Northern Arizona University
Public Research University in Flagstaff, AZ. Six-year graduation rate 61%. Median 10-year earnings $54,384.
Students who entered Northern Arizona University land at a median of $54,384 a decade later, close to what most four-year schools deliver. Six-year completion sits at 61%, near the national average for undergraduate institutions. Median debt at graduation is $19,000, roughly typical for an undergraduate degree.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ Debt-to-income ratio 0.35 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Admissions
Northern Arizona University admits 90% of applicants — effectively open admission, so the application is a formality rather than a hurdle. 35,100 students applied, a pool deep enough to make the acceptance rate meaningful. Only 16% of admitted students enroll — the great majority of admits go elsewhere or nowhere.
Test score bands (middle 50% of submitters)
These bands describe the enrolled first-years who submitted a score, not the entering class. Where most students apply test-optional the submitters are a self-selected, higher-scoring group.
| Test | 25th–75th percentile | Submitted |
|---|---|---|
| SAT Evidence-Based Reading | — | — |
| SAT Math | — | |
| ACT Composite | — | — |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at Northern Arizona University →Academics
61% graduate within six years — average, but that average still hides a large group who do not. Retention of 75% means a meaningful slice of each entering class does not return. Retention and graduation track closely, so most of the attrition shows up in the first year rather than after it. The part-time picture is harder: 26% return, against 75% full-time. A 19:1 ratio is unremarkable; expect a mix of lecture halls and seminars.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 23,041 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Net price lands at $16,371 a year on average, neither cheap nor punishing. Net price swings hard on family income here, from $9,709 at the $0–30k band to $20,686 at $110k+. About 83% get grants averaging $13,051, so plan on the possibility of paying closer to full price. About 32% borrow federally, roughly the national pattern.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 5,362 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $9,709 |
| $30–48k | $10,398 |
| $48–75k | $13,330 |
| $75–110k | $18,050 |
| $110k+ | $20,686 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 7,304 of these 23,041 students, totalling $48,732,320 — an average of $6,672 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Coconino County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)