| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Public two-year technical college in the Minnesota State system; on-campus, hybrid and fully online programs |
| Campus | 1: Bemidji, Minnesota |
| Credentials | Associate degrees (AAS; AS in nursing and transfer pathways), diplomas and certificates |
| Programs | More than 40 (43 awards in the 2026-27 catalog) |
| Typical length | One semester (certificates) to two years (most degrees and longer diplomas); Cardiac Sonography takes five semesters |
| Accreditation | Higher Learning Commission, reaffirmed January 2026; ACEN for the ADN and Practical Nursing programs |
| Federal aid | Yes (the Nail Technician certificate is not aid-eligible; aid for Advanced Practice Esthetics and IT Support is pending) |
| 2026-27 tuition | $216.69 per credit for residents and non-residents; $233.16 online; $239.21 in nursing, dental assisting and the trades |
| Students | About 980 undergraduates, two-thirds part-time |
| Founded | 1965, as the Bemidji Area Vocational Institute |
| Facts checked | October 2026 |
Northwest Technical College: Bemidji’s public technical college
Northwest Technical College (NTC) is a public two-year college in Minnesota State, the state’s system of colleges and universities. It opened in 1965 as the Bemidji Area Vocational Institute with 99 students and marked its 60th anniversary in 2025-26. It has one campus, in Bemidji, and about 980 undergraduates (322 full-time and 656 part-time, according to Niche). Trade, dental and cosmetology programs are taught on campus, nursing is hybrid, and most business and health-administration programs are fully online.
NTC shares its president and several senior administrators with Bemidji State University, and NTC students can use BSU housing, dining and wellness services, though NTC remains a separately accredited college.
Programs, credentials and 2026-27 rates
The 2026-27 catalog lists 43 awards in about 25 program areas, from a 14-credit Nail Technician certificate to an 82-credit electrical AAS. The table shows the main career programs and the 2026-27 tuition per credit that applies to each; mandatory fees of $16.24 per credit come on top. The only whole-program estimate we found is for Cosmetology.
| Program | Credential | Length / starts | Delivery | Prepares for | 2026-27 tuition per credit (plus $16.24 fees) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nursing – Traditional RN | AS, 64 credits | 2 years, fall start | Hybrid: online theory, monthly on-campus blocks in Bemidji | NCLEX-RN | $239.21 |
| Nursing – LPN Step-In RN | AS, 64 credits | 3 terms, spring start | Hybrid; active LPN license required | NCLEX-RN | $239.21 |
| Practical Nursing | Diploma, 41 credits | 2 semesters | Hybrid: online theory, on-campus labs, regional clinicals | NCLEX-PN | $239.21 |
| Dental Assisting | Diploma, 45 credits; AAS, 60 | Diploma 11 months | On campus | – (program approved by the Minnesota Board of Dentistry) | $239.21 |
| Electrical Construction & Maintenance | Diploma, 74 credits; AAS, 82 | 2 years | On campus | Entry as an electrician apprentice | $239.21 |
| Residential Plumbing Technology | Diploma, 37 credits | 1 year | On campus | Credits count toward apprenticeship hours | $239.21 |
| Heating, Air & Refrigeration Technology | Diploma, 60 credits | 2 years | On campus | – | $239.21 |
| Automotive Service & Performance | Diploma, 62 credits | 2 years | On campus | – | $239.21 |
| Cosmetology | Diploma, 56 credits | 3 semesters | In person | Program licensed by the Minnesota Board of Cosmetology | $216.69 |
| Esthetics | Certificate, 24 credits | 2 semesters | In person | – | $216.69 |
| Cardiac Sonography | AAS, 60 credits | 5 semesters; first class fall 2026 | On campus, with Sanford Health Bemidji | – | $216.69 |
| Medical Coding | AAS, 60; diploma, 40; certificate, 29 | – | Online | – | $233.16 |
| Accounting | AAS, 60; diploma, 32; certificate, 18 | – | Online | – | $233.16 |
Programmatic accreditation and approvals, as the college lists them: ACEN for the associate degree and practical nursing programs, the Commission on Dental Accreditation and the Minnesota Board of Dentistry for Dental Assisting, ASE for Automotive Service, and the Minnesota Board of Cosmetology for Cosmetology. Cardiac Sonography, new in fall 2026, names no programmatic accreditation yet. New this year as well are an Information Technology Support diploma and AAS, taught online.
What the main programs cover
Registered nursing (Traditional RN and LPN Step-In)
Both RN tracks lead to a 64-credit associate of science. Theory is online; about once a month Traditional RN students come to Bemidji for a four-day block of lab and clinical work, with clinicals across northern Minnesota. Traditional RN applicants need BIOL 2260, ENGL 1111 and BIOL 2221 or 2262 with a GPA of 2.76 or more, an active CNA from the last five years, HLTH 1110 or a waiver, and an HSRT-AD score of at least 70. The fall 2027 window runs 1 November 2026 to 1 February 2027. The LPN Step-In track requires an active, unencumbered LPN license.
Practical Nursing
The 41-credit diploma is 13 courses over two semesters. Theory is online, with on-campus lab and simulation days in Bemidji and clinicals at regional sites. Before applying, students complete BIOL 2260, HLTH 1106 and PSYC 2201 with a GPA of 2.76 or more, hold a CNA and current BLS certification, and score 70 or higher on the HSRT-AD, taken on campus. The priority deadline for the next class is 1 February 2027. Applicants are ranked, and the college notes that meeting every requirement does not guarantee a seat.
Electrical Construction & Maintenance
This two-year on-campus program runs as a 74-credit diploma or an 82-credit AAS. Students work through the National Electrical Code in two courses and a four-course wiring sequence, then programmable logic controllers, motor control and building automation. The college describes the outcome as entry to the workforce as a construction electrician apprentice, so graduates start on the job as apprentices rather than as licensed electricians. The program page does not name a Minnesota Board of Electricity approval. Students can apply for the program’s Work Ethic and MBEX scholarships.
Residential Plumbing Technology
The one-year diploma is 37 credits on campus. Courses include PLBG 1055, Plumbing Code Interpretation, Piping System Fabrication I and II, Plumbing Design and Installation I and II, a repair and service course, and PLBG 2151, Hydronic Design and Controls. The college says the course credits count toward state apprenticeship hours and give a quicker path to a journeyman license. A separate two-year HART diploma covers heating, air conditioning and refrigeration for students who want to work on those systems.
Cosmetology, Esthetics and Nail Technician
The 56-credit Cosmetology diploma, first offered in fall 2024, takes three semesters and is taught entirely in person, with nail, esthetics and advanced practice esthetics training built in. Students who want one specialty can take the 24-credit Esthetics certificate over two semesters, then the 20-credit Advanced Practice Esthetics certificate, split into 13- and 7-credit terms. The 14-credit Nail Technician certificate takes one semester, but the catalog states it is not eligible for financial aid, and aid for Advanced Practice Esthetics is listed as pending.
Medical Coding
Medical Coding is fully online and comes as a 29-credit certificate, a 40-credit diploma or a 60-credit AAS. The core courses are titled AAPC Medical Coding I and II, and the degree adds ADMM 1140, Medical Billing/Insurance, and ADMM 2245, Inpatient Billing. The college does not state AHIMA or PCAP approval. Students interested in running a medical office rather than coding can compare the online Healthcare Administrative Leadership AAS and the Healthcare Administrative Support diploma.
Tuition and how students pay
NTC’s 2026-27 tuition and fee schedule charges Minnesota residents and non-residents the same rate. There is no in-district rate, and residents of three neighboring states and Manitoba can apply for a reciprocity rate instead.
| 2026-27 | Amount |
|---|---|
| Standard tuition per credit (Minnesota residents and non-residents) | $216.69 |
| Online (distance) tuition per credit | $233.16 |
| Program rate per credit: Automotive, Electrical, Dental Assisting, HART, Plumbing and Nursing | $239.21 |
| Mandatory fees per credit (technology, health services, student activity, student association) | $16.24 |
| Parking | $78.19 a year |
| North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Manitoba residents | Reciprocity rate after filing a form (rate not printed) |
Other published charges include $10.25 a year for professional liability insurance and $205 for nursing assistant (CNA) testing, and senior citizens aged 62 and over pay $12 per credit. The cosmetology page says that diploma “can be completed for just over $11,000”; it gives no year.
NTC takes federal student aid. Minnesota’s North Star Promise free-tuition program and the American Indian Scholars program may cover tuition and fees for students who qualify, and since fall 2024 the Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation has paid full cost-of-attendance scholarships for Dental Assisting students. Minnesota State’s net price calculator for NTC gives a personal estimate.
Open admission, with competitive health programs
NTC admits applicants openly. Traditional RN, LPN Step-In, Practical Nursing and Cardiac Sonography have their own competitive applications, with prerequisites at a GPA of 2.76 or more, a CNA (for nursing) and an HSRT-AD score of 70 or more taken on campus in Bemidji. Applicants are ranked.
The schedule depends on the program. Business, coding and health-administration programs are online. Nursing combines online theory with on-campus blocks in Bemidji, about four days a month for the RN program. The trades, dental assisting, cosmetology and sonography are taught on campus.
Accreditation, nursing results and graduate outcomes
NTC is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, which reaffirmed its accreditation in January 2026. The associate degree nursing and practical nursing programs hold ACEN accreditation, renewed in September 2024 with the next visit in spring 2032.
First-time licensing exam results in nursing fell in 2025. The Minnesota Board of Nursing lists both programs on its corrective-action page: the ADN program for a first year below the board’s NCLEX minimum (2025) and Practical Nursing for a second consecutive year below it (2024 and 2025).
| Measure | Result | Period and source |
|---|---|---|
| RN (ADN), first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate | 84.95% of 93 testers (Minnesota ADN average 88.86%) | 2024, Minnesota Board of Nursing RN results |
| RN (ADN), first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate | 69.79% of 96 testers (Minnesota ADN average 81.74%) | 2025, Minnesota Board of Nursing |
| Practical Nursing, first-time NCLEX-PN pass rate | 71.43% of 21 testers (Minnesota average 87.55%) | 2024, Minnesota Board of Nursing PN results |
| Practical Nursing, first-time NCLEX-PN pass rate | 61.11% of 18 testers (Minnesota average 86.12%) | 2025, Minnesota Board of Nursing |
| Graduated within 3 years | 43%, plus 10% who transferred | First-time, full-time students entering fall 2022 (77 students), college Student Right-to-Know page |
In Minnesota State’s graduate follow-up for 2023-24, related employment was 96.5% for Nursing AS graduates (94 graduates), 83.3% for Practical Nursing (20), 100% for Residential Plumbing (7) and 75.0% (AAS, 11 graduates) to 88.9% (diploma, 10) for Electrical. The college does not give the survey’s response rate, so these figures may not cover every graduate.
Before you enroll
- The nursing programs are on the Minnesota Board of Nursing’s corrective-action list, and the 2025 first-time pass rates were 69.79% for RN and 61.11% for PN, below the state averages. Ask the program what it is changing.
- “Hybrid” nursing still means regular travel to Bemidji: the RN program has a four-day on-campus block about once a month, and the entrance test must be taken on campus.
- The standard $216.69 rate does not apply to nursing, dental assisting or the trades, which are billed at $239.21 per credit, and online courses are $233.16.
- The electrical and plumbing programs do not by themselves lead to a license: the college says electrical graduates enter the workforce as apprentices and plumbing credits count toward state apprenticeship hours.
- Cardiac Sonography is new in fall 2026 and states no programmatic accreditation yet, and the Health Sciences AS is a transfer pathway, not a job credential.
One campus in Bemidji
Every on-campus and hybrid program is taught at 905 Grant Avenue SE, Bemidji, MN 56601, including the on-campus blocks for the nursing programs. Clinical placements are at partner sites across northern Minnesota, and Cardiac Sonography is taught with sonographers from Sanford Health Bemidji. Online programs are run from the same campus.
Housing and student services through Bemidji State
NTC has no residence halls of its own. Its students can live in Bemidji State University residence halls, buy BSU meal plans and use BSU’s Gillett Wellness Center, health services and library; the two campuses are about 10 minutes apart. The college’s career services office runs the annual graduate follow-up survey.
What students say
On Niche, Northwest Technical College is rated 3.78 out of 5 from 55 reviews, with an overall grade of B+ (checked 12 October 2026). Reviewers praise staff and instructors who “go out of their way” and online degrees that can be finished without coming to campus. Complaints include credit-transfer and retake rules, such as having to repeat recent accounting courses already passed, and the lack of an on-campus American Indian resource center (students are referred to BSU’s). We could read only a few of the reviews in full, so treat these themes as a small sample, and we could not tell whether the school invited them.
Facts checked October 2026.
Programs & Courses
Nursing
- Nursing – Traditional RN (AS)
- Nursing – LPN Step-In RN (AS, for licensed LPNs)
- Practical Nursing (LPN diploma)
Health Care
- Dental Assisting
- Cardiac Sonography (new, fall 2026)
- Medical Coding (online)
- Healthcare Administrative Leadership (AAS, online)
- Healthcare Administrative Support (diploma, online)
- Community Health Worker (online)
- Gerontology (online)
- Health Sciences Broad Field Transfer Pathway (AS)
Building Systems and Automotive
- Automotive Service & Performance
- Electrical Construction & Maintenance
- Heating, Air & Refrigeration Technology (HART)
- Residential Plumbing Technology
Cosmetology
- Cosmetology
- Esthetics
- Advanced Practice Esthetics
- Nail Technician
Business (online)
- Accounting
- Business
- Human Resources
- Management & Entrepreneurship
- Sales, Marketing & Management
- Administrative Business Specialist
Information Technology (online)
- Information Technology Support (new, fall 2026)
- Computer Support
Early Childhood Education
- Early Childhood Education Careers
- Early Childhood Education Transfer Pathway (AS)
Campus Locations
Bemidji, MN 905 Grant Avenue SE, Bemidji, MN 56601