Public · University

Northern Arizona University

Flagstaff, Arizona · Small city

#2 best value in Arizona
89.6%
Admit rate
$14,158
Avg net price
61%
Graduation rate
$54,384
Median earnings

Northern Arizona University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Flagstaff, Arizona (small city setting), enrolling 22,903 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI).

PublicLarge · 22,903 undergradsSmall cityAccessible · 90% admitNCAA Division I-FCS · Big Sky ConferenceCold wintersSnowy

About Flagstaff, Arizona

Flagstaff is a city in and the county seat of Coconino County, Arizona, United States. The Sinagua people were a pre-Columbian culture that occupied a large area in Arizona between c. 500 and 1425 CE. The Northern Sinagua were living in the pine forests of northern Arizona before moving into the area that is now Flagstaff about 700 CE. Flagstaff has its own New Year's Eve tradition; in the city, people gather around the Weatherford Hotel as a 70-pound (32 kg), 6-foot (1.8 m) tall, metallic pine cone is dropped from the roof at midnight. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Small city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
123 miles to Phoenix, AZ
To the ocean
278 miles
Nearest airport
3 miles to Flagstaff Pulliam (FLG)

How Northern Arizona University compares

Selectivity89.6%

More selective than 25% · #7 most selective of 13 in Arizona

Graduation rate61%

Higher than 62% · #7 of 18 in Arizona

First-year retention75%

Higher than 47%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$54,384

Higher than 52% · #7 of 19 in Arizona

Average net price$14,158

Cheaper than 76% · #2 cheapest of 17 in Arizona

Median debt at graduation$19,000

Lower than 80%

Student–faculty ratio19 : 1

Lower than 14%

Undergraduate enrollment22,903

Larger than 96%

Percentiles compare Northern Arizona University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Arizona.

Northern Arizona University campus

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

28,380students
  • Undergraduate22,90381%
  • Graduate5,47719%

Undergraduates by gender

22,903undergrads
  • Women14,62664%
  • Men8,27736%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White52%
  • Black3.0%
  • Hispanic27%
  • Asian4.5%
  • Other or multiracial13%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
22,903
Graduate enrollment
5,477
Student–faculty ratio
19 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
31%
First-generation students
39%
Students over 25
13%
Median family income
$41,212
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$88,623
Endowment
$283,386,638

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 5,473 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Arizona79%
  • Other U.S. states20%
  • International1.0%

Most first-years stay in state — Northern Arizona University draws overwhelmingly from Arizona.

1% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
89.6%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite
Average GPA
3.70

Cost

In-state tuition
$13,009
Out-of-state tuition
$29,881
Room & board
$14,432
Books & supplies
$900
Total cost of attendance
$29,933
Average net price
$14,158

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
61%
Graduated on time (4 years)
48%
First-year retention
75%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$47,308
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$54,384
Median debt at graduation
$19,000
Students with federal loans
32%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
50%

About 13% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
48%
Low-income (Pell)
51%
First-generation
51%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
10,274
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
45%
Housing charge (year)
$6,180
Meal plan (year)
$5,548
Application fee
$40
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FCS
Football conference
Big Sky Conference
Varsity athletes
494 (281 men · 213 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (8)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)243
Football120
Soccer38
Basketball27
Swimming and Diving (combined)26
Tennis17
Volleyball16
Golf7

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
4.3 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
152
Property offenses (2022–2024)
212

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 15 campuses (28,467 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

121reported offenses a year
51 violent a year71 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft
43
Burglary
26
Rape
21
Fondling
15
Aggravated assault
8.7
Robbery
3.0
Statutory rape
2.7
Arson
1.7

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$9,709
$30–48k
$10,398
$48–75k
$13,330
$75–110k
$18,050
$110k+
$20,686

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$57,624

$13,330/year × about 4.3 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

93%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$9,981
average award, among those who get one

A meaningful share of freshmen — 93% — get grant money from Northern Arizona University itself, averaging $9,981, which softens the sticker price.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 5,434 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$54,384
Typical debt at graduation
$19,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
35%
Out-earn a HS grad
63%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.5 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$51,297
Men
$60,028

Men out-earn women by $8,731 (17%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
82°F
Winter low
17°F
Annual rain
20.5″
Annual snow
90.1″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.01.53.0JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Flagstaff Pulliam AP, AZ US station (3.1 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Northern Arizona University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Northern Arizona University side by side →

Colleges near Northern Arizona University

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.