Northland Community and Technical College vs Ridgewater College

Northland Community and Technical College and Ridgewater College, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer diverse educational opportunities to students in Minnesota. While they share a commitment to academic excellence, they also possess distinct characteristics that cater to different student needs. Northland boasts a higher acceptance rate, welcoming a broader range of students, while Ridgewater maintains a slightly smaller student body, fostering a more intimate learning environment. Both colleges offer a variety of popular majors, including nursing, business, and liberal arts, but Ridgewater additionally emphasizes programs in agriculture and manufacturing. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details about these institutions, including graduation rates, student demographics, and more, to make an informed decision about your educational journey.

	Northland Community and Technical College	Ridgewater College
Overview
Location	Thief River Falls, Minnesota	Willmar, Minnesota
Campus setting	Town: Remote	Town: Remote
College type	2 year	2 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	65.0%	64.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	Open Admission	Open Admission
Application fees
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants
Total number of admissions given out
Admitted students who chose to enroll
Yield rate
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	Not required	Not required
High school GPA	N/A	N/A
Recommendation letters	N/A	N/A
High school transcript	N/A	N/A
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	N/A	N/A

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$20,750	$19,335
Average net price	$11,952	$11,014
Tuition	$5,435	$5,288
Room & board
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	66.0% Average amount $4,529	65.0% Average amount $4,966
Students receiving federal student loan	41.0% Average amount $5,158	31.0% Average amount $4,823
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $7,138	1.0% Average amount $8,646

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,716 Men 40.0% Women 60.0%	2,846 Men 37.5% Women 62.5%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	0.4%	0.3%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	N/A	N/A
First year students are required to live on campus?	N/A	N/A
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Liberal Arts Business Automotive Technology Construction Trades	Health Professions Agriculture Engineering Technologies Construction Trades Business
Students to faculty ratio	17:1	19:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	43.0%	45.4%
Dropout rate	35.7%	34.6%
Transferred out	18.9%	14.4%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Electromechanical Instrumentation and Maintenance Technologies/Technicians (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $52,663 Year 3: $57,675 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $52,865 Year 2: $53,017 Year 3: $53,541 Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $44,170 Year 3: $45,780 Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $36,129 Year 3: $45,631 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $44,740 Year 2: $43,426 Year 3: $44,050 Electrical and Power Transmission Installers (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $39,291 Year 2: $36,312 Year 3: $43,865 Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $36,041 Year 2: $39,369 Year 3: $43,491 Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $36,941 Year 3: $43,322 Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician (HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR) (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $37,478 Year 3: $43,244 General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $35,600 Year 3: $43,065	Electromechanical Instrumentation and Maintenance Technologies/Technicians (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $62,271 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $67,045 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $53,281 Year 2: $54,109 Year 3: $58,414 Precision Metal Working (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $42,048 Year 2: $42,363 Year 3: $46,759 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $25,109 Year 2: $28,236 Year 3: $38,818 Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $34,040 Year 2: $36,560 Year 3: $37,448 Agricultural Business and Management (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $39,627 Year 2: $37,208 Year 3: $36,604 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $27,555 Year 2: $33,565 Year 3: $34,846 Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $34,790 Year 2: $24,421 Year 3: $31,271 Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $29,549 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $28,764 Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $29,443 Year 3: N/A

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Northland Community and Technical College vs Ridgewater College

Northland Community and Technical College

Ridgewater College

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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