North Dakota State University is primarily in
Fargo, North Dakota. It has several campuses, including the main campus, NDSU downtown, and several agricultural research extension centers.
Main campus The main campus sits on and has over 100 buildings. Its appearance is maintained by the university's extensive agricultural programs. The main campus boundaries are 19th Avenue N. to the north, University Drive to the east, 18th St. N. to the west, and 12th Avenue N. to the south. Located in the historic Minard–South Engineering quad is the Babbling Brook. The area has trickling waterfalls, fish and flowers, an amphitheater seating area, and "buffalo-rubbed" rocks. This area offers a space for outdoor classes and small performances.
Southern area The southern area of the campus has many of NDSU's historic buildings.
Central area The central area consists of the Shepperd Arena, many academic buildings, and the Quentin Burdick Building. The Engineering Complex was torn down in 2024 as part of a large construction project to modernize and boost the engineering department, the Richard Offerdahl '65 Engineering complex. It is expected to be completed in fall 2026. The Memorial Union is also in the central campus and serves students' social needs. It has several large rooms for presentations and functions. Several
skyways connect the Union to other buildings on campus such as the Quentin Burdick Building. In 2014, NDSU began construction on the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) building. It has been completed and renamed the A. Glenn Hill Center.
North area Just north of the central area of campus is a large section that consists of academic buildings, residence halls, and dining centers. This area is punctuated by four identical residential high-rises surrounded by grassy quads, as well as two sand-volleyball courts and a basketball court. Between the high-rises a dining center serves their 1,000+ residents. Tunnels connect to the towers to ease travel in bad weather. To the east, another dining center serves other residence halls and their 1,000+ residents. In 2019, Catherine Cater hall opened as a coed dormitory.
West area This area of campus is home to the NDSU Wallman Wellness Center, which houses the Wellness Center department, Student Health Service, and Disability Services. The Wellness Center, built in 2001, expanded in 2007 and added an aquatic addition in 2016, boasting a lap pool, a relaxing pool, and a wet classroom. Mathew Living Learning Center (MLLC) East and West are coed upper-division dormitories.
Athletic area Further north is an area of campus that consists of many athletic facilities including the
Scheels Center,
Fargodome,
Newman Outdoor Field, and others. In 2022, NDSU opened a $54 million practice facility for the bison football program, called the Nodak Insurance Company Football Performance Complex. The complex has facilities for other sports such as golf, soccer, baseball, and track & field. The Sanford Health Athletic Complex (SHAC) is home to the Scheels Center, the Nodak Insurance Basketball Performance Center, and offices for athletic departments. The SHAC cost $50 million in 2014 as a renovation to the Bison Sports Arena and was completed in 2016. Wrestling and men and women's basketball are held here and the complex also contains the NDSU athletics hall of fame. Adjacent to the SHAC are the Shelly Ellig Indoor Track and Field Facility and Dacotah Field. The Shelly Ellig facility finished construction in 2012 and features an eight-lane track as well as pole-vaulting and throwing equipment. Dacotah field was built in 1938. For winters it has a climate-controlled bubble to facilitate practice.
Research and Technology Park The Research and Technology Park is a site of research offices and laboratories northwest of the main campus. It consists of firms and that research and develop
nano technologies,
RFID,
polymers and
coatings,
high performance computing, and others. The Research and Technology Park is a
501c(3) nonprofit corporation governed by a board of directors. The Technology Incubator opened in 2007. The facility is in the NDSU Research and Technology Park. It was developed to assist startup entities and complement the Research and Technology Park. They support various kinds of startups, including ones in biotech, healthcare, and general tech.
NDSU Downtown NDSU operates several buildings in downtown Fargo. About 4,000 students, faculty, and staff use the NDSU Downtown facilities each year. The project started in 2004 with the purchase and renovation of the former Northern School Supply building, at NP Avenue and 8th Street North downtown. The structure, now known as Renaissance Hall, houses NDSU's visual arts department and architecture department, and used to house the office of Tri-College University, a partnership between NDSU, Concordia College, and Minnesota State University Moorhead. Tri-College University was replaced by the
Metro College Alliance in 2025. In 2006, the NDSU Development Foundation purchased the Pioneer Mutual Life Insurance building and Lincoln Mutual Life & Casualty Insurance building along 2nd Avenue North between 8th and 10th Streets, also downtown. The refurbished Pioneer building is now Richard H. Barry Hall. It is home to the NDSU College of Business and Department of
Agribusiness and Applied Economics. According to the college, the downtown location and addition of the North Dakota Trade Office have increased interaction with local businesses and allowed the college to expand its offerings, such as a Certificate in Entrepreneurship in partnership with the University of North Dakota, and add three new centers: The Center for Professional Selling and Sales Technology, Fraud Education and Research Institute and the Center for Leadership Practice. Klai Hall houses the landscape architecture program.
Agricultural research extension centers NDSU has many research extension centers across the state encompassing over . Major NDSU research extension centers are near
Carrington,
Casselton,
Dickinson,
Fargo,
Hettinger,
Langdon,
Minot,
Streeter, and
Williston. ==Academics==