Graduate Tuition
Tuition and student fees are assessed each semester based on several student-specific factors such as residency, career, credit load, and major. The corresponding charges are associated with their registration activity in Campus Connection. For tuition purposes, students are considered full-time when enrolled in thirteen or more credits. Alternative credit thresholds may be set for financial aid eligibility.
Graduate Tuition Rate Chart Key, Billing Methods and Other Considerations
Differential Tuition
Select majors, typically based on the assigned College, are charged a higher tuition rate referred to as “differential tuition”. Students not assigned differential tuition are charged the base tuition rate. The assignment of the differential tuition rate is based on the student’s declared major—it is not based on individual class selection.
- Architecture/Landscape Architecture, Nursing, or Public Health differential tuition is assessed on all credits of students admitted to programs overseen by each of the respective Colleges.
- Engineering differential tuition is assessed on all credits of students admitted to an academic program overseen by the College of Engineering. Examples of engineering majors include: Agriculture & Bio Systems, Civil, Construction Engineering/Management, Electrical, Environmental, Industrial, Mechanical and Manufacturing, and Computer Science.
- Business differential tuition is assessed on all credits of students admitted to an academic program overseen by the College of Business. Examples of business majors include: Accounting, Business Administration, Finance, Management, Management Information Systems, Marketing, Global Business, and Supply Chain Management.
- Students with majors outside the College of Business who have declared a minor within the College of Business, will be charged tuition in accordance with their declared major. However, students will be charged additionally for credits provided by the College of Business if they have a declared minor in, for example, Accounting, Banking, Business Administration, Entrepreneurship, Fraud Investigation, Logistics Management, or Management Information Systems, or certificate in Entrepreneurship, Finance, Banking, or Professional Selling. Note: Graduate certificates are viewed as second majors (not minors).
- Athletic Training differential tuition is assessed on all credits of students admitted to the Master of Athletic Training (MATrg) program.
The differential tuition rate replaces the base rate and starts at the point in time that the student is accepted into the program. Students who have declared multiple majors are billed at a single tuition rate corresponding with the highest programmatic rate of the student. If a student should elect to leave a major with differential tuition, the major change form must be submitted and processed prior to the week four census date. Changes completed after the four-week census will not be effective until the following term.
Residency and Reciprocity
A primary component of a student’s tuition charges is their assigned residency. Some students may receive a discounted rate as the result of a tuition agreement between higher education institutions and systems.
*All Minnesota rates are per the ND-MN Reciprocity Agreement. Minnesota residents who have not been approved by the Minnesota Office of Higher Education (MNOHE) to receive the lower reciprocity rate will be charged the Midwest Student Exchange Program (MSEP) tuition rate.
- MSEP States: Students from states participating in the Midwest Student Exchange Program.
- Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP) States/Territories: Students from states participating in the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education.
Children and spouses of North Dakota college and university graduates may be eligible for reduced tuition while attending NDSU as an undergraduate through the Alumni Tuition Incentive Program. Eligibility must be noted at time of application and graduate students are not eligible.
Tuition Cap
With the exception of Architecture, graduate tuition is charged on a per-credit basis. For Architecture students, tuition is capped at thirteen credits per semester. This tuition cap refers to NDSU tuition charges only. Full-time status, scholarship eligibility, and financial aid may have alternative credit requirements.
Credits Outside of Declared Major
Tuition is billed based on the student’s declared major. This assigned tuition rate applies to all credits, regardless of the subject matter. No discount is provided for differential tuition on classes not administered by the student’s assigned College.
Multiple Majors
Students with multiple declared majors in the same billing career (e.g., undergraduate) will be billed at a single tuition rate. This tuition rate will be charged on all credits; tuition is not charged by class. If one of the declared majors is within a college approved to charge differential tuition, the differential rate will be charged. In instances where both declared majors are within colleges assigned differential tuition, the greater of the two will be charged. Certificates are viewed as majors.
Multiple Careers
Students enrolled in multiple careers (e.g., both undergraduate and graduate) may be billed separately for each and the tuition cap does not apply across careers. Mandatory student fees do cap across careers. Exception: Architecture students in multiple careers will have their tuition capped at the graduate tuition rate.
Tuition Waivers
Tuition waivers may only be applied to tuition charges and may not be utilized to pay housing and/or miscellaneous charges. In instances where the tuition waiver awarded is greater than the tuition charges, the overage may not be refunded to the student.
Collaborative and Metro College Alliance
The above rates do not reflect the tuition rates of schools hosting NDSU students via the NDUS collaborative or Metro College Alliance registration. NDUS collaborative students are charged additionally for tuition/fees at the provider school and the credits are not included in the tuition cap. Metro College Alliance students are billed for the credits by NDSU but will pay separately at the provider school for differential tuition, course fees, and any other items beyond base tuition.
Audit Rate
The audit rate is 50% of the base tuition rate, corresponding to the student’s individual residency. Students cannot select the audit option while registering for classes. Instead, a permit is required and enrollment is completed by the Office of Registration & Records.
Dedicated Online Programs
Students in select programs that are offered and available in a fully online format, may be billed at the ND resident tuition rate.
At time of application, students will indicate their intent to participate in a dedicated online program. By making this designation, students will be prohibited from enrolling in face-to-face, on-campus classes. Current students that wish to move to a dedicated online program must work with their academic advisor to submit a major change form. Frequent moves between the online major and its face-to-face counterpart are not permitted.
For students with multiple majors, with one being online and the other being in a traditional face-to-face format, the student’s online major will be changed to its face-to-face counterpart and the student will be charged tuition at their assigned residency rate (e.g., ND, MN, non-resident, international). This protocol applies to certificates as well.
Students in dedicated online programs are allowed to take hybrid blended, face-to-face off campus and independent study courses.
There is no tuition cap for any Graduate level online programs.