Do North Dakota Residents Get In-State Tuition in Minnesota? (Community College, 2026)
Yes — North Dakota and Minnesota run Minnesota-Dakotas Tuition Reciprocity, so North Dakota residents can pay the Minnesota in-state community college rate of about $6,100 a year instead of the $6,100 non-resident rate at Minnesota State colleges. Check the current terms before you apply.
- You would pay
- $6,100/yr
- Resident pays
- $6,100/yr
- Over 2 yrs
- No saving available
Tuition and mandatory fees only, compiled from published rates and rounded. Excludes housing, books and course differentials. Eligibility is decided by the institution, not by this page.
Open this pair in the checker to switch level, compare other states, or copy a link to the result.
North Dakota and Minnesota have a standing agreement, which puts this pair in a small minority. Most state pairs have nothing between them except the non-resident rate. Here, Minnesota-Dakotas Tuition Reciprocity brings community college tuition at Minnesota State colleges to roughly $6,100 instead of $6,100.
Seen from North Dakota, this is one option among 50. 14 other states offer North Dakota residents a reduced community college rate, the lowest being California at about $2,100, against $5,200 for in-state study at North Dakota two-year colleges.
Confirm the specific campus takes part. State-level membership is necessary and not sufficient, and several flagship universities either exclude their most competitive majors or sit out entirely.
Every route from North Dakota to Minnesota
| Route | What it gives you | Per year | Saving | Guaranteed? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota-Dakotas Tuition Reciprocity | Minnesota maintains standing reciprocity agreements with both Dakotas. Residents of either side pay a reciprocity rate at the other's public institutions, applied for through the Minnesota Office of Higher Education or the partner state's system office. | $6,100 | $0 | Yes, if eligible |
Where North Dakota residents pay less
Staying home, a North Dakota resident pays $5,200 a year for in-state community college tuition at North Dakota two-year colleges. The cheapest Minnesota option for you is $6,100 at Minnesota State colleges, which is $900 a year more than staying home, or $1,800 over 2 years.
North Dakota belongs to Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) at community college level, so 15 of 50 states offer North Dakota community college students a reduced rate, and Minnesota is one of them.
| State | Route | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| North Dakota to California | Western Undergraduate Exchange · California Community Colleges | $2,100 |
| North Dakota to New Mexico | Western Undergraduate Exchange · New Mexico community colleges | $3,450 |
| North Dakota to Arizona | Western Undergraduate Exchange · Maricopa County Community Colleges | $4,200 |
| North Dakota to Hawaii | Western Undergraduate Exchange · University of Hawai'i Community Colleges | $5,250 |
| North Dakota to Nevada | Western Undergraduate Exchange · Nevada community colleges (NSHE) | $5,400 |
North Dakota's neighboring states, compared
What a North Dakota resident pays for community college tuition in each state that borders North Dakota, cheapest first:
- Minnesota$6,100/yr · Minnesota-Dakotas Tuition Reciprocity
- South Dakota$6,300/yr · Western Undergraduate Exchange
- Montana$6,450/yr · Western Undergraduate Exchange
Compare all 50 states from North Dakota in the checker. Each figure is one reference campus per state, not a state average.
Minnesota residency, in brief
Minnesota grants in-state tuition after 12 months of domicile before the term begins (Minn. Stat. § 135A.031), and a financially dependent student takes the parents' domicile. Moving to Minnesota to enroll does not by itself start the clock.
Minnesota residency requirements in full · how long every state requires
Step by step
- Read the current terms of Minnesota-Dakotas Tuition Reciprocity — bilateral agreements are renegotiated and can narrow to specific campuses or majors between academic years.
- Apply through the channel the agreement specifies; several are administered by the home state's higher-education agency, not by the receiving campus.
- Provide proof of North Dakota residency in the form the agreement requires.
- If you fall outside the agreement's scope, fall back to the residency route: 12 months of Minnesota domicile.
Official links
Related
Asked and answered
›Do North Dakota residents get in-state tuition in Minnesota?
Effectively yes, through Minnesota-Dakotas Tuition Reciprocity, but it is not residency. You pay the in-state rate of about $6,100 while remaining a North Dakota resident for every other purpose, and the benefit ends if you leave the approved program.
›How long does it take to get in-state tuition in Minnesota?
Minnesota requires 12 months of domicile before the term begins (Minn. Stat. § 135A.031), and a financially dependent student takes the parents' domicile.
›How much would community college study in Minnesota actually cost a North Dakota resident?
About $6,100 a year in tuition and mandatory fees under Minnesota-Dakotas Tuition Reciprocity, against $6,100 at the published non-resident rate and $6,100 for a Minnesota resident. Over 2 years that is roughly $0 saved. Figures are compiled 2025–26 published rates and exclude housing, books and course-specific differentials.
›Where can North Dakota residents get reduced community college tuition?
In 15 states at community college level. Outside Minnesota, the lowest are California ($2,100), New Mexico ($3,450), Arizona ($4,200). Each figure is one reference campus, and awards are made campus by campus.
›Is studying in Minnesota cheaper than staying in North Dakota?
No. North Dakota's in-state community college rate is $5,200 a year at North Dakota two-year colleges, and the cheapest Minnesota option for a North Dakota resident is $6,100, so Minnesota costs about $900 more a year, or $1,800 over 2 years, in tuition and fees alone.
Sources
Every eligibility rule on this page is checked against the operating compact commission or the state's own residency authority. Last verified 2026-09-27.
Tuition figures on this page are compiled 2025–26 published rates (basis: published compiled), rounded to the nearest $100 and refreshed each June. Eligibility rules are checked against the cited compact commission or residency authority.
- Minnesota Office of Higher Education — residency for tuition purposes ↗Accessed 2026-08-07
- Minnesota State colleges — tuition and fees ↗Accessed 2026-08-07
- North Dakota University System — residency for tuition purposes ↗Accessed 2026-08-07
How this page was made
Compiled and checked by Billy Reiner, editor of In-State Check. Last verified 2026-09-27.
- Compiled from published rate pages
- The in-state and non-resident figures are tuition and mandatory fees for one full-time year, read from Minnesota State colleges’s own 2025–26 rate page and rounded to the nearest $100. Housing, books, travel and course-specific differentials are not included in them.
- Checked against the administering body
- Compact membership at this level was checked against the commission that runs the program (WICHE). The residency test — the durational requirement, the domicile evidence and the dependent-student rule — was checked against Minnesota Office of Higher Education, Minn. Stat. § 135A.031. Nothing here is taken from another comparison site.
Not advice. In-State Check is independent of every college, compact and state agency named here. Residency classification and award decisions are made by the institution you apply to. Found an error? Send the page URL and the source that contradicts it to [email protected], and the page is corrected and re-dated. Full methodology.