I've heard a lot of good things about Montana State University: Bozeman.
It's a nice state school, beautiful campus and surrounding area. Small city surrounded by mountains. Tons of outdoor activities to pursue. The students are what you'd expect to find at a state school -- lots of parties and lots of girls. While its name isn't the same as say... UC Berkeley, it's still a land-grant school so it's nationally recognized.
It's inexpensive (as far as college goes). Best of all, it's a member of WUE so if you're from ND then there's a good chance you'll go there for their in-state price.
Oh, and their admissions standards are fairly low
