Why University Of Mary Outperforms Other North Dakota Schools

Breaking Down the Best Colleges and Universities

My son just graduated from the University of Mary here in Bismarck this past spring. I know firsthand that college can be an expensive proposition. And you always wonder if the cost of higher education is really worth the price you pay. Does that paper diploma really pay off when it comes to finding a good, high-paying job after school?

Well, our Friends at WalletHub recently broke down that data and found out which schools give you the best value for your buck for 2027. According to WalletHub Analyst Chip Lupo, "In general, universities tend to rank higher than colleges due to their inclusion of graduate-level programs, greater on-campus opportunities, and higher earnings for students post-graduation."

This study echoes that thought as the top 10 places for higher education in the United States are all universities. However, in North Dakota that is not neccessairly the case. Neither UND nor NDSU made the list of the Top 700 Universities or Colleges in this study. Mic drop, my mind was blown on that.

How the Data was Compiled

This WalletHub study compared 740 higher-education institutions in the United States across 30 key measures. The data was grouped into seven categories, such as Student Selectivity, Cost and Financing, and Career Outcomes. The metrics include student-faculty ratio, graduation rate, and post-attendance median salary.

After all that, when the smoke finally cleared, three ND higher education institutions made the Top 700 cut.

North Dakota's Best Colleges or Universities

Valley City State College came in at #517

Minot State University came in at #415

U of Mary came in at #213

How about that, our very own U of Mary scored very well and is one of the best colleges or universities in the country. Go Mauraders! You can read more about the WalletHub study here.