| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Public four-year university in the North Dakota University System; campus-based, with more than 20 online programs |
| Campus | 1, in Valley City, North Dakota |
| Credentials | Bachelor’s degrees (BA, BS, BSE, BAS), Associate of Arts concentrations, academic certificates, master’s degrees |
| Typical length | Bachelor’s degrees 120 credits (about four years); certificates 12 to 30 credits |
| Accreditation | Higher Learning Commission; IACBE for the BS in Business Administration; CAEP; NASM |
| Federal aid | Yes (Title IV) |
| 2026-27 tuition | $7,402 a year for North Dakota residents (30 credits); $8,290 to $12,953 for non-residents, by tier |
| Students | 1,871 in fall 2026 (1,723 undergraduate, 148 graduate) |
| Founded | 1890, as a teachers’ college |
| Facts checked | October 2026 |
Valley City State: a small public university, not a trade school
Valley City State University (VCSU) is one of the 11 institutions of the North Dakota University System. It opened in 1890 as a teachers’ college and now enrolls 1,871 students, 1,723 of them undergraduates, a fourth consecutive fall record, per VCSU’s fall 2026 enrollment report. It is a university, not a trade school: nearly everything it awards is a bachelor’s degree, an Associate of Arts concentration, an academic certificate or a master’s degree, in business, computing, health science and teacher education. The one route built for tradespeople is the Bachelor of Applied Science in Management, which lets graduates of trade, industry or health programs turn their technical credits into a bachelor’s degree. Every full-time student is issued a laptop, and more than 20 programs can be taken fully online.
Business, computing and other programs
Most career-focused study at VCSU is in its business and computing majors. The table lists the programs closest to the careers this site covers; the BA/BS majors in it are 120-credit composite majors in the 2026-27 catalog, and the BAS runs 120 to 128 credits.
| Program | Credential | Length | Where | Accreditation or what it leads to | Cost (2026-27) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Administration | BA/BS composite major, 120 credits; concentrations in AgriBusiness, Data Analytics & Visualization, HR & Management, Managerial Accounting & Finance, Marketing | About four years | Valley City and online | IACBE accredits the BS (Apr 2025 to Apr 2032) | Tuition by residency (table below) |
| Managerial Accounting & Finance concentration | Part of the BA/BS above, 21-credit concentration | About four years | Valley City and online | Meets the CMA degree requirement; not enough on its own for North Dakota’s CPA requirements | As above |
| Management | Bachelor of Applied Science, 120 to 128 credits | Depends on transferred technical credits | Valley City and online | For graduates of trade, industry or health programs | As above |
| Computer Information Systems; Software Engineering | BA/BS composite majors, 120 credits | About four years | Valley City and online | No certification exam named | As above |
| Cybersecurity for Information Systems Management | Certificate, 16 to 19 credits | Varies | Online and Valley City | No certification exam named | As above |
| Cybersecurity concentration | Associate of Arts, 60 to 61 credits | Two years | Valley City | Transfers toward a bachelor’s degree | As above |
| Health Science | BA/BS composite major, 120 credits | About four years | Valley City only | Pre-professional (pre-med, pre-PT, pre-OT and others) | As above |
| Allied Health | Certificate, 30 credits | One year | Listed online | Transfer preparation for pre-nursing, pre-radiology, pre-dental hygiene | As above |
| Teacher education | Bachelor of Science in Education majors; M.Ed. (online); MAT | Varies | Valley City and online | CAEP-accredited educator preparation; licensure conditions vary by state | Undergraduate tuition by residency; graduate online $7,386 a year |
New for 2026-27 are certificates in American Sign Language (with Lake Region State College), Game Design and Development, Graphic Design, Photography, AI in Education and Vocal Pedagogy. Medical Laboratory Science is a 3+1 bachelor’s degree finished at the University of North Dakota, and Health Science is a pre-professional major for students heading to further study.
What the main programs cover
Business Administration: Managerial Accounting & Finance
The 120-credit degree includes 39 credits of general education, 48 in the business major and 21 in the concentration. Accounting runs from ACCT 200 and 201 through Managerial Accounting and Intermediate Accounting I and II, with electives in Taxation, Auditing, Banking, Managerial Finance I and II and Investments. Students finish with an internship or a practicum. Courses are taught at Valley City and online on a published rotation, so online students need to plan their sequence. A bridge agreement with UND’s Master of Accountancy is one route to the extra accounting and total hours North Dakota requires for the CPA.
Business Administration: Human Resources and Management
This concentration adds Human Resource Management, Leadership, Project Management and Organizational Behavior to the business core, along with Managerial Accounting and two communication courses, Corporate Training and Communication & Interviewing. An internship or practicum comes in the fourth year. It can be taken at Valley City or online, where courses follow a rotating schedule. VCSU lists HR generalist, recruiter, compensation and benefits specialist and corporate trainer as the jobs it prepares for, but the catalog does not tie it to SHRM certification.
Management (BAS)
The BAS is only for people who already have technical training. Admission requires 36 transferable credits in a trade, industry or health occupation, or 26 such credits plus 5,000 hours of technical work experience. On top of that, students take about 48 credits of communication, computer information systems and business courses, among them accounting, leadership and human resource management, for 120 to 128 credits in all. It is offered at Valley City and online, which suits working graduates of two-year technical colleges.
Cybersecurity certificate and Associate of Arts
The Cybersecurity for Information Systems Management certificate (16 to 19 credits) covers Principles of Information Security, Networking Fundamentals I, Ethical Hacking and Network Defense, Social Implications of Computing and one programming course, and ends with an internship or capstone of one to three credits. It runs online and at Valley City. The Associate of Arts Cybersecurity concentration wraps the same core courses, seven credits of electives and a one-credit internship in 37 credits of general education, for 60 to 61 credits over two years, and is meant to transfer into a bachelor’s degree.
Computer Information Systems and Software Engineering
Computer Information Systems is a business-IT degree: information security, information systems management, enterprise systems, customer relationship management and business intelligence, Java, systems analysis, databases and a capstone, plus 15 credits of directed electives drawn from certificates such as cybersecurity or software development. It is not a hardware or help-desk program. Software Engineering covers Computer Science I and II, data structures, software design and architecture, quality assurance and testing, and computer organization. Both majors run at Valley City and online; VCSU has a Computer Science minor but no Computer Science major.
Tuition and fees for 2026-27
Tuition for 2026-27 depends on residency, per VCSU’s tuition and fees page. North Dakota residents pay $7,402 for 30 credits; students from Minnesota and the neighboring states and provinces, and those in regional exchange programs, pay less than the full non-resident rate.
| 2026-27, 30 credits a year | Tuition | Per credit |
|---|---|---|
| North Dakota resident | $7,402 | $246.73 |
| Minnesota reciprocity; Montana, South Dakota, Manitoba, Saskatchewan | $8,290 | $276.34 |
| Midwest Student Exchange Program, WUE states and territories, alumni dependents | $9,253 | $308.42 |
| Other non-residents and international students | $12,953 | $431.77 |
| University and technology fee (all students) | $2,093 | – |
| Room and board (double room, 15 meals a week) | $8,115 | – |
The $2,093 university and technology fee covers the student’s laptop, software, printing, the help desk, campus nurse visits and admission to campus events; VCSU estimates books and supplies at $1,100 a year. Online undergraduates pay their residency rate, and non-residents and international students studying online pay the WUE rate of $9,253 ($308.42 per credit). Online graduate programs cost $7,386 a year ($410.33 per credit, based on 18 credits including summer) plus $1,536 in university fees. VCSU takes part in federal student aid (Title IV).
Admissions, schedule and online study
VCSU runs on semesters, and online graduate programs also use the summer. Some online courses let students join lectures live. VCSU holds full authorization for online study in 48 states and DC, and California and Massachusetts have approved its fully online programs, according to VCSU’s state authorization list; teacher-education programs that lead to a license carry conditions that vary by state. The BAS in Management has its own entry requirement: 36 transferable technical credits, or 26 such credits plus technical work experience. For transfer students, VCSU signed a co-matriculation partnership with Williston State College in April 2026 and a career and technical education articulation agreement with the North Dakota State College of Science in August 2026.
Accreditation and results
The Higher Learning Commission accredits VCSU, and its next HLC site visit is scheduled for 2031-32, according to a North Dakota University System release.
The BS in Business Administration is accredited by the IACBE from 3 April 2025 to 30 April 2032. Educator preparation is accredited by CAEP and the music programs by NASM. The university’s Community School of the Arts is a certified member of the National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts, which is a membership, not an accreditation.
| Measure | Result | Cohort and source |
|---|---|---|
| Six-year graduation rate | 50% | First-time, full-time bachelor’s students entering fall 2019; NDUS 2026 IPEDS rates report |
| First-year retention | 77% | Fall 2024 entrants returning in fall 2025; same report |
| Business Administration graduates employed within six months | 28 of 28 who responded (29 graduates) | 2024-25; VCSU’s IACBE student-achievement disclosure |
The Business Administration figure is from a Career Services survey of graduates within six months of graduation. We found no university-wide job placement rate from VCSU; its Student Outcomes page shows only a 2025 national student survey snapshot.
Before you enroll
- VCSU is a university. Its business and computing programs are mostly four-year bachelor’s degrees, not short job-entry courses.
- The BAS in Management is open only to people with 36 transferable technical credits, or 26 such credits plus 5,000 hours of technical work, per the BAS catalog page; it does not teach a trade itself.
- The Practical Nurse and Associate Degree in Nursing programs taught in Valley City belong to Dakota College at Bottineau’s Dakota Nursing Program, not to VCSU.
- The accounting concentration alone does not meet North Dakota’s accounting-credit or 150-hour CPA requirements, as the concentration’s catalog page says; plan for extra study such as UND’s Master of Accountancy.
- The Allied Health certificate is transfer preparation for programs such as nursing or radiology, not a job credential. The catalog also lists a Healthcare Aide certificate built around a nursing-assistant or cardiographic-technician training course but does not say where the hands-on training happens, so ask before enrolling.
The Valley City campus
VCSU’s one public campus is at 101 College Street SW, Valley City, ND 58072. Online programs are a delivery option, not a separate campus. VCSU also teaches an Associate of Arts in Liberal Arts at the James River Correctional Center in Jamestown for incarcerated students; that site is not open to the public.
Housing and career help
Students can live in residence halls; a double room with 15 meals a week costs $8,115 for 2026-27. Business and computing programs include internships or practicums, and the catalog names host employers such as Doosan Bobcat, Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota, Eide Bailly, John Deere and Microsoft. Career Services surveys Business Administration graduates within six months of finishing.
What students say
On Niche, Valley City State University is rated 3.65 out of 5 from 113 reviews, with an overall grade of B+ (checked October 2026). Reviewers most often praise a welcoming, close-knit community, small classes where professors know students by name, and supportive staff and tutoring. Common complaints are aging buildings and dorms, some not wheelchair accessible, parking and limited housing choices, and cafeteria food. The reviews cover the whole university, the count is small and the most recent dated review is from October 2025, so treat them as a rough guide.
Facts checked October 2026.
Programs & Courses
Business
- Business Administration (BA/BS; IACBE-accredited BS)
- Managerial Accounting & Finance (Business Administration concentration)
- Human Resources & Management (Business Administration concentration)
- Marketing (Business Administration concentration)
- AgriBusiness and Data Analytics & Visualization (Business Administration concentrations)
- Management (BAS, for students with trade or health training)
- Business Process Integration Management (BA/BS)
- Associate of Arts: Business or Marketing concentration (online)
- Business Management, Professional Sales, Digital Marketing and Sports Marketing Certificates
- Business Information Systems (MS, online)
Computing
- Computer Information Systems (BA/BS)
- Software Engineering (BA/BS)
- Cybersecurity for Information Systems Management Certificate
- Associate of Arts: Cybersecurity Concentration
- Software Development, Enterprise Applications, CRM and Data Analytics & Visualization Certificates
- Game Design & Development Certificate (new 2026-27)
- Computer Science (minor only)
Health Sciences
- Health Science (BA/BS, pre-professional)
- Medical Laboratory Science (BS, 3+1 with UND)
- Exercise Science & Rehabilitative Studies (BA/BS)
- Allied Health Certificate (transfer preparation)
- Healthcare Aide Certificate
Education
- Bachelor of Science in Education (BSE) majors
- Master of Education (online)
- Master of Arts in Teaching
- AI in Education Certificate (new 2026-27)
Campus Locations
Valley City, ND 101 College Street SW, Valley City, ND 58072