College Azimuth

Research brief & institution hub

Northern Arizona University

AZLarge public institution · Overall rank #127 nationally

Data snapshot Updated

Azimuth ranks Northern Arizona University #127 overall among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Who it’s a good fit for

Northern Arizona University is a public university in Flagstaff where the degree mix leans toward Business, Health Professions, and Education. Mobility is among the highest we track.

Graduates out-earn what predicts for students like them. The model attributes that gain to the factors it measures, while what it cannot explain subtracts from it.

Most graduates are estimated to go into work rather than on to further study. Pell recipients complete within a few points of the rate for the entering cohort as a whole, and access is well above average.

The lowest income band pays well below the published cost, while the highest pays closer to it. The admission rate is above the median for comparable institutions.

A student drawn to the largest programs should know that the best-paid ones — Computer Science and Construction Management — are much smaller.

Northern Arizona University at a glance

Admissions and outcomes

Admission rate[1]
89.6%
Six-year completion[2]
61.3%
Four-year earnings[3]
$60,629

Cost and family borrowing

Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[6]
$13,330
Median student debt[4]
$19,000
Median Parent PLUS debt[7]
$23,489

Northern Arizona University rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[5]

Northern Arizona University is a public university in Flagstaff, Arizona, enrolling 22,903 undergraduates. Its composite standing sits in the top tenth of the Azimuth ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The shape is a broad-access public campus where mobility is the strongest and return the weakest, with access and affordability sitting between them. The university admits 89.6% of applicants, a rate above the 78.1% median for comparable institutions of the same type and size.

Of students who start full time, 75.5% return for a second year and 61.3% finish within six years. Both figures run below the peer medians of 83.1% and 65.0%.

An estimated 25.8% of entrants arrive as transfers or part-time students, so the six-year rate covers only those who began here as first-time, full-time students. The four pillars form a wide spread: mobility near the top of the ranking, return near the middle, and access and affordability in the upper fifth.

The strongest pillar and the weakest sit far apart, while the middle pillars offer a steady foundation between them.

Mobility gives Northern Arizona University its clearest Azimuth result: 94th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Its access pillar stands at 81st in that cohort.

Affordability reaches 80th, according to Azimuth, while return is the weakest pillar at the 56th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. High mobility, access, and affordability sit alongside a more middle-of-the-pack return result.

31.3% of undergraduates at Northern Arizona University receive Pell Grants, a measure of financial access. Azimuth ranks the university #286 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Pell recipients who enter full time complete at 56.4%, a rate that sits 4.9 percentage points below the figure for the entering cohort as a whole. Azimuth ranks the university #87 for mobility among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $4,436 more than the model expects for similar students.

How value-added outcomes are assessed · How to interpret program rankings

Northern Arizona University rankings in context
GeographyRank
National#127
West#38

Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group.

National pillar percentiles

Economic mobility
National percentile: 94
Access & reach
National percentile: 81
Affordability
National percentile: 80
Return on investment
National percentile: 56

Top-ranked majors

  1. Science Technologies/Technicians, Other#5
  2. Construction Management#8
  3. Criminology#15

This school’s three highest-ranked programs nationally. Each rank compares bachelor’s programs in the same field; field sizes differ.

Explore major rankings

01 / Northern Arizona University briefing

Northern Arizona University cost & financial aid[6][7]

The published cost of attendance at Northern Arizona University is $29,933. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported in-state tuition of $12,096 and required fees of $1,343 for the 2026-27 academic year.

On-campus food and housing were listed at $14,432. Out-of-state students face a higher tuition of $29,568.

After grants and scholarships, the average net price for aid recipients is $14,158, which is $1,476 below the peer median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size). Azimuth ranks the university #283 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The published cost of attendance is $29,933. Azimuth ranks Northern Arizona University #283 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

After grants and scholarships, the average net price for aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 is $9,709, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $13,330, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $20,686. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $10,977.

Aid covers about 53% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, bringing the for all aid recipients to $14,158. That is $1,476 below the $15,634 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Borrowers who finish carry a median of $19,000 in federal student loans, $1,076 below the $20,076 peer median. 79.2% of federal aid recipients take federal loans.

Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $23,489 in Parent PLUS loans. If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $216 a month.

Your family income

Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.

Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$13,330

After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Borrowing and repayment at Northern Arizona University

Northern Arizona University’s median federal student loan debt at completion is $19,000, which is $1,076 below the $20,076 peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size). For the separate parent-borrower population, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $23,489.

In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 45% of graduates borrowed from any source, with average cumulative borrowing of $21,732 per borrower. That group included 44% of graduates with federal loans averaging $17,048. It also included 8% of graduates with private loans averaging $32,160.

The investment picture at Northern Arizona University rests on earnings that beat the model's expectation and debt that stays below the peer median. Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $60,629, at the 53rd percentile nationally.

Graduates earn about $4,436 more than the model expects for similar students, an outcome at the 70th percentile. Earnings scenarios, estimated from the university's program mix, range from $48,820 in a downside case to $83,879 in an upside case, with a typical outcome of $60,629.

On the borrowing side, completers who took federal loans carry a median of $19,000, which is $1,076 below the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $216 a month if repaid over ten years.

Parent borrowers are a separate population, and their median Parent PLUS borrowing is $23,489. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $216 a month if repaid over ten years.

How Financial GPS measures payment burden · The four risk-and-reward zones

Financial GPS

What does repayment look like?

Institution median student debt
$19,000
Institution Parent PLUS debt
$23,489

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

Estimated student payment · monthly
$216/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
$298/mo

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

Payment assumptions

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.

Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS
Read the full cost & aid brief

02 / Northern Arizona University briefing

Northern Arizona University career outcomes & earnings[3][8][9]

Graduates of Northern Arizona University earn about $4,436 more than the model expects for similar students. That places the gap at the 70th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The model splits that advantage into two parts. The part it attributes to the factors it measures adds $10,264.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $5,828. Four years after completion, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $60,629, at the 53rd percentile.

That is $4,981 below the $65,610 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Azimuth places the university at the 56th percentile for return.

For federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled, Northern Arizona University has median earnings of $60,629 four years after completion. Azimuth places that earnings measure in the 53rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, based on an earnings cohort of 6,995 completers.

Four years after completion, federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled earn about $4,436 more than the model expects for similar students. Earnings beyond expectations is the gap between what completers earn and what the model expects for similar students.

Earnings scenarios from the program mix place typical earnings at the institutional median, with a downside scenario of $48,820 and an upside scenario of $83,879. An estimated 31.1% continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix.

The middle-of-coverage earnings level and higher-than-expected modeled result point in different directions.

Return measures at Northern Arizona University are mixed: federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled have median earnings of $60,629 four years after completion, in the 53rd percentile. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $65,610, leaving the university $4,981 below that figure.

Graduates earn about $4,436 more than the model expects for similar students. Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, stand in the 70th percentile.

The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $10,264. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $5,828.

Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $779. Azimuth places the return pillar in the 56th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix range from $48,820 on the downside to $83,879 on the upside. Earnings exceed the model’s expectation but remain below the peer median.

Computer Science sets the high-earnings end among named programs, with 119 degrees awarded and median earnings of $99,067 four years after completion. Azimuth ranks it #119 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field.

Kinesiology and Physical Education had median earnings of $61,250 four years after completion, or 1.12x of the national median for its field.

Program choice corresponds with a wide modeled spread in earnings. Downside and upside earnings scenarios range from $48,820 to $83,879 four years after completion; they are modeled from the program mix, not observed graduate groups.

Among higher-earning fields, Computer Science reaches $99,067, Construction Management reaches $99,015, and Electrical Engineering reaches $95,388, each four years after completion. Those field results help explain why the modeled range is wide.

Borrowers face lower median federal debt than comparable institutions, and the average net price is also below the peer level. Among federal-loan borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $19,000.

The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $20,076, and Northern Arizona University is below it by $1,076. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $216 a month if repaid over ten years.

Average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $14,158. It is below the $15,634 peer median by $1,476, and aid covers about 53% of the published cost for the average aid recipient.

Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, provide a separate check on the return picture. Graduates earn about $4,436 more than the model expects for similar students. Lower debt and net price align with higher-than-expected earnings.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$10,264
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
-$5,828
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
+$4,436

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

Read the full outcomes brief

03 / Northern Arizona University briefing

Northern Arizona University acceptance rate & admissions[1][10][11]

Admission is relatively common at Northern Arizona University, where the reported admission rate is 89.6%. That rate is above the median of 78.1% for comparable institutions (same type and size).

In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported 39,685 first-year applicants, 35,561 admitted applicants, and 4,540 enrolled students.

SAT: reported composite scores
Admission rate
89.6%
25th percentile
1010
Median
1175
75th percentile
1280

CDS 2025-26 · enrolled first-year score submitters. This range is not an admission cutoff.

Read the full admissions brief

04 / Northern Arizona University briefing

What are the largest majors at Northern Arizona University?[12]

Program choice matters here: four-year earnings range from technical and health fields at the higher end to a large social-science field at a more moderate level. Computer Science records $99,067 four years after completion across 119 degrees awarded; Azimuth places the field at #119 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Mechanical Engineering posts $91,941 with 123 degrees awarded and an Azimuth national field rank of #122. Nursing combines $84,996 four years after completion with 462 degrees awarded; Azimuth ranks it #143 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field.

At the more moderate end, Psychology has median earnings of $50,448, 387 degrees awarded, and an Azimuth national field rank of #165. The contrast between these fields makes the program-level earnings picture more varied than a single schoolwide figure.

Northern Arizona University has 45 bachelor’s fields ranked by Azimuth among nonprofit four-year institutions, with strong placements in several distinct areas. Construction Management is ranked #8 by Azimuth among nonprofit four-year institutions, with 67 degrees awarded and $99,015 in median earnings four years after completion.

Azimuth ranks Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies #18 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions; 56 degrees were awarded, and completers earned a median $50,501 four years after completion. These highly ranked fields show different earnings levels, making the individual program page more useful than a schoolwide figure alone.

Business accounts for 14.8% of bachelor's degrees awarded at Northern Arizona University, with Health Professions next at 13.6% and Education at 9.7%. The largest single program is Biology, at 467 degrees awarded, followed by Nursing at 462 and Liberal Arts and General Studies at 418.

Across the university, 45 programs carry an Azimuth national rank, and 53 have published four-year earnings. Science Technologies/Technicians awards 64 degrees and has median earnings of $54,507 four years after completion; it ranks #3 in Arizona within its field.

Construction Management ranks #8 nationally within its field and #1 in Arizona, from 67 degrees awarded. Computer Science graduates report the highest four-year earnings at $99,067, from 119 degrees awarded.

The program ranks #119 nationally within its field and #3 in Arizona. Kinesiology and Physical Education carries a benchmark ratio of 1.12x against the national median for its field, with median earnings of $61,250.

Strength is spread across several professional and service fields. Science Technologies/Technicians and Construction Management are both nationally ranked programs, yet neither is among the three largest by volume.

Computer Science and Construction Management sit at the top of the earnings list, while Biology and Nursing have far more degrees awarded at lower medians. Four-year earnings for fields where graduates often pursue advanced degrees understate later trajectories, and 14.7% of degrees awarded are in STEM fields.

Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields
Biology, General 467 degrees awarded
$55,446
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 462 degrees awarded
$84,996
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities 418 degrees awarded
$56,433
Psychology, General 387 degrees awarded
$50,448
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods 312 degrees awarded
$50,738
Criminology 245 degrees awarded
$56,676

Fields selected by reported completions. Counts describe credentials awarded, not unique students or the earnings sample. Bars show median four-year earnings.

Read the full majors brief

05 / Northern Arizona University briefing

How does Northern Arizona University serve students from different backgrounds?

Northern Arizona University’s mobility picture is supported by completion and modeled earnings. For the first-time full-time cohort, the six-year graduation rate is 61.3%; Pell recipients complete at 56.4%, below the overall rate by 4.9 percentage points.

Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, are also favorable: graduates earn about $4,436 more than the model expects for similar students. That measure reaches the 70th percentile, and Azimuth places mobility in the 94th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

With 22,903 undergraduates, Northern Arizona University has a broad entry profile: 89.6% of applicants were admitted. Pell Grants go to 31.3% of undergraduates, and an estimated 25.8% entered as transfers or part-time students.

Azimuth places the access pillar in the 81st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Enrollment scale, the admission rate, and Pell and transfer participation point to several routes into this public university.

06 / Northern Arizona University briefing

What colleges are similar to Northern Arizona University?[15]

Azimuth groups alternatives by admissions, location, cost and earnings, then orders candidates within each group. Peer earnings use the matched four-year cohort. How matching works.

A shortlist for different decisions

Choose a row to compare the figures with Northern Arizona University.

Admissions peerArizona State University Campus Immersion89.9% admitted
Comparison with Northern Arizona University
MeasureNorthern Arizona UniversityArizona State University Campus Immersion
Peer earnings · 4 years$60,629$66,968+$6,339 vs Northern Arizona University
Average annual net price$14,158$14,967+$809 vs Northern Arizona University · higher cost
Admission rate89.6%89.9%
Explore Arizona State University Campus Immersion →
Higher-admission alternativeThe University of Texas at El Paso99.9% admitted
Comparison with Northern Arizona University
MeasureNorthern Arizona UniversityThe University of Texas at El Paso
Peer earnings · 4 years$60,629$58,771-$1,858 vs Northern Arizona University
Average annual net price$14,158$9,403-$4,755 vs Northern Arizona University · lower cost
Admission rate89.6%99.9%
Explore The University of Texas at El Paso →
Nearby alternativeUniversity of ArizonaNearby option · AZ
Comparison with Northern Arizona University
MeasureNorthern Arizona UniversityUniversity of Arizona
Peer earnings · 4 years$60,629$67,420+$6,791 vs Northern Arizona University
Average annual net price$14,158$16,674+$2,516 vs Northern Arizona University · higher cost
Admission rate89.6%86.1%
Explore University of Arizona →
Higher-earnings alternativeSan Jose State University$89,614 earnings
Comparison with Northern Arizona University
MeasureNorthern Arizona UniversitySan Jose State University
Peer earnings · 4 years$60,629$89,614+$28,985 vs Northern Arizona University
Average annual net price$14,158$13,760-$398 vs Northern Arizona University · lower cost
Admission rate89.6%84.6%
Explore San Jose State University →
Lower-cost alternativeCUNY Brooklyn College$3,103 average net price
Comparison with Northern Arizona University
MeasureNorthern Arizona UniversityCUNY Brooklyn College
Peer earnings · 4 years$60,629$62,833+$2,204 vs Northern Arizona University
Average annual net price$14,158$3,103-$11,055 vs Northern Arizona University · lower cost
Admission rate89.6%58.4%
Explore CUNY Brooklyn College →
Similar profileUniversity of Nevada-Las VegasMatched across several measures
Comparison with Northern Arizona University
MeasureNorthern Arizona UniversityUniversity of Nevada-Las Vegas
Peer earnings · 4 years$60,629$62,637+$2,008 vs Northern Arizona University
Average annual net price$14,158$10,359-$3,799 vs Northern Arizona University · lower cost
Admission rate89.6%96.2%
Explore University of Nevada-Las Vegas →

Each school is the first-ranked match in its category, not a recommendation across every measure. The same college may lead more than one category. Figures use the matching snapshot; earnings reflect the matched four-year cohort. — means unavailable.

Read the full similar schools brief

Data scope & methodology

Structured payloads generated Governed hub narrative Governed spoke corpus

Four-year earnings describe cohorts of completers. Figures for other horizons describe different cohorts and are not joined into a career-growth projection.

Azimuth's overall rank and pillar percentiles come from the school profile. Absolute pillar ranks, city, enrollment and official-site links are shown only when structured data supplies them.

Detailed earnings, cost, admissions and program values come from the endpoint responsible for each measure. Missing values are not replaced with zero. Value-added estimates are model associations, not causal effects.

Figures are refreshed with each data release, at most a quarter apart. The underlying source dates can be earlier than the release.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.

Read the ranking methodology, data definitions and limitations · About College Azimuth

Read the analysis behind value-added earnings and the change to four-year graduate earnings. These articles are published on collegeazimuth.com.

Data notes & source fields

Scorecard field codes identify the underlying measure; Azimuth-derived values are labeled separately. Snapshot dates are not measurement years. Source populations and reporting periods differ across measures. Field definitions are in the U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation; notes with a different source link it below.

  1. Admission rate. Reported applicants admitted; not a transfer-specific or individual admission probability.

    Source fields: ADM_RATE

  2. Six-year completion. First-time, full-time students completing at the institution within 150% of normal time, typically six years for a bachelor’s degree.

    Source fields: C150_4

  3. Four-year institutional earnings. Median earnings of graduates in the reported cohort who are working and not enrolled, four years after completion.

    Source fields: MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

  4. Median federal student debt. Federal student-loan debt among completers in the reported borrowing cohort. Excludes Parent PLUS and is not total debt across all students.

    Source fields: GRAD_DEBT_MDN

  5. National, regional and state ranks; pillar percentiles; major ranks. Derived scores within the stated eligible comparison set, not raw Scorecard fields. Major ranks compare institutions within a field; their denominators differ.

    Source fields: Azimuth rankings

    College Azimuth · Ranking methodology

  6. Annual net price by family income. Average annual cost after grants and scholarships for the eligible first-time, full-time aid-recipient cohort. Public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. Includes living costs; these are averages, not medians or individual offers.

    Source fields: NPT4_PUB/PRIV; NPT41_PUB/PRIV through NPT45_PUB/PRIV

  7. Parent PLUS debt, payments and GPS illustration. Stored payments use Financial GPS loan and repayment assumptions. The adjustable spectrum applies the published framework to annual student payments divided by earnings minus an expense allowance; its initial allowance uses the frozen 2024 framework baseline. It is an illustration rather than a school rating. Parent PLUS uses the completer median where available, otherwise the all-borrower median; these describe different borrowing populations.

    Source fields: PLUS_DEBT_ALL_COMP_MD; fallback PLUS_DEBT_ALL_MD; Azimuth Financial GPS calculations

    College Azimuth · Financial GPS methodology

  8. Downside and upside earnings; yellow band. The band spans the modeled lower and higher scenarios. It is not the P25–P75 interval for individual graduates. The median marker is the separately reported institutional median.

    Source fields: Azimuth modeled program-mix scenarios

    College Azimuth · Earnings scenario methodology

  9. Value added and its components. Observed-factor attribution plus the unexplained remainder equals total modeled value added. These are associations, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

    Source fields: Azimuth statistical model

    College Azimuth · Value-added methodology

  10. SAT score range and reported midpoint. Reported scores of enrolled score-submitters, not admission cutoffs. The midpoint field is not necessarily the middle of the displayed range.

    Source fields: SATVR25 + SATMT25; SATVR75 + SATMT75; SAT_AVG

  11. First-year retention. Retention of the reported full-time cohort at four-year institutions.

    Source fields: RET_FT4

  12. Program earnings, completion counts and major-mix dots. Included bachelor’s programs have at least five reported completions. Counts are aggregated credentials, not unique people or an earnings sample. Major-mix dots group those counts by field of study; excluded programs are not zero activity.

    Source fields: EARN_MDN_4YR; IPEDSCOUNT1; CIPCODE

    College Scorecard · Field-of-study technical documentation

  13. Pell recipients. Share of undergraduates receiving a Pell Grant in the reported academic year.

    Source fields: PCTPELL

  14. Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group. This is not an observed transfer-in rate. It includes part-time entrants and other entering-student attendance patterns.

    Source fields: 1 − PFTFTUG1_EF

  15. Peer earnings and signed differences. Differences are peer minus this school, from the same matching snapshot. A positive earnings difference does not mean the peer is better on every measure.

    Source fields: Azimuth peer model using MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

    College Azimuth · Comparison methodology

How to interpret program rankings