More selective than 29% of Arizona colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $29,933. College Scorecard.
Higher than 67% of Arizona colleges we cover and 64% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 44% of Arizona colleges we cover and 54% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
NAU acceptance rate & admissions
Of 37,805 applicants, Northern Arizona University admitted 34,383 and 5,473 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class).
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
NAU tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for Arizona residents who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (in-state, federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
What NAU costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Northern Arizona University took 4.2 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in Arizona. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $9,709 | $41,069 | 2.3 years |
| $30–48k | $10,398 | $43,984 | 2.5 years |
| $48–75k | $13,330 | $56,386 | 3.2 years |
| $75–110k | $18,050 | $76,352 | 4.3 years |
| $110k+ | $20,686 | $87,502 | 4.9 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.2 years, the average time graduates took (45% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($54,384) minus $36,661 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in AZ (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $17,723 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
NAU majors, earnings & careers
Northern Arizona University offers 82 bachelor's majors across 10 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Humanities & Languages · 13
- Science & Math · 13
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 12
- Business & Finance · 10
- Engineering · 7
- Health & Medicine · 7
- Technology & Computing · 7
- Arts & Design · 5
- Communications & Media · 5
- Education · 3
Highest-earning majors at NAU
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Science | $99,067 | $27,000 |
| Construction Management | $99,015 | $23,700 |
| Computer Systems Analysis | $97,511 | — |
| Electrical Engineering | $95,388 | $20,500 |
| Mechanical Engineering | $91,941 | $24,409 |
| Civil Engineering | $88,184 | $28,000 |
| Nursing | $84,996 | $24,276 |
| Accounting | $81,144 | $19,450 |
Quick list of all 82 majors
- Accounting$81,144
- Anthropology$39,597
- Astronomy and Astrophysics—
- Biology$55,446
- Broadcasting / Digital Media$50,233
- Business—
- Business Administration$66,376
- Business Economics$63,605
- Chemistry$60,630
- Civil Engineering$88,184
- Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other—
- Communications$52,957
- Computer and Information Sciences—
- Computer Engineering—
- Computer Programming—
- Computer Science$99,067
- Computer Systems Analysis$97,511
- Construction Management$99,015
- Criminal Justice—
- Criminology$56,676
- Cultural Studies / Critical Theory and Analysis$37,350
- Data Analytics—
- Data Science—
- Dental Support Services and Allied Professions$68,917
- Dietetics—
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology—
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)$50,738
- Education (Subject Teaching)$53,246
- Electrical Engineering$95,388
- Engineering—
- English$45,915
- Entrepreneurship—
- Environmental Engineering$78,955
- Environmental Science / Conservation$48,321
- Ethnic / Gender Studies—
- Film and Photography$48,800
- Finance$77,855
- Forestry$52,191
- Geography—
- Geography and Environmental Studies—
- Geology / Earth Science$60,402
- Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design$48,764
- Health Sciences—
- History$45,795
- Hospitality Management$58,857
- Information Technology—
- Interdisciplinary Studies$49,080
- International Relations$60,448
- Journalism$57,868
- Kinesiology / Exercise Science$61,250
- Legal Studies / Paralegal—
- Liberal Arts / General Studies$56,433
- Linguistics$54,276
- Management Information Systems$76,041
- Marketing$69,834
- Mathematics$54,149
- Mechanical Engineering$91,941
- Mechatronics, Robotics, and Automation Engineering—
- Microbiological Sciences and Immunology$58,491
- Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other—
- Music$43,792
- Nursing$84,996
- Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies$50,501
- Philosophy—
- Philosophy, Politics, and Economics—
- Physical Sciences, Other—
- Physics—
- Physics and Astronomy—
- Political Science$58,571
- Psychology$50,448
- Public Administration$52,834
- Public Health$61,757
- Public Relations and Advertising$55,863
- Science Technologies / Technicians, Other$54,507
- Social Work$54,000
- Sociology$44,082
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages$57,004
- Special Education$53,619
- Speech-Language Pathology / Communication Disorders—
- Studio Art$34,073
- Theatre$38,380
- Writing—
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Nursing → Registered nurse
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 5.6% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Education (Elementary / Secondary) → Elementary school teacher
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to shrink 0.4% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Flagstaff
Overall prices in the Flagstaff, AZ area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $1,729. Housing costs 9% above the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 22 inches of rain a year, 90 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: wildfire (relatively high); river flooding (relatively high); winter weather (very high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Coconino County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Coconino County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare NAU with similar schools
Similar public colleges in Arizona by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Arizona University | 90% | $14,158 | 61% | $54,384 | This school |
| University of Arizona | 86% | $16,674 | 68% | $59,979 | |
| Arizona State University Campus Immersion | 90% | $14,967 | 68% | $62,668 | |
| Rio Salado College | — | $8,341 | 9% | $41,015 | |
| Dine College | — | $6,057 | 13% | $29,188 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Northern Arizona University would cost you $2,516 less per year than University of Arizona, on average.
- Higher sticker price at Northern Arizona University, mostly from more University of Arizona students living at home, which lowers its average (+$3,899).
- Northern Arizona University gives aided families $3,026 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Arizona resident | NAU | UA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $13,009 | $13,926 | −$917 |
| Books & supplies | $900 | $800 | +$100 |
| Housing & meals | $11,728 | $14,400 | −$2,672 |
| Personal & travel | $4,400 | $4,300 | +$100 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$104 | −$4,003 | +$3,899 |
| Sticker price | $29,933 | $29,423 | +$510 |
| Average grants | −$15,775 | −$12,749 | −$3,026 |
| You pay | $14,158 | $16,674 | −$2,516 |
“+” means NAU costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about NAU
What is the NAU acceptance rate?
Northern Arizona University accepts 90% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 34,383 of 37,805 applicants were admitted.
How much does Northern Arizona University cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $29,933 a year for in-state students. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $14,158 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $9,709 and families earning $110k+ pay $20,686.
How much do NAU graduates earn?
Former Northern Arizona University students earn a median $54,384 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the NAU graduation rate?
61% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 75% return for their second year.
How long does a NAU degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Northern Arizona University costs about $56,386 after grants ($13,330 a year for 4.2 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $54,384 ten years after starting, $17,723 more than high school graduates in Arizona ($36,661), so the cost is repaid in 3.2 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Northern Arizona University: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/northern-arizona-university (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).