Northwest Technical College offers free admissions week in Bemidji

Northwest Technical College in Bemidji used Minnesota State Week to push a no-fee admissions message from June 22 through June 26, with the statewide system waiving undergraduate application fees at all 26 Minnesota State colleges and seven state universities and saying no essay was required to apply.

At NTC, the week overlapped with a standing policy that had already removed the college’s own application fee on March 10, 2023. That made the campaign less about a temporary price cut at Bemidji’s technical college and more about lowering one more hurdle for adults, recent graduates and career changers who may be deciding whether college fits their next step.

The college has built its admissions pitch around programs tied to jobs, saying its academic offerings are designed for business and technical fields in demand by employers in the Bemidji region and across Minnesota. NTC also says it offers in-state tuition rates to all qualified applicants, not just Minnesota residents, and that campus tours can be scheduled any day of the week.

The timing mattered. NTC’s 2025-26 academic calendar placed summer session 2026 from May 18 through July 14, and the college held commencement for the 2025-26 year on May 8 at 4 p.m. The free-application week arrived in the middle of that summer stretch, when many people around Bemidji are already weighing fall enrollment, a program change or a return to school after time in the workforce.

NTC added fresh reasons to apply during the same period. On June 23, the college announced new programs in advanced practice esthetician, cardiac sonography and IT tech support. The cardiac sonography program is set to begin in fall 2026 through a partnership with Sanford Health of Bemidji, and NTC said it will be one of only five two-year cardiac sonography degrees in Minnesota and the northernmost in the state by nearly 100 miles.

Those additions fit the college’s broader workforce role in northern Minnesota. NTC says it has prepared students for fulfilling careers in high-demand fields for more than 50 years, and its workforce development programs are aimed at helping employers recruit, hire and retain qualified workers. In Fall 2024, the college reported 183 students in its 30th-day enrollment count, and it said more than 650 students across NTC and Bemidji State University claim Bemidji as home.

For Beltrami County families and adults considering a new credential, the admissions push showed how NTC is trying to make the first step into college feel smaller, while linking that step to programs that lead directly into work.