Studying in Grand Forks: universities, housing and student life

Grand Forks sits on the west bank of the Red River of the North, directly across the water from East Grand Forks, Minnesota, so that two towns in two states function as one urban area of a little over sixty thousand people. The river runs north here, toward Canada, which is why the spring thaw has historically brought flooding — the catastrophic flood of 1997 still shapes the dikes, the greenway parks along the water and where the city allows building. For a student, the practical fact is that Grand Forks is flat, compact and cold, and almost everything that matters is strung along a few north–south arteries: Washington Street and Columbia Road for shops, University Avenue leading west into campus, and a small but intact downtown near the river.

This is a university town in the full sense. The University of North Dakota dominates the west side of the city, and student rhythms — move-in week, hockey nights, the long study stretch before winter break — set the pace for the whole place. It is also an aviation and defence town: the Grand Forks Air Force Base lies west of the city, and the airport is the base for one of the largest civilian flight-training operations in North America.

What follows is a guide to living and studying here, with the figures traced to the institutions that publish them. Where a number cannot be sourced, it is left out.

The University of North Dakota and its colleges

The University of North Dakota (UND) was founded in 1883, six years before North Dakota became a state, and its main campus spreads across 521 acres on the west side of Grand Forks — the largest in the North Dakota University System, according to the university's own About page. That page reports an all-time-high enrolment of 15,908 for fall 2026, with students from all fifty states, and notes that UND is classified as an R1 research university and is home to the only law school and the only medical school in the state.

UND is best known internationally for aerospace. The John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences describes itself, on its own site, as home to one of the largest fleets of civilian aircraft in North America, with departments spanning aviation, atmospheric sciences, earth system science and policy, and space studies. If you have come to Grand Forks from outside the region, aviation is often the reason.

The University of North Dakota College of Arts and Sciences is the college most undergraduates pass through for general-education courses whatever their major. Per the college's academics pages, it houses the humanities, social sciences, fine arts, and the mathematical and natural sciences, and awards undergraduate and graduate degrees. Between aerospace, arts and sciences, and the health and law schools, UND is a broad general university rather than a specialist institute.

Student life outside class leans heavily on one thing: hockey. The Fighting Hawks play at the Ralph Engelstad Arena, which UND Athletics describes as a facility that opened in October 2001 with seating for approximately 11,500. A home game in deep winter is the closest thing the city has to a civic ritual, and the student section fills for it.

Living on campus

UND requires all first-year students to live in a residence hall for their first full academic year, a rule stated plainly on the housing rates page. That page lists 2026–2027 academic-year rates by building: a double room runs from $5,240 in Smith and Johnstone halls, through $5,840 in Noren and Selke, to $6,250 in Brannon and $6,430 in McVey and West, with single rooms and suite options priced higher (a super-single in McVey or West reaches $7,600 for the year). Meal plans and fees are separate.

The halls differ in age and layout more than in location — all are within the walkable core west of Columbia Road — so the choice is mostly between the cheaper traditional doubles and the newer suite-style rooms. Because the first-year requirement removes the hardest housing decision for new undergraduates, the off-campus search below matters most for returning and graduate students, and for anyone arriving mid-year.

Finding a room off campus without being caught out

Once the live-on year is behind them, most students move into the rental blocks immediately around campus and the older neighbourhoods east of University Avenue toward downtown, where houses are often split into student flats. Rents in Grand Forks are modest by national standards, but the market tightens sharply in August as leases turn over, so returning students who want a specific area tend to sign by spring.

The scams that appear here concentrate in the weeks before each semester, when demand peaks and out-of-town or international students are arranging rooms sight-unseen. The warning signs are consistent: a listing priced well below comparable rooms, a "landlord" who says they are out of state and cannot show the unit, and pressure to send money to hold it. The single firmest rule is about payment method. Never send a deposit or first month's rent by bank wire, gift card or cryptocurrency to secure a place you have not seen — once sent, those are effectively unrecoverable, and legitimate Grand Forks landlords do not require them. See the room in person, or have someone you trust view it, before any money changes hands; confirm the person collecting rent actually controls the property; and get a written lease. In a small city, driving past an address to check it is real takes twenty minutes.

EduFabTech keeps local listings for the city that may help you start: rooms and places to stay, the full set of student listings in Grand Forks, and listings gathered near the University of North Dakota.

Furnishing a room cheaply, and the Saturday market

A near-empty off-campus room is easy to furnish second-hand here. Grand Forks has a cluster of resale and thrift stores along the South Washington Street corridor, including the Goodwill store at 3651 S Washington St, run by Easterseals Goodwill North Dakota. These are the practical sources for a desk, a lamp or kitchenware in the first week.

In the warmer months, the Town Square Farmers Market runs downtown at the corner of Demers Avenue and 3rd Street. Organised by Downtown Forks, the city's downtown association, it is held on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. through the summer season (roughly mid-June to late September) — produce, baked goods, crafts and food trucks, and a reliable way to meet the non-student side of the city. For furnishing between students, EduFabTech also carries a local page for second-hand furniture.

Working while you study

Many students take campus jobs — in the libraries, dining halls, labs and the aerospace operation. For international students, the rules are set by federal immigration policy, not the university. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Study in the States guidance explains that an F-1 student may generally work on campus up to 20 hours per week while school is in session, and full-time during official breaks, and that off-campus work such as Curricular or Optional Practical Training requires specific authorisation arranged in advance. This is general information, not legal advice: confirm your own situation with UND's international student office, which acts as your Designated School Official, before you accept any paid work. EduFabTech lists local openings on its Grand Forks jobs page.

Libraries and places to study

The main study building is the Chester Fritz Library. Per the library's hours page, during the regular fall term it opens Monday to Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to midnight, with later openings at the weekend. The library's booking system lists fourteen group study rooms that students can reserve in slots starting every 30 minutes. The law and medical schools maintain their own libraries for their students. Between these, the student union and departmental lounges, finding a desk in Grand Forks is rarely the problem; the problem is the walk there in January. EduFabTech also indexes study spaces in the city.

Getting around a winter city

Grand Forks is served by Cities Area Transit (CAT), the municipal bus system, and the key fact for students is on UND's campus transportation page: "Students, staff and faculty ride the campus shuttles and Grand Forks city bus free of charge" by showing a UND ID. The same page describes four on-campus shuttle routes — Red, Blue, Purple and a Night route — running on class days, with the Purple route reaching the Wellness Center and medical school. For the general public, CAT single-ride and pass fares are published by the City of Grand Forks.

Still, plan around the weather. Grand Forks has one of the colder climates of any U.S. university town, with long winters where daytime temperatures stay below freezing for weeks and wind on the open plain makes it feel sharper. A reliable route from your room to a warm bus stop, and proper cold-weather clothing, matter more here than a car for many students. The city is flat and cyclable in the warm half of the year; the cold half is when the free bus pays for itself.

What it costs

The clearest dated housing figures for Grand Forks come from UND itself: the 2026–2027 residence hall rates of $5,240 to $6,430 for a shared double over the academic year, cited above. Off-campus, published market-rate rent figures for the city vary between commercial trackers and federal fair-market-rent tables, so a single authoritative private-rent number is hard to pin down; treat the campus rates as your firmest benchmark and verify any off-campus figure against the actual lease in front of you. On the transport side, the real recurring cost for a UND student is zero, because the campus and city buses are free with the student ID. Groceries, phone plans and winter clothing are the variable costs that a thrifty first-year can keep down using the second-hand options above.

The honest balance

Grand Forks rewards a particular kind of student. If you are here for aerospace, atmospheric science, health or law, you are at the state's flagship with facilities that punch well above the city's size, and the cost of living and on-campus rents are genuinely low by U.S. standards. The campus is compact, the buses are free, and a close-knit hockey-and-winter culture makes the place easy to belong to.

The hard parts are real too. The winters are long and severe, and that shapes daily life from October to April. The city is isolated — the nearest large metros, Minneapolis and Winnipeg, are each several hours away — so weekend options are limited and a trip home can be an undertaking. The student body skews local and regional, which is welcoming but can feel narrow if you have come from abroad. And the summer rental market, while cheap, is small, so the specific room you want may need an early signature.

A checklist for your first weeks

• If you are a first-year, confirm your residence hall assignment and move-in date through UND housing; the live-on year is required.
• Get your UND ID early — it is also your free CAT bus pass and shuttle access.
• If you are off campus, never wire money or pay by gift card to hold a room; see it first and get a written lease.
• International students: meet your Designated School Official at the international student office before taking any job, and read the DHS work guidance.
• Furnish from the South Washington Street thrift corridor and, in summer, the Saturday Town Square market.
• Learn the Chester Fritz Library hours and book a group study room before exam weeks.
• Buy serious winter clothing before November — this is the single preparation out-of-area students most often underestimate.
• Browse local student listings for rooms, work and second-hand goods as you settle in.