1.  [College research](/)
2.  /
3.  [Northern Arizona University](/school/northern-arizona-university/)
4.  /
5.  Cost & financial aid brief

Cost & financial aid brief

Copy linkPrint brief

# Northern Arizona University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 1, 2026

[Overview](/school/northern-arizona-university/)Cost & aid[Outcomes](/school/northern-arizona-university/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/northern-arizona-university/admissions/)[Majors](/school/northern-arizona-university/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/northern-arizona-university/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much does Northern Arizona University cost after financial aid?

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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) 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.

Across the lowest and highest family-income bands, average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) runs from $9,709 to $20,686, giving families a wide range to consider. Overall average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $14,158.

That figure is $1,476 below the peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), of $15,634. Azimuth places the affordability pillar in the 80th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Among borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $19,000, which is $1,076 below the comparable-institution median of $20,076. The lower average price and lower borrowing both point toward costs below the comparable benchmark.

Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s step upward across the family-income bands: $9,709 for the lowest band, $10,398 for the next-lowest band, $13,330 for the middle band, $18,050 for the next-highest band, and $20,686 for the highest band. Pell Grants reach 31.3% of undergraduates, providing financial-access context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $10,977.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$9,709

**$30–48K**
$10,398

**$48–75K**
$13,330

**$75–110K**
$18,050

**$110K+**
$20,686

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$14,158**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

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 price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s 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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](#combined-borrowing) are in the Financial GPS card below. [Borrowing populations and model assumptions](#cost-data-notes).

## Parent loans: what can the family afford?

[How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/)

**Median Parent PLUS debt**
$23,489

**Estimated parent payment**
$298/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| 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](#cost-data-notes).

## 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

1.  Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
2.  Good 8–under 12%
3.  Concerning 12–20%
4.  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.

[Read the framework and its limits](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/).

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](/financial-gps/?tool=student&school=northern-arizona-university#student-tool)

## Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/).

Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), 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](/about/).

**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](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/).

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.