NDSU has improved 47 spots since last year in the world academic rankings. These rankings are based primarily on each university's graduate schools and staff output.
Find them here: http://cwur.org/2016.php
NDSU
2014
World 746 USA 208
2015
World 792 USA 211
2016
World 745 USA 199
For comparison, UND improved 31 spots.
2014
World 874 USA 225
2015
World 913 USA 227
2016
World 892 USA 217
For comparison Wyoming fell 10 spots.
2014
World 485 USA 157
2015
World 466 USA 151
2016
World 476 USA 151