Founded by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before statehood, UND was intended to be, and has remained, a university with a strong liberal arts foundation surrounded by a variety of professional and specialized programs. UND is one of only 46 public universities in the nation with both accredited graduate schools of law and medicine.

UND enrolls 12,954 students (Fall 2005) in 191 fields of study from baccalaureate through doctoral and professional degrees. Fifty-four percent come from North Dakota; the rest represent all other states, seven Canadian provinces, and more than 50 other countries.

The University is widely acclaimed for its high-achieving students and alumni, modern and beautiful campus, extensive resources, innovative and entrepreneurial efforts, and international reputation for its academic and research programs.
Location

The University is located in Grand Forks, a college town of 50,000 on the Red River of the North separating North Dakota and Minnesota. The campus includes 235 buildings (5.25 million square feet under roof) on 550 acres.

Grand Forks is linked by Interstate 29 to Fargo, N.D., 70 miles to the south, and to Winnipeg, Manitoba, 150 miles to the north. The city is 300 miles northwest of Minneapolis and a day's drive from Chicago, Milwaukee, Wis., and Des Moines, Iowa. Commercial air service links the Grand Forks International Airport to Minneapolis and on to other destinations worldwide.