Cost & financial aid brief
Northern Arizona University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Northern Arizona University cost after financial aid?
Aid covers about 53% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, reducing the sticker price by $15,775 on average. The lower-income bands have lower average net prices than the middle and upper-income bands, with costs increasing across the listed income range.
Average net prices run from $9,709 in the lowest band to $20,686 in the highest, with $10,398, $13,330, and $18,050 in the bands between. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $10,977.
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 average net price 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.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
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 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.
Repayment figures are in the Financial GPS card below. Borrowing populations and model assumptions.
Parent loans: what can the family afford?
How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families
- Median Parent PLUS debt
- $23,489
- Estimated parent payment
- $298/mo
| Income | Risk level |
|---|---|
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | High pressure |
| $100,000 | Caution |
| $150,000 | Safe |
| $200,000 | Safe |
The model holds the parent balance fixed and varies parent income. Read the assumptions and limits.
Student and parent loans: the monthly payments
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
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $514/mo
Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.
Student payment as a share of available income
At median graduate earnings of $60,629, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:
6.8% of income above the allowance · Excellent
- Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
- Good 8–under 12%
- Concerning 12–20%
- High risk Over 20%
How this estimate works
These are modeled earnings scenarios, not observed earnings percentiles. Annual student payments ÷ (earnings − basic-expense allowance). The starting allowance, $22,590, uses the published framework’s 2024 baseline; it is not a current local living-cost estimate. Change it for your budget, including taxes and other obligations. This combines school-level figures for illustration, not a typical individual’s budget or an official school rating. Parent PLUS is separate.
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.
Data & methodology
Sources and reporting periods: methodology.
Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.
Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.
Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.
Net price and borrowing. The 2023–24 income-band averages include living costs and cover eligible first-time, full-time aid recipients; public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. They are not individual aid offers. Peer matching supplies overall net prices, not matched income-band averages. College Scorecard data and documentation.
A personal student-risk assessment also needs your major and borrowing plan; these school-level illustrations do not assign you a personal risk zone.
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. Private-loan figures from the Common Data Set are separate from these federal repayment illustrations.