North Dakota State University is dedicated to providing people of all ages and backgrounds with a top-notch college education. Building on their foundation as North Dakota's first land-grant institution, North Dakota State University strives to reach as many people in the local and global community as possible with their wide range of academic, social, and recreational opportunities.

North Dakota State University's steadily increasing academic offerings now include eight certificate, 106 bachelor's, 55 master's, and 41 doctoral and professional academic programs. Students attending North Dakota State University's 258 acre Fargo campus can choose to focus their studies in the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, the College of Business Administration, the College of Engineering and Architecture, the College of Agriculture, the College of Human Development and Education, and the College of Nursing and Allied Sciences, among others.

Known primarily for its agriculture and applied sciences programs, North Dakota State University has been recognized by The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as being in the same category as Boston College, Georgetown University, Clemson University, and Temple University regarding their high level of research activity. Recently, a group of North Dakota State University students, led by their geosciences professor, engaged in research expeditions in Antarctica, where temperatures can plunge to minus 80 degrees Celsius. Their research has been featured in several science journals, as well as an upcoming documentary.