GRAND FORKS — The University of North Dakota has hit a new record for spring enrollment, according to an official count.
It’s UND’s fifth consecutive spring of seeing an increased enrollment headcount, said David Dodds, the university’s director of communications.
“This is all building into next fall, so we’ll see where are numbers are next fall,” he said.
Official numbers show 15,155 students enrolled for spring 2026. It’s an increase of 3.87% over last spring’s 14,591, a rise of 564 students. Total student credit hours hit 169,263, an increase of 9,881, or 6.2% over last spring.
The North Dakota University System said spring enrollment across the system shows a 1.9% increase from spring 2025. The spring 2026 census is 45,726.
Dodds said spring semester enrollment at UND is traditionally lower than the fall semester. Fall 2025 at UND saw a
of 15,440 students, followed by an
of 15,844, beating the fall 2012 record of 15,250.
“Every spring, enrollment goes lower because you graduate so many people in December,” he said.
NDUS reported the fall 2025 semester to be the highest enrollment since 2014 for the system, hitting 47,552 students. It was 1,331 short of the 2011 record of 48,883.
NDUS also said full-time equivalency increased systemwide by 2.7% from spring 2025 and total credit hour production increased by 2.8%, hitting 498,020 hours.
“Our institutions’ continued enrollment success tells us that students, parents and employers understand the transformative nature of higher education,” said NDUS Commissioner Brent Sanford in a media release. “In North Dakota, we offer a slate of post-secondary credentials, whether it’s bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees or certificates and apprenticeships. These credentials are imperative to gaining a foothold into the workforce and thriving in the careers of the future.”
Otto is the University of North Dakota reporter for the Grand Forks Herald.
