Community CollegePublic

Ridgewater College

Willmar, Minnesota·Public, 2-year·Plains·ridgewater.edu
6-yr Graduation
50%
—
Total enrollment
3,148
peer median 3,161
Avg net price
$10,046
-$306 vs Community College
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OutcomesProgram outcomesAccreditationCostFederal aidLoan defaultsAcademic programsEnrollment trendsAthleticsCampus safetyFacultyPeersIR Office

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

IPEDS
Overall completion
50%
Full-time retention
70%

Pell equity

16.8pp gap
Pell recipients
41%90 of 220
Non-Pell (all)
58%156 of 270
Subsidized loan, no Pell
55%30 of 55
No Federal Aid
59%126 of 215

Non-Pell students graduate at a 16.8-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Source: IPEDS Graduation Rates (GR) — Pell/SSL cohort, 2024 cohort.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

FVT/GE

Of 88 Title IV programs, 8 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 1 fails. 79 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
88
Passing
8
9.1% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
1
1.1% of portfolio
Fail rate
1.1%
+0.5pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

88programs
  • Passing8 · 9.1%
  • No Data79 · 89.8%
  • Failing1 · 1.1%

Severity spectrum

Critical
1
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
1
Watch
1
Safe
6
No data
79

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

9
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Associate Degree · Education
-28.7%
$26,033 vs $36,491
Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians
Associate Degree · Agriculture, Agriculture Operations, And Related Sciences
+9.8%
$40,054 vs $36,491
Health and Medical Administrative Services
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+11.2%
$40,575 vs $36,491
General Sales Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations
Associate Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+30.6%
$47,662 vs $36,491
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Associate Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
+34.1%
$48,951 vs $36,491
Accounting and Related Services
Associate Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+37.3%
$50,108 vs $36,491
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Associate Degree · Security And Protective Services
+73.2%
$63,210 vs $36,491
Registered Nursing Nursing Administration Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+90.5%
$69,504 vs $36,491

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

8
Health and Medical Administrative Services
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
53%
$21,655 debt · $40,575 earn
Practical Nursing Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants
Undergraduate Certificate · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
38%
$16,945 debt · $44,191 earn
Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services
Undergraduate Certificate · Personal And Culinary Services
30%
$8,729 debt · $29,574 earn
Registered Nursing Nursing Administration Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
25%
$17,549 debt · $69,504 earn
Agricultural Business and Management
Undergraduate Certificate · Agriculture, Agriculture Operations, And Related Sciences
24%
$12,000 debt · $50,046 earn
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Associate Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
24%
$11,596 debt · $48,951 earn
Electromechanical Technologies/Technicians
Associate Degree · Engineering Technologies/Technicians
20%
$14,711 debt · $73,764 earn
Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians
Undergraduate Certificate · Mechanic And Repair Technologies/Technicians
20%
$10,275 debt · $51,792 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

DAPIP
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1996Next review Aug 2028

Programmatic accreditations · 3

Action history · 6

  1. Apr 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc. — May 6, 2013 Formerly: National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission · Nursing (ADNUR) - Associate degree programs
  2. Sep 2023Grant Substantive Change: Other
    Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc. — May 6, 2013 Formerly: National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission · Nursing (PNUR) - Practical nursing programs
  3. May 2022Grant Substantive Change: Other
    Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc. — May 6, 2013 Formerly: National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission · Nursing (PNUR) - Practical nursing programs
  4. Mar 2019Renewal of Accreditation
    Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc. — May 6, 2013 Formerly: National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission · Nursing (PNUR) - Practical nursing programs
  5. Nov 2017Grant Substantive Change: Other
    Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc. — May 6, 2013 Formerly: National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission · Nursing (PNUR) - Practical nursing programs

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

College Scorecard

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$7,963
$30–48k$6,891
$48–75k$9,176
$75–110k$13,111
$110k+$15,103

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price
$10,046
-$306vs Community College median $10,352
Federal loans
25.3%
In-state tuition
$6,121
Out-of-state
$6,121

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

Federal Student Aid

In AY 2024–25, 1,363 students received $6.2M in Pell grants, alongside $5.4M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
1,363
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$6.2M
$6,170,938 total
Direct Loans
$5.4M
1,410 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

1k
’20
1k
’21
1k
’22
1k
’23
1k
’24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$2.2M
658 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$3.0M
736 loan awards
Parent PLUS$144K
16 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Cohort Default Rate

Of 855 borrowers who entered repayment, 30 (3.5%) defaulted within three years — above the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
3.5%
+1.2pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
855
Defaulted
30
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
12.6%
2017
11.9%
2018
8.2%
2019
3.5%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Ridgewater College

Top program areas ranked by completions.

IPEDS
Distinct CIP programs63
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

479 total completions
01Liberal Arts
17436.3%
02Health Professions
10822.5%
03Agriculture
6212.9%
04Engineering Tech
326.7%
05Business
306.3%
06Education
214.4%
07Construction Trades
173.5%
08Computer Sciences
142.9%
09Security/Protective
132.7%
10Visual/Performing Arts
81.7%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

IPEDS
Fall total
3,148
12-mo unduplicated
4,070
Undergraduate
4,070
Graduate
0

Gender split

Men
35%1,413
Women
65%2,657

Race / ethnicity composition

White
74.5%
Hispanic
13.0%
Black
5.1%
Two or more
2.9%
Unknown
1.9%
Asian
1.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.5%
Non-resident
0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.2%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

EADA
Athletes
74
49 M · 25 W
Women athletes
33.8%
Athletic aid
$0
Total student aid
Budget
$424K
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$0
$0
Recruiting expense
$0
$0
Head-coach salaries
$18K
$15K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 5

Baseball
24 M · —
$57K
Basketball
16 M · 7 W
$88K
Softball
— · 10 W
$41K
Volleyball
— · 10 W
$39K
Wrestling
9 M · —
$37K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Clery Act
Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
0.00
0 offenses · 2,855 students

3-year trend

0.002 yrs ago0.001 yr ago0.00Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
0
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
0
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

No criminal offenses reported.

By location

0total

    VAWA offenses

    0
    Domestic violence
    0
    Dating violence
    0
    Stalking
    0 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

    Hate crimes by bias

    No hate crimes reported.

    Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

    CategoryArrestsReferrals
    Weapons00
    Drugs00
    Liquor00

    Residence-hall fires

    No residence-hall fires reported.

    Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

    Student-faculty ratio

    Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

    IPEDS
    Student-to-faculty
    19.0:1
    Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
    90

    Ridgewater College vs Peer comparison

    The peer institutions Ridgewater College selected for federal comparison reporting.

    IPEDS
    GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
    This institutionPeer median

    A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

    Carnegie
    SubjectRidgewater College
    		50%—3,148$10,046Community College
    Minnesota North College
    		——3,174$10,432Community College
    Northland Community and Technical College
    		——2,631$13,975Community College
    South Central College
    		——2,731$9,082Community College
    Hennepin Technical College
    		——4,572$10,272Community College
    Minnesota State Community and Technical College
    		——5,645$12,556Community College
    Peer group median50%—3,161$10,352

    Institutions like Ridgewater College

    Explore the federal data for institutions in Ridgewater College's comparison group.

    IPEDS

    Ridgewater College Institutional Research office

    The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.

    Team
    1 member
    • Prabesh Shrestha
      Executive Director of Institutional Effectiveness/CIO

    Frequently asked questions about Ridgewater College

    Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Ridgewater College.

    What is the graduation rate at Ridgewater College?

    Ridgewater College reports a 6-year graduation rate of 50% per the latest IPEDS.

    How many students attend Ridgewater College?

    Ridgewater College reports a total enrollment of 3,148 students per the latest IPEDS.

    What is the average net price at Ridgewater College?

    The average net price at Ridgewater College is $10,046 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

    Where is Ridgewater College located?

    Ridgewater College is located in Willmar, Minnesota 56201.

    About the data on this page

    Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.

    IPEDS2025 provisional data (Fall 2025–26 release, July 28, 2026)
    Enrollment, completions, graduation rates, tuition, financial aid, staffing, and finance for every U.S. institution in federal student aid programs.
    National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education
    College ScorecardJune 10, 2026 release (merged 2025–26 files)
    Institution and field-of-study costs, graduate earnings, debt, completion, and admissions outcomes compiled from federal aid records, tax data, and IPEDS.
    U.S. Department of Education
    FVT/GE program performanceProvisional preview, May 18, 2026 release
    Program-level debt-to-earnings and earnings-premium measures behind the FVT/GE and STATS accountability frameworks.
    U.S. Department of Education
    DAPIP accreditationContinuously refreshed
    Accreditation status for institutions and programs, reported by recognized accrediting agencies.
    U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
    Federal Pell Grant volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
    Pell Grant recipient counts, award amounts, and disbursements by institution and award year.
    U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
    Federal student loan volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
    Federal Direct Loan recipient counts and disbursement volume by institution and award year.
    U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
    Cohort Default RatesFY 2022 official rates
    Institution-level federal student loan default rates, measuring borrowers who default within three years of entering repayment.
    U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
    Equity in Athletics (EADA)Academic year 2024–25
    Athletics participation, coaching, revenues, and expenses by sport and gender for Title IV institutions.
    U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
    Campus Safety & SecurityData through reporting year 2024
    Criminal offenses, arrests, disciplinary actions, VAWA offenses, and fire statistics reported by campus under the Clery Act.
    U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
    Last reviewed July 2026All data sources & release dates →

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