College Viability Inspection Report

Bemidji State University

Minnesota · Public

Bemidji State University is a public institution in Minnesota, enrolling 2,935 students as of 2024. It graduates 37% of students in four years, returns 73% of freshmen for a second year, and costs an average of $14,859 a year after grants and scholarships. Of the 9 inspection checks that could be evaluated, 6 are flagged: Retention, Graduation, Equity Gap, Revenue to Expenses, Enrollment, and Endowment. This report benchmarks Bemidji State University's most recent reported year (2024) against 2,000+ U.S. colleges across three dimensions: student outcomes, financial health, and value for money. All figures are drawn from federal IPEDS filings and are reported without editorial judgment.

Bemidji State University Inspection Flags

Student Outcomes
Financial Health
Value for Your Money

Inspection flags are nine independent checks across student outcomes, financial health, and cost-to-value that surface areas of a college's reported numbers worth a closer look. A triggered flag means the college's data met a specific threshold that students and families may want to ask about — for example, graduation rates slipping below a level, or tuition rising while outcomes decline. A clear flag means the threshold was not met. Flags are signals for further conversation, not verdicts.

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College Viability
Data Summary

Bemidji State University — All Reported Indicators

Plain-text reference table of every metric and inspection flag for Bemidji State University. Values reflect IPEDS-reported figures; percent changes reflect endpoint-to-endpoint 2020 → 2024 comparison; percentiles reflect 2024 national rank against four-year public and private nonprofit institutions. Cells marked "not reported" indicate the indicator was not present in IPEDS for this institution.

Student Outcomes

Metric2024 Value5-Yr % ChangeNational Percentile
Four-Year Graduation Rate37.0%+23.3%45th
Six-Year Graduation Rate49.0%+11.4%37th
Full-Time Retention Rate73.0%+1.4%39th
Pell Grant Six-Year Graduation Rate36.8%-10.0%28th
Pell-to-Non-Pell Graduation Gap13.8pp+110.3%71st
Pell Share of Cohort30.6%-13.9%33rd

Financial Health

Metric2024 Value5-Yr % ChangeNational Percentile
Revenue-to-Expense Ratio0.98×-9.1%22nd
Total FTE Enrollment2,935-22.3%67th
Endowment Value$39.8M+44.8%44th
Net Assets (End of Year)$52.0M-16.4%37th

Value for Money

Metric2024 Value5-Yr % ChangeNational Percentile
Instructional Spending %37.4%+2.9%67th
Student Support Spending %23.7%+20.2%86th
Administrative Spending %13.3%+6.8%27th
Instruction+Support to Admin Ratio4.59×+2.1%85th
Average Net Price$14,859-0.4%32nd
Net Price: $0-30K Income$10,073-1.0%29th
Net Price: $30K-48K Income$10,207-1.6%28th
Net Price: $48-75K Income$12,201-16.0%27th
Net Price: $75K-110K Income$15,857-12.3%26th
Net Price: $110K+ Income$19,940+0.4%27th

Inspection Flags

FlagSectionStatus
Retention Below 80%
Bemidji State University's retention rate fell below 80% in 5 of 5 reported years — triggering the 3-of-5 threshold.
Student OutcomesTriggered
Four-Year Graduation Rate Below 50%
Bemidji State University's 4-year graduation rate fell below 50% in 5 of 5 reported years — triggering the 3-of-5 threshold.
Student OutcomesTriggered
Pell Gap Exceeds 10 Points
Bemidji State University's Pell graduation gap exceeded 10 percentage points in 4 of 5 eligible years — triggering the 3-of-5 threshold.
Student OutcomesTriggered
Revenue-to-Expense Below 1.0
Bemidji State University's revenue-to-expense ratio fell below 1.0 in 3 of 5 reported years — triggering the 3-of-5 threshold. 2024: 0.98×.
Financial HealthTriggered
Enrollment Declined 5% or More
Bemidji State University's total enrollment fell from 3,779 to 2,935 students between 2020 and 2024 (-22.3%) — a decline of 5% or more.
Financial HealthTriggered
Endowment Under $50M or Growth Under 15%
Bemidji State University's endowment is $39.8M, under the $50 million threshold. A smaller endowment leaves less cushion for scholarships and for tough budget years, even though it grew +44.8% over the period.
Financial HealthTriggered
High Cost, Low Completion
Bemidji State University costs less than the national median AND graduates students at below-median rates — only one of two conditions is met.
Value for MoneyCleared
Spending on Students Below the National Median
Bemidji State University spends $4.59 on instruction and student support per $1 of admin in 2024 — at or above the national median of $2.75 in every reported year.
Value for MoneyCleared
Rising Price, Falling Outcomes
Either net price did not rise or the graduation rate did not decline between 2020 and 2024 — flag not triggered.
Value for MoneyCleared