Bismarck State College Overview
Bismarck State College is a public institution located in Bismarck, North Dakota. The location of BSC is great for students who prefer living in an urban area.
What Is Bismarck State College Known For?
- The bachelor's degree is the highest award offered at BSC.
- In 2017-2018, 97% of the faculty were full-time.
- Students who graduate from BSC with a bachelor's degree make about $44,800 a year. That's 10% more than those who graduate from other schools.
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Bismarck State College Rankings
BSC landed the #152 spot in our 2022 ranking of best colleges. We analyzed 2,587 colleges and universities across the nation to determine this ranking. This puts it in the top 10% of all schools in the nation. Out of the 14 colleges in North Dakota, it is ranked at #1.
Our rankings are based on an outcomes-based approach rather than subjective ones used by other media outlets. As such, we utilize data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) and the College Scorecard, among other sources. Visit our rankings and methodology section to learn more.
BSC has also been awarded the following overall awards by our latest rankings.
Rank | Ranking Name | Share |
---|---|---|
#23 | Best Bachelor’s Degree Schools | Tweet It - Post It |
#30 | Best Associate Degree Schools | Tweet It - Post It |
#112 | Best Undergraduate Certificate Schools | Tweet It - Post It |
Program Level Awards
These are highlights of some of the most noteworthy awards granted to specific programs at BSC.
Awards From Around the Web
The following table lists some notable awards BSC has earned from around the web.
Rank | Ranking Name | Source |
---|---|---|
#1 | Best Electronics Engineering Technology Schools | College Factual |
#3 | Best Agriculture & Agriculture Operations Schools | College Factual |
#3 | Best Agricultural Economics & Business Schools | College Factual |
#17 | Best Mechanic & Repair Technologies Schools | College Factual |
#23 | Best Engineering Technologies Schools | College Factual |
#40 | Best Business Schools | Business Degree Central |
Where Is Bismarck State College?

Contact details for BSC are given below.
Contact Details | |
---|---|
Address: | 1500 Edwards Ave., Bismarck, ND 58506-5587 |
Phone: | 701-224-5400 |
How Do I Get Into BSC?
You can apply to BSC online at: https://bismarckstate.edu/admissions/howtoapply/
Can I Afford Bismarck State College?
Student Loan Debt
While almost two-thirds of students nationwide take out loans to pay for college, the percentage may be quite different for the school you plan on attending. At BSC, approximately 46% of students took out student loans averaging $5,757 a year. That adds up to $23,028 over four years for those students.
The student loan default rate at BSC is 7.9%. Although this is lower than the national default rate of 10.1%, you'll still want to keep this in mind when taking out student loans.
Bismarck State College Undergraduate Student Diversity

Gender Diversity
Of the 1,955 full-time undergraduates at BSC, 59% are male and 41% are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity
The racial-ethnic breakdown of Bismarck State College students is as follows.

Race/Ethnicity | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Asian | 17 |
Black or African American | 42 |
Hispanic or Latino | 93 |
White | 1,674 |
International Students | 5 |
Other Races/Ethnicities | 124 |
Geographic Diversity
North Dakota students aren't the only ones who study at Bismarck State College. At this time, 20 states are represented by the student population at the school.
Over 7 countries are represented at BSC. The most popular countries sending students to the school are Nigeria, Bahamas, and Philippines.
Online Learning at Bismarck State College
The following chart shows how the online learning population at BSC has changed over the last few years.

This school is the 2nd most popular in North Dakota for online learning according to the online graduations recorded by the Department of Education for the academic year 2019-2020.
Online Affordability Rankings of BSC
During the most recent year for which we have data, the full-time undergraduate tuition at Bismarck State College was $3,604 for in-state students. Out-of-state students paid $8,383. The following table shows how BSC is ranked for affordability for both in-state and out-of-state students among colleges and universities that are not mostly online.
Major | Tuition for In-State Students | Tuition for Out-of-State Students |
---|---|---|
Engineering-Related Technologies | #1 | #1 |
Engineering Technologies | #7 | #1 |
Business Administration & Management | #13 | #31 |
Business, Management & Marketing | #19 | #31 |
Online Growth Rankings of BSC
The average growth rate over the last four years of online students at Bismarck State College was -3.5%. This is the #1,900 largest growth rate of all schools that are only partially online. This refers to all students at BSC regardless of major.
The following table shows the 1-year growth rate of BSC majors that offer at least one online course. This table only includes majors with positive growth.
Major | 1-Year Growth Rate |
---|---|
Business Administration & Management | 3% |
The table below shows how the average growth rate over 4 years at BSC ranks compared to all other partially online schools that offer a specific major. Note that the majors may or may not be offered online at BSC.
Major | Growth Rate Rank | |
---|---|---|
Nuclear Engineering Technology | #7 | |
Human Services | #145 | |
Engineering Technologies | #357 |
When we speak of partially online, we are referring to schools whose online population is less than 50% of its total student body. Mostly online refers to those with online populations greater than or equal to 50%.
Bismarck State College Undergraduate Concentrations
The table below shows the number of awards for each concentration.
References
*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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