Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Willmar

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Community college · Public

Ridgewater College

Willmar, MN1,241 online only

Ridgewater College is a public community college in Willmar, MN, with about 1,614 students on campus and 1,241 more studying only online.

Visit www.ridgewater.edu ↗Directions
Students on campus
1,614
plus 1,241 studying only online
Admission rate
Open
open enrollment
Net price a year
$10,046
tuition and fees $6,121; the net price adds housing and food
Graduation rate
50%
lower than at 68% of 2-year colleges
Earnings, 10 yrs later
$43,827
higher than at 58% of U.S. colleges
In brief

What to know about Ridgewater College

The only college for 30 miles

No other degree-granting college with students on campus is within 30 miles of Ridgewater College. Nearby ↓

Rent in Willmar is below the state median

Median rent in Willmar is $910 a month, 29% below the state median. Living in Willmar ↓

This summary is written from the data on this page. Figures are from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard; price, graduation and earnings include online students; graduation rates count only first-time, full-time students.

Getting in

How hard is it to get into Ridgewater College?

Open

anyone with a high school diploma can enroll

Test scores of admitted students

No SAT or ACT ranges reported. Ridgewater College is likely test-optional.

What it costs

The sticker price, and what families really pay

Sticker price: $15,694 a year

Before any grants

Tuition & fees (in state) $6,121Books & supplies $1,236Other costs $8,337

After grants, the average family on aid pays $10,046.

Tuition and fees are $6,121 a year. The net price also counts housing, food and other costs at full price, so a student living at home pays less than it shows.

Your family’s price

Average net price after grants, by family income

$9,176

About $18,352 over 2 years · 42% off the sticker price

Under $30k$30–48k$48–75k$75–110kOver $110k
Outcomes

Do students finish, and does it pay off?

Graduate
50%
within 3 years · Pell students 41%
Come back for year two
70%
full-time first-year students
Earnings, 10 years later
$43,827
median, students on federal aid
Typical debt
$12,000
about $127 a month over 10 years

Debt vs. the paycheck

The typical loan payment as a share of a typical graduate’s monthly pay six years after starting

3.7%
0%10%: a common comfort line25%

$127 a month against about $3,405 a month in pay.

Paying back loans

Federal student loans, this college

58%

of borrowers paid down at least some of their loan within three years, more than at 72% of U.S. colleges.

Almost none defaulted within three years (payments on federal loans were paused from 2020 to 2023, so recent default rates are near zero everywhere).

Earnings by family background

Median earnings 10 years after starting, by family income at enrollment

Lower incomeunder $30k
$40k
Middle income$30–75k
$48k
Higher incomeover $75k
$48k
Majors

What students study, and what it pays

Share of degrees by field

Health professions 23%Liberal arts 21%Agriculture 14%Construction trades 8%Engineering tech 6%Culinary & personal services 5%Everything else 23%

Associate degree programs with the most graduates

And their graduates’ median earnings four years later (one year where that’s all that’s reported).

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities195 graduates a year · typical debt $10,960
$49k4 yrs out
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing80 graduates a year · typical debt $15,250
$70k4 yrs out
Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians38 graduates a year · typical debt $13,000
$40k4 yrs out
Electromechanical Technologies/Technicians26 graduates a year · typical debt $15,015
$74k4 yrs out
Criminal Justice and Corrections22 graduates a year
$63k4 yrs out
Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians20 graduates a year
—not reported
Health and Medical Administrative Services19 graduates a year · typical debt $22,399
$41k4 yrs out
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods16 graduates a year
$26k4 yrs out
Who goes there

The students

2,162 degree-seeking undergraduates.

By race and ethnicity

White 74%Hispanic 13%Black 5%Asian 2%Two or more 3%

Women and men

Women 62%Men 38%
19 : 1
students per teacher
32%
get Pell grants (lower income)
25%
take federal loans
24%
undergrads 25 or older
42%
study part time
The town around it

Living in Willmar

5% of Willmar’s 22,001 residents are enrolled in college. What the town is like, from TownRatings’ Willmar pages.

Willmar →
WillmarWillmar, MN
$910/momedian rent · 29% below the state$246Ktypical home valueCSafety Grade4° / 82°January low / July high · 46" of snowC+Health GradeAll colleges in and near WillmarCompare prices, admissions and outcomes

Ask around

Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (institution and field-of-study files) and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023); town figures from the Census American Community Survey and NOAA climate normals. Graduation rates count first-time, full-time students; earnings and debt are for students who received federal aid. Distances are straight-line. Colleges are described, not graded (how TownRatings describes colleges). Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.