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 47 public universities in the nation with both accredited graduate schools of law and medicine. It is admired for its spacious, beautiful campus and extensive resources. The University has earned an international reputation for its academic and research programs.

UND enrolls 12,834 students (fall 2006) in 193 fields of study from baccalaureate through doctoral and professional degrees. Fifty-one percent come from North Dakota; the rest represent all other states, seven Canadian provinces, and more than 50 other countries.