The John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences was the first in the country to offer a degree in unmanned aircraft systems operation.

[12] In the 1880s, UND consisted of only a few acres of property, surrounded by farms and fields, nearly two miles west of the city of Grand Forks.

In 1918, UND was the country's hardest-hit single institution by the flu epidemic that killed 1,400 people in North Dakota alone.

[19] However, the devastating 1997 Red River flood inundated numerous buildings on campus and forced the cancellation of the remainder of the school year.

The Betty Engelstad Sioux Center opened in August 2004, and serves as home to UND volleyball and men's and women's basketball.

As part of a plan to improve student facilities on campus, UND constructed a Wellness Center, a parking garage, new Memorial Union, renovated library, renovated Gershman Center for graduate students, and an apartment-style housing complex.

[26] In August 2021, UND became the first participant in the United States Space Force's University Partnership program.

[28][2] The campus stretches roughly one and half miles from east to west and is divided by the meandering English Coulee.

The western edge is bordered by Interstate 29, the eastern edge is bordered with University Park, the Grand Forks railyards sit on the south side, and the north side is marked by U.S. Highway 2 which is called Gateway Drive in Grand Forks.

[29] Other buildings in the central part of campus include the School of Law, the North Dakota Museum of Art, Memorial Union, Gamble Hall, and Burtness Theatre.

The Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center, which is operated by the United States Department of Agriculture, is also in this part of campus.

This land sat virtually empty for decades, but has recently been developed for UND, commercial, and residential purposes.

[29] Directly adjacent to the Aerospace Complex sits the Skalicky Business Incubator, the Ina Mae Rude Entrepreneur Center, the Tech Accelerator, which houses the University of North Dakota's Center of Excellence in Life Sciences and Advanced Technologies (COELSAT), and a Hilton Garden Inn.

[33] UND operates a satellite campus consisting of several buildings at Grand Forks International Airport where aviation students train.

[34] UND Aerospace also operates flight training centers in Crookston, Minnesota, and Phoenix, Arizona.

All areas have wireless access for laptops and technologically equipped classrooms enable professors to offer interactive lectures.

[56] Research activity at UND focuses on health sciences, nutrition, energy and environmental protection, aerospace, and engineering.

[58] The EERC operates a number of research units at UND including the National Center for Hydrogen Technology.

[59] The men's ice hockey team has won eight national championships, has been runner-up five times and play in the Ralph Engelstad Arena.

The football team won the Division II national championship in 2001 and was the runner-up in 2003, and play at the Alerus Center.

[64][65] In addition, many UND alumni have played in the National Hockey League (NHL), including: Minnesota Wild wing Zach Parise, New Jersey Devils center Travis Zajac, Los Angeles Kings defensemen Matt Greene and Mike Commodore, Chicago Blackhawks forward and captain Jonathan Toews, Vancouver Canucks wing Brock Boeser, former NHL goalie Ed Belfour, and Washington Capitals forward T. J. Oshie.

Participants have included Truman Capote, Tennessee Williams, Eudora Welty, Tom Wolfe, Allen Ginsberg, Louise Erdrich, Chuck Klosterman, and Gary Snyder.

[87] Alumni of the University of North Dakota have become notable in a variety of different fields including politics and government, business, science, literature, arts and entertainment, and athletics.

[88] Nine Governors of North Dakota were educated at UND, including Fred G. Aandahl,[89] Kelly Armstrong, Louis B. Hanna,[90] Lynn Frazier,[91] William Langer,[92] John Moses,[93] Ragnvald A. Nestos,[94] Allen I. Olson,[95] and Ed Schafer, who was also the US Secretary of Agriculture from 2008 to 2009.

[96] Former Deputy National Security Advisor at the White House, Mark Pfeifle is a 1997 graduate in the School of Communications.

[100] Ronald Davies, a UND graduate and former federal judge, became a part of history when he ordered the integration of Little Rock Central High School during the Civil Rights Movement.

[107] Former Canadian Football League player and founder of Golden Star Resources, Dave Fennell.

In the realm of science, notable UND alumni include important contributor to information theory Harry Nyquist,[108] pioneer aviator Carl Ben Eielson,[109] Arctic explorer Vilhjalmur Stefansson,[110] engineer and NASA astronaut Karen L. Nyberg,[111] and leading NASA manager John H. Disher.

Alumni who have become notable through literature include the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and author Maxwell Anderson,[112] Rhodes scholar and poet Thomas McGrath,[113] essayist and journalist Chuck Klosterman,[114] and novelist Jon Hassler.

[117] Alumni who have become notable in arts and entertainment include actor Sam Anderson[118] and America's Next Top Model winner Nicole Linkletter.