North Dakota Board Approved One NDUS Model

The state has cleared a plan to reorganize its university system to increase collaboration and operational efficiency.

Updated on Sept. 28, 2026 in Higher Education

Isometric editorial illustration of academic building silhouettes connected by structural lines, representing a coordinated state university network. — The State Board of Higher Education in North Dakota has approved the One NDUS model, a new network strategy aimed at consolidating administrative services across its 11 campuses to improve efficiency. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Should state colleges consolidate administrative services to improve efficiency and reduce redundant costs?

The State Board of Higher Education has officially backed the One NDUS coordinated network model. The plan aims to improve operational efficiency across the state's 11 higher education institutions by reducing redundant efforts.

Why it matters

The model intends to provide smaller colleges with the necessary scale to improve administrative operations. By consolidating shared services, the system hopes to reduce unnecessary duplication across campuses.

The North Dakota University System encompasses 11 distinct higher education institutions. The plan specifically organizes two-year and four-year colleges into collaborative networks while leaving two research universities to operate independently.

The players

Brent Sanford

He is the Commissioner who proposed the network model to foster greater collaboration between two-year and four-year colleges.

State Board of Higher Education

This body oversees the North Dakota University System and is responsible for policy decisions affecting its 11 member institutions.

The details

Under the new plan, colleges will share non-academic functions like accounting, payroll, and financial aid to create better scale for smaller schools. Additionally, participating campuses will coordinate more closely on academic programs, scheduling, and student transfer processes.

The University System began consulting on the proposal in June 2025.
The State Board of Higher Education met for a retreat on August 27, 2026.
The board secured official backing for the One NDUS model on September 24, 2026.
Planning teams for the network model are scheduled to launch in October or November 2026.
The system expects to present findings to the state Legislature in January 2027.

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Roadmap

This transition to a coordinated network model represents a structural shift toward centralized efficiency for state-funded colleges. It reflects a broader trend among state university systems attempting to curb operational redundancies while maintaining localized campus access.

Students at the affected two-year and four-year colleges may see changes in how academic credits transfer and how scheduling is managed between campuses. These administrative shifts aim to streamline non-academic services, though the daily experience on campus will largely depend on future implementation details.

The takeaway

The move toward a coordinated network reflects an ongoing effort to maximize resources across public institutions in the state. Readers should monitor upcoming legislative sessions for details on how this reorganization might alter student services or institutional budgets.

What happens next

Planning teams for the new network model are set to launch in October or November 2026, followed by a formal presentation of the plan to the North Dakota Legislature in January 2027.