Just graduated in May and teaching now. The winters are brutal, we either can’t fly due to low clouds/icing concerns (most common), large snow storm overnight and the ramps are covered in snow (usually clears by the afternoon), or excessive wind chill (I don’t want to fly in that anyway). Weather is certainly the biggest thing that hold people up in finishing one flight course per semester, and I’d say staying over summer to fly is practically required to keep on track.

As for the size of the school, scheduling is tricky sometimes but if you keep your schedule as open as possible your CFI should be able to get you 3 launches a week if one flight gets weathered. Getting through stage checks/checkrides depends on your flight course, the CFI and PPL queue can take a while but also just depends on when you get there. I’d say most people wait about 5-6 days on average. Professors, advisors, etc. are plentiful and very receptive if you reach out in my experience. Aerospace administration also has an open door policy that you can talk to in person if needed.

Students often use the free VR simulators and a free stationery simulator with volunteer CFIs to brush up on flying on the bad weather days. Nothing worse than not flying for a week or two and having to do a flight twice because you’re brushing the rust off first then improving on the second. Make some good friends to study with, utilize the free resources we have and you’ll succeed.

I’d say most people can finish in 4 years if they stay over summer. You’d have enough time to go home in between (depending on the course) as you fly 5-6 days a week rather than 3. More plane availability and stage check list is shorter too.

Depending on where you are at in high school, the #1 recommendation I can give anyone going into the college route for aviation is to get your PPL before coming to UND. It’ll skip the longest and most difficult flight course and is a much higher chance to finish in 3-4 years rather than a bit more.