R2 ResearchPublicHSI

Northern Arizona University

Flagstaff, Arizona·Public, 4-year or above·Southwest·nau.edu
6-yr Graduation
61%
+8.0pp vs R2 Research
Total enrollment
28,467
peer median 31,174
Avg net price
$14,922
-$1.1k vs R2 Research
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Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

Applied
35,100
35,100 candidates competed
Admitted
31,453
89.6% acceptance rate
Enrolled
4,975
15.8% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
61%+8.0pp vs R2 Research
4-year graduation
48%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
61%
Full-time retention
75%

Pell equity

5.0pp gap
Pell recipients
53%
Non-Pell
58%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 5.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 250 Title IV programs, 70 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 1 fails. 179 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
250
Passing
70
28.0% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
1
0.4% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.4%
-0.2pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

250programs
  • Passing70 · 28.0%
  • No Data179 · 71.6%
  • Failing1 · 0.4%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
1
Recoverable
0
At Risk
3
Watch
4
Safe
63
No data
179

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

71
Fine and Studio Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
-5.3%
$34,073 vs $35,969
Anthropology
Master's Degree · Social Sciences
+2.9%
$57,283 vs $55,693
Cultural Studies/Critical Theory and Analysis
Bachelor Degree · Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
+3.8%
$37,350 vs $35,969
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+6.7%
$38,380 vs $35,969
Anthropology
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
+10.1%
$39,597 vs $35,969
Music
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+21.7%
$43,792 vs $35,969
Sociology
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
+22.6%
$44,082 vs $35,969
Bilingual Multilingual and Multicultural Education
Master's Degree · Education
+23.2%
$57,142 vs $46,391

Near the line (±5%)

Programs within five points of the pass line, one cohort year from flipping.

2
Anthropology
Master's Degree · Social Sciences
+2.9%
+$1,590
Cultural Studies/Critical Theory and Analysis
Bachelor Degree · Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
+3.8%
+$1,381

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

79
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions
Doctoral Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
102%
$83,743 debt · $82,299 earn
Fine and Studio Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
71%
$24,343 debt · $34,073 earn
Bilingual Multilingual and Multicultural Education
Master's Degree · Education
65%
$36,950 debt · $57,142 earn
Anthropology
Master's Degree · Social Sciences
61%
$34,713 debt · $57,283 earn
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
59%
$22,500 debt · $38,380 earn
Allied Health Diagnostic Intervention and Treatment Professions
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
56%
$69,409 debt · $123,400 earn
Student Counseling and Personnel Services
Master's Degree · Education
56%
$34,084 debt · $60,735 earn
Special Education and Teaching
Master's Degree · Education
56%
$36,979 debt · $66,606 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1930Next review Aug 2028

Programmatic accreditations · 16

Action history · 17

  1. Jan 2025Grant Substantive Change: Program
    American Dental Association, Commission on Dental Accreditation · Dental Hygiene (DH)
  2. Jul 2024Initial Accreditation
    American Psychological Association, Commission on Accreditation · Professional Psychology (IPSY) - Predoctoral internship programs
  3. Feb 2024Renewal of Accreditation
    American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology · Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) - Graduate degree programs
  4. Jan 2024Approved for Distance Education
    Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Dietetics (DIET) - Coordinated Program in Dietetics
  5. Jan 2024Approved for Distance Education
    Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Didactic Program in Dietetics

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$10,333
$30–48k$11,015
$48–75k$14,211
$75–110k$19,013
$110k+$20,484

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price
$14,922
-$1,103vs R2 Research median $16,025
Federal loans
33.1%
In-state tuition
$12,652
Out-of-state
$28,900

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 8,873 students received $50.1M in Pell grants, alongside $127.4M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
8,873
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$50.1M
$50,142,821 total
Direct Loans
$127.4M
15,434 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

9k
20
8k
21
8k
22
8k
23
9k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$21.6M
5,355 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$23.2M
5,717 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$32.1M
1,823 loan awards
Parent PLUS$32.4M
1,792 loan awards
Grad PLUS$18.1M
747 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 7,272 borrowers who entered repayment, 128 (1.7%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
1.7%
-0.6pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
7,272
Defaulted
128
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
6.6%
2017
6.8%
2018
4.6%
2019
1.7%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Northern Arizona

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs194
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

6,196 total completions
01Health Professions
1,19919.4%
02Business
1,00516.2%
03Education
90714.6%
04Computer Sciences
90214.6%
05Psychology
5148.3%
06Biological Sciences
4517.3%
07Social Sciences
3706.0%
08Liberal Arts
3465.6%
09Communication
2614.2%
10Public Admin
2413.9%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
28,467
12-mo unduplicated
31,448
Undergraduate
25,247
Graduate
6,201

Gender split

Men
37%11,549
Women
63%19,899

Race / ethnicity composition

White
54.4%
Hispanic
26.5%
Two or more
5.6%
Asian
3.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native
3.5%
Black
2.9%
Non-resident
1.9%
Unknown
1.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.2%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

Athletes
338
193 M · 145 W
Women athletes
42.9%
Athletic aid
$6.4M
Total student aid
Budget
$29.5M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$3.6M
$2.9M
Recruiting expense
$231K
$155K
Head-coach salaries
$197K
$113K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 8

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
119 M · 96 W
$3.1M
Football
118 M ·
$6.1M
Swimming
· 34 W
$877K
Soccer
· 32 W
$987K
Basketball
17 M · 12 W
$3.2M
Tennis
8 M · 8 W
$901K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
3.49
98 offenses · 28,086 students

3-year trend

2.272 yrs ago3.661 yr ago3.49Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
270
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
198
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
9
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
9

Criminal offenses by type

Burglary
26
Motor vehicle theft
21
Rape
20
Fondling
19
Aggravated assault
7
Robbery
4
Arson
1

By location

98total
  • On campus98

Includes 59 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

28
Domestic violence
1
Dating violence
33
Stalking
62 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

  • Race1

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons20
Drugs72
Liquor20355

Residence-hall fires

  • Mountain View1 fire
    Heating equipmentDamage $1,000-$9,999
  • Tinsley Hall1 fire
    CookingDamage $0-$99
  • The Suites (301)1 fire
    CookingDamage $0-$99
  • South Village (141-146, 241-246)1 fire
    OtherDamage $0-$99

Data quality: 16 reports were later determined unfounded across the reporting period and are excluded from the totals above.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
19.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
1,134

Northern Arizona vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Northern Arizona selected for federal comparison reporting.

GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectNorthern Arizona University
61%28,467$14,922R2 Research
Arizona State University Digital Immersion
0%66.7%72,994R2 Research
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
51%94.2%33,881$6,500R2 Research
Sam Houston State University
55%90.3%21,039$16,025R2 Research
Texas State University
55%89.3%40,674$16,438R2 Research
Tarleton State University
48%89.6%17,433$20,261R2 Research
Peer group median53%89.6%31,174$16,025

Frequently asked questions about Northern Arizona University

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Northern Arizona.

What is the graduation rate at Northern Arizona University?

Northern Arizona University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 61% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Northern Arizona University?

Northern Arizona University reports a total enrollment of 28,467 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Northern Arizona University?

The average net price at Northern Arizona University is $14,922 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Northern Arizona University?

Northern Arizona University's yield rate is 15.8%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Northern Arizona University located?

Northern Arizona University is located in Flagstaff, Arizona 86011-4092.

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