with Commission standards; and show-cause means HLC is threatening to drop the school’s accreditation.
• Although most North Dakota colleges seek HLC accreditation, some seek national accreditation instead. Students at nationally accredited schools still qualify for financial aid but lose the transfer flexibility that students at regionally accredited schools (e.g., HLC institutions) have. To see a full list of accredited schools in North Dakota, visit the Council for Higher Education Accreditation’s (CHEA) database. (Note: If your school is part of a chain, such as Rasmussen College, it may be categorized in the database under another state.)

If you can’t find your school anywhere in CHEA’s database, that’s bad news because it means it’s unaccredited. But just because a school is accredited doesn’t mean everything is swell. Below are two Dakota schools that have recently been warned by their accreditor:

• Cankdeska Cikana Community College

  HLC placed the tribal college, which makes online courses available to its students, on probation in 2015 due to “concerns related to program review, general education, assessment of student learning, persistence and completion, and planning.” HLC will determine in 2017 whether the college has adequately addressed the areas of noncompliance. It remains fully accredited while on probation.

• Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College

  Formerly known as Fort Berthold Community College, Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish is a tribal college offering online courses to its students. As of 2016, the Department of Education had placed the school on “heightened cash monitoring 2” (HCM2), a status that leaves it unable to distribute financial aid to students in the normal manner. Under HCM2, schools are reimbursed for grants and loans they distribute, which may negatively affect the school’s cash flow. However, HLC appeared less concerned; in 2016, it actually removed the college from notice.

North Dakota Online Education Resources

Accreditation

• Higher Learning Commission (HLC): The Higher Learning Commission is the regional accrediting body for North Dakota colleges and universities. All community colleges, state universities and tribal colleges — and most private institutions — choose HLC accreditation.

Distance Learning Resources

• Midwest Student Exchange Program (MSEP): North Dakotans qualify for reduced tuition in traditional and online programs at participating colleges across the Midwest. The same holds true for Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska and Wisconsin residents coming to North Dakota.
• North Dakota University System (NDUS): Learn how to enroll as as a collaborative student and take distance ed courses across the state higher education system. The NDUS website also features plenty of useful information about transferability of credits. Finally, if you’re aching to go to college in Minnesota, the NDUS website shows you how to receive a lower rate through the Minnesota-North Dakota Tuition Reciprocity Program.
• Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE): Although they’re not specific to distance ed students, WICHE’s two tuition reciprocity programs — the Western Undergraduate Exchange and the Western Regional Graduate Program — allow North Dakotans to reduce the price of out-of-state degrees in member states. Residents of Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming get the same deal if they attend a participating college in North Dakota.

Online Degree & Course Catalogs

• North Dakota Center for Distance Education: Want an early start? Find online courses for sixth through 12th graders, including Advanced Placement courses. Any student in or out of the state can register for classes, but they are not free.
• North Dakota University System CampusConnection: Search for distance ed courses across NDUS schools. Select an online format under “Mode of Instruction,” then narrow your options to a specific school, term, subject and/or course style.