$43,827
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Ridgewater College is a public 2-year college in Willmar, Minnesota with 2,162 undergraduates. Its average net price after grants is $10,046 a year (tuition and fees $6,121). 50% of students finish within 3 years. Former students earn a median $43,827 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $12,000 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$10,046
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$6,121
US median $11,837
Admission rate
Open
Completion rate
50%
Within 3 years, US 58%
Median debt
$12,000
About $127 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$43,827
Rank 2,141 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $10,046
- Tuition and fees
- $6,121
- Cost of attendance
- $15,694
- Students with a need-based grant
- 32%
- Students with federal loans
- 25%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $7,963
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $6,891
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $9,176
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $13,111
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $15,103
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $5,406 in 2015-16 to $6,121 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- Open admission
- Undergraduates
- 2,162
- Part-time students
- 42%
- Women
- 62%
- Students per teacher
- 19
- Completion rate
- 50%
- Retention rate
- 70%
- Highest degree
- Associate's degree
- Programs
- 81
- Endowment
- $3.73M
- Other
- Open admission
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 2,141 of 5,094 US colleges and 68 of 96 in Minnesota (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | MN median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $10,046 | $16,908 | $7,702 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $6,121 | $9,706 | $4,656 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | - | 85% | 79% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 50% | 53% | 38% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 70% | 73% | 64% | 75% |
| Median debt | $12,000 | $14,750 | $10,417 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $40,862 | $42,217 | $33,563 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $43,827 | $45,628 | $38,555 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US public 2-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 58% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 69% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
81 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesOnlineAssociate's | Associate's | 195 | $10,960 | $29,262 | $48,951 | $44,125 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssociate's | Associate's | 80 | $15,250 | $59,082 | $69,504 | $80,813 |
| Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/TechniciansAssociate's | Associate's | 38 | $13,000 | $37,141 | $40,054 | $41,460 |
| Precision Metal WorkingCertificate | Certificate | 36 | $9,750 | $44,421 | $54,714 | $48,702 |
| Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming ServicesCertificate | Certificate | 31 | $9,500 | $21,574 | $29,574 | $26,307 |
| Electrical and Power Transmission InstallersCertificate | Certificate | 29 | Withheld | $46,852 | $77,727 | $53,078 |
| Electromechanical Technologies/TechniciansAssociate's | Associate's | 26 | $15,015 | $58,968 | $73,764 | $73,046 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsOnlineAssociate's | Associate's | 22 | Withheld | $49,040 | $63,210 | $46,706 |
| Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/TechniciansCertificate | Certificate | 21 | $9,885 | $38,001 | $51,792 | $51,586 |
| Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/TechniciansOnlineAssociate's | Associate's | 20 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $55,895 |
| Health and Medical Administrative ServicesOnlineAssociate's | Associate's | 19 | $22,399 | $40,206 | $40,575 | $37,073 |
| Allied Health and Medical Assisting ServicesCertificate | Certificate | 18 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $34,272 |
| Agricultural Business and ManagementCertificate | Certificate | 17 | $10,779 | $44,875 | $50,046 | $43,930 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsAssociate's | Associate's | 16 | Withheld | Withheld | $26,033 | $37,656 |
| Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing AssistantsCertificate | Certificate | 16 | $18,048 | $44,921 | $44,191 | $56,073 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesOnlineAssociate's | Associate's | 16 | Withheld | Withheld | $50,108 | $47,660 |
| Somatic Bodywork and Related Therapeutic ServicesCertificate | Certificate | 14 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $29,652 |
| General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing OperationsOnlineAssociate's | Associate's | 13 | Withheld | Withheld | $47,662 | $46,500 |
| Electrical and Power Transmission InstallersAssociate's | Associate's | 12 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $70,808 |
| Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming ServicesAssociate's | Associate's | 10 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $27,014 |
| Design and Applied ArtsCertificate | Certificate | 10 | Withheld | Withheld | $41,332 | $36,116 |
| Agricultural Production OperationsCertificate | Certificate | 9 | Withheld | Withheld | $56,311 | $42,010 |
| Computer ProgrammingOnlineAssociate's | Associate's | 9 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $58,070 |
| Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/TechniciansOnlineCertificate | Certificate | 9 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $53,359 |
| Business/Commerce, GeneralAssociate's | Associate's | 9 | - | Withheld | Withheld | - |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Willmar and Minnesota on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Minnesota
- Homes: Homes for sale in Minnesota
Questions and answers
How much does Ridgewater College cost?
$10,046 a year is the average net price at Ridgewater College after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $6,121, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $15,694. Families earning under $30,000 pay $7,963 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Ridgewater College?
Ridgewater College has open admission: it accepts students who meet its basic requirements, such as a high school diploma.
How much do Ridgewater College graduates earn?
$43,827 a year is the median pay of former Ridgewater College students who work, 10 years after they started ($40,862 after 6 years). That ranks 2,141 of 5,094 US colleges and 68 of 96 in Minnesota. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's) at $59,082.
How much student debt do Ridgewater College graduates have?
$12,000 is the median federal student loan debt of Ridgewater College graduates, about $127 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 25% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Ridgewater College?
50% of first-time, full-time students at Ridgewater College finish within 3 years. 70% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of public 2-year colleges is 38%.
What are the most popular majors at Ridgewater College?
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (195 associate's graduates), Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (80 associate's graduates), Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians (38 associate's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 81 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.