The student population at North Dakota State University-Main Campus is 11,952 (9,762 undergraduate and 2,190 graduate students) . The number of students has decreased by 2,564 (17.66%) over the past decade.
- Class Level: The percentage of undergraduate students at NDSU is 81.68% which is decreased by 2,275 over last 10 years. The graduate student population decreased by 289 and it has been decreasing.
- Gender Breakdown: In 2025, there were 94 male students for every 100 female students, down from 117 in 2015.
- 1,054 students enrolled in online degree program exclusively and the number of online students has increased by 27.76% since 2015.
Student Population Changes
The average student population over the last 11 years is 13,173 where 11,952 students are attending the school for the academic year 2024-2025.
Total enrollment decreased every year from 2016 to 2025, falling from 14,516 to 11,952 students, a loss of 2,564 (17.7%).
The following table and chart illustrate the changes in student population by gender at North Dakota State University-Main Campus since 2015.
Undergraduate Enrollment Changes
The average number of Undergraduate students over the last 11 years is 10,869 where 9,762 students are attending the Undergraduate school for the academic year 2024-2025. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in Undergraduate enrollment by attending status and gender at North Dakota State University-Main Campus since 2015.
Graduate Enrollment Changes
The average number of Graduate students over the last 11 years is 2,304 where 2,190 students are attending the Graduate school for the academic year 2024-2025. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in Graduate enrollment by attending status and gender at North Dakota State University-Main Campus since 2015.
Enrollment by Race/Ethnicity Changes
The percentage of white students is 78.12%. The percentage was 81.56% 10 years ago and NDSU still has a high percentage of white students. 1.84% of enrolled students is Asian and 3.36% is black students. Hispanic students comprise 3.48% of the student body.
Over the past 10 years, the racial composition has shifted. The percentage of white students decreased from 81.56% to 78.12%. Asian enrollment grew from 1.54% to 1.84%. Black student enrollment increased from 2.61% to 3.36%. Hispanic student representation expanded from 1.67% to 3.48%.
The overall racial diversity, measured by the Census Bureau Diversity Index, is 0.3851 which indicates that somewhat diverse. This increased from 0.3331 a decade ago, suggesting that racial diversity has improved.
The following table and chart illustrate the student population trends by race/ethnicity at North Dakota State University-Main Campus over the past 11 years (2015-2025).
Distance Learning (Online Courses) Enrollment Changes
1,054 students are enrolled in online degree programs exclusively for the academic year 2024-2025, which is 9% of total students. The number of online students has increased 27.76% since 2015. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in the online student population by enrolled type at North Dakota State University-Main Campus from 2015 to 2025.