Northern Arizona University: A Comprehensive Overview

Northern Arizona University (NAU) is a public institution that was founded in 1899. NAU is a four-year public research university in Flagstaff, Arizona that offers more than 170 different bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs. Our degree programs are also accessible at more than 20 statewide locations and online. With nationally ranked undergraduate and graduate programs, Northern Arizona University delivers a rigorous, learner-centered education. NAU is one of the three universities governed by the Arizona Board of Regents and is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities - Very high research activity". NAU is ranked No.

Rankings and Recognition

In the edition of Best Colleges, Northern Arizona University is ranked No. 242 in National Universities. It's also ranked No. 136 in Top Public Schools. Forbes ranked NAU 297th out of the top 500 rated private and public colleges and universities in America for the 2024-25 report.

Northern Arizona University was ranked No. News & World Report’s Best Colleges Rankings for 2021. This is the first time NAU has been nationally ranked. The key metrics used in the rankings include class sizes, student to faculty ratio, achievement of Pell Grant recipients and social mobility index, institutional resources, retention and graduation rates and peer assessment of an institution’s academic reputation. This ranking is the result of collective work by faculty and staff across campus who have supported student success, as evidenced by record-breaking first year retention and six-year graduation rates, and bolstered the institution’s national profile through exceptional research and scholarship that have seen NAU’s research expenditures more than double over the last six years.

NAU also was listed among schools with the least student debt load at graduation-the only university in Arizona to achieve this distinction. This ranking is a reflection of NAU’s overall mission of access and affordability for its students.

NAU also was ranked 46th for undergraduate engineering programs in universities without an engineering doctorate program (NAU’s doctoral program in engineering started this year) and No. 284 for all national universities.

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Other rankings include:

Undergraduate computer science programs: No. 230
Undergraduate business: No. 201

“These rankings reflect NAU’s commitment to providing a high-quality education while keeping our costs low and focusing on the needs of the workforce in our state and nation,” NAU President Rita Cheng said.

Campus Environment and Academics

The campus size is 883 acres. The student-faculty ratio at Northern Arizona University is 19:1, and it utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Northern Arizona University has a test-optional admissions policy. At 6,950 ft (2,120 m) above sea level, NAU is the fourth highest-elevation four-year college campus in the country.

NAU offers more than 130 accredited degree programs at more than 20 statewide locations. NAU also has partnerships with community colleges and NAU-Yavapai, a collaboration with Yavapai College in Prescott Valley, Arizona.

Colleges and Programs

The university is divided into seven academic colleges offering about 130 undergraduate and graduate programs, and various academic certificates. The College of Arts and Letters Film Series has provided quality classic films to the NAU and Flagstaff community for a decade, and has recently established the NAU International Film Series. CAL is also home to NAU's doctoral program in Applied Linguistics. The College of Education is a cornerstone of NAU academics, with bachelor's, master's, and doctoral programs available. Programs focus on early childhood, elementary, secondary, and higher education. The Steve Sanghi College of Engineering was named for Steve Sanghi after his $10 million donation to the college in 2024. Within Sanghi are 19 undergraduate majors, 5 minors, 13 master's, and 5 doctoral programs. The College of the Environment, Forestry, and Natural Sciences has undergraduate and graduate programs that integrate science and mathematics through the creative application of knowledge. The College of Health and Human Services prepares students to become excellent health professionals and to provide service to improve the health and well-being of the communities served, particularly Arizona residents, Native Americans, and individuals considered disadvantaged. The college also houses the Civic Service Institute that connects students, older adults, and other community members to national service volunteer opportunities within their communities. The W. A. Franke College of Business (FCB) offers degrees at the undergraduate and master's levels. Airline entrepreneur Bill Franke commitment of $25 million resulted in the renaming of the college in his honor in 2007. It is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business - AACSB International. The FCB offers 7 undergraduate BSBA degrees for Accounting, Economics, Finance, Hospitality (HRM), Information Systems, Management, and Marketing, which students complete through the Business Professional Program (BPP). The Franke building an open-floor 4-level 111,000 sq ft (10,300 m2) complex with a grand central staircase, auditoriums, 14 classrooms, 5 computer labs, 11 student conference rooms, several lounges, 56 administrative offices, exterior porches, and a café. The W.A. Franke College of Business operates the School of Hotel and Restaurant Management (HRM), which offers two Bachelor of Science degrees in Hotel and Restaurant Management and Interdisciplinary Studies in Hospitality Management, along with 6 hospitality certifications. The school is located at the Eugene M. Hughes Complex at the northern part of the NAU campus, named after former university president Eugene Hughes. NAU is home to the first Honors program offered in Arizona. The academic enrichment program is open to students of all majors and offers coursework, research opportunities, and programs designed to enhance the undergraduate experience. The Graduate College offers more than 80 master's degrees, about 20 doctoral degrees, and 40 graduate certificates, both in-person and online. NAU offers graduate students hands-on mentoring, and numerous research, scholarship, and creative activities.

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Research and Innovation

Northern Arizona University is ranked No. 178 in the most recent National Science Foundation (NSF) national research rankings for fiscal year 2021 performance of $69.1 million. The research division's core facilities are the Environmental Genetics and Genomics Resource Center, Imaging and Histology Core Facility, and the Research Greenhouse Complex. The Pathogen and Microbiome Institute conducts research to track and fight a host of rapidly evolving and potentially deadly diseases including COVID-19. Northern Arizona University joined the Lowell Discovery Telescope partner group in 2014. NAU scientists use the LDT for deep imaging of small objects in the Solar System. Additionally, NAU partners with Lowell at its Anderson Mesa site, both in the National Undergraduate Research Laboratory and in a new Near-Earth Object follow-up program.

Student Life and Athletics

The NAU Lumberjacks compete in the NCAA Division I primarily as part of the Big Sky Conference and have won six national championships in cross country running. The Lumberjacks compete at the NCAA Division I level in all sports. In football, the Lumberjacks compete at the Football Championship Subdivision level (formerly known as Division I-AA).

Student-athletes compete at the intervarsity level in football (men); volleyball, soccer, golf, and swimming and diving (women); and basketball, cross country, indoor and outdoor track and field, and tennis (men and women). The $47 million, 77,000 square-foot Student-Athlete High Performance Center opened in February 2022. The Rolle Activity Center provides physical education classrooms and contains courts for recreational and varsity sports, including NAU's volleyball team, with seating for almost 1,100. The building was named after Joseph C. Rolle, "Mr. Lumberjack", in 1989. Rolle played basketball from 1937 to 1941, served as student body president, and received a BA in 1941 and MA in education in 1950 from Arizona State College of Flagstaff. The Lumberjacks won the NCAA Men's Division I Cross Country Championship in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, and 2022. The 2017 repeat title closed out a perfect season with a 53-point victory, placing five athletes in the top 40. The victory was the lowest score (74) at the NCAA Championships since 2014, and the Lumberjacks became the first repeat champions since 2013-14. Director of Cross Country and Track and Field Michael Smith earned the Bill Dellinger Award as National Men's Coach of the Year and also picked up both the Big Sky's Men's and Women's Coach of the Year awards.

Students can work at The Lumberjack, covering news of NAU and the region for Jackcentral.com and social media, and a print edition circulated throughout Flagstaff. Through UTV Studios, students produce short films and two student film festivals during each academic year. Students also produce NAZ Today, which is broadcast on cable television throughout northern Arizona. It is the only local newscast in the region. KJACK (KLJXLP, 107.1 FM) is an FCC-licensed radio station that gives students hands-on learning of the basics of radio and broadcasting. NAU's televised news program, NAZ Today, airs Monday through Thursday in Flagstaff on NPG cable channel 4; formerly, it also aired on UniversityHouse (Dish Network channel 9411) until it folded. Members of the MIC sports team cover sports across Northern Arizona for various media platforms in the MIC. The John Haeger Health and Learning Center features include an indoor jogging track, a 38-foot climbing wall, a large weight room, a multipurpose gym, a cardio theatre, and 123,000 square feet of recreation opportunities. Unions and Student Activities offers many services and events for the campus community, such as movies and the popular Friday night AfterHours program produced by Sun Entertainment. SUN also presents concerts, comedians, free movies, trivia nights, dodgeball, and many other special events each year.

History

Founded in 1899, it was the third and final university established in the Arizona Territory. Initially named the Northern Arizona Normal School, the institution opened on September 11, 1899, with 23 students, two faculty members - one, Almon Nicholas Taylor, who was also the school president - and "two copies of Webster's International Dictionary bound in sheepskin" as teaching resources. It was one of about 180 "normal schools" founded by state governments in the 19th century to train teachers for the rapidly growing public common schools. The first graduating class, in 1901, consisted of four women who received credentials to teach in the Arizona Territory. In 1925, the Arizona State Legislature allowed the school, which was then called the Northern Arizona State Teachers College (ASTC), to grant bachelor of education degrees. In 1929, the school became Arizona State Teachers College at Flagstaff. Also in 1929, the Great Depression struck the nation, and the ASTC found new meaning in community outreach. Rather than collapsing, the school endured through the depression. ASTC provided an education during economically trying times, often creating jobs to help students afford their education; they worked in the school-owned dairy farm, in the campus kitchen and dining hall, and as newspaper deliverers. ASTC was known for its diverse student body and ethnic tolerance. In fact, the first Hopi to receive a college degree was Ida Mae Fredericks in 1939. Students came from rural farms, mining families, the East Coast, and points between. The end of the war also expanded programs beyond teaching degrees, especially in the fields of art and science. To reflect this growth, the school changed its name to Arizona State College at Flagstaff in 1945 and, in 1958, became Arizona State College. In 2007, the business college was renamed The W. A. In 2022, José Luis Cruz Rivera became the university's 17th president.

Sustainability Initiatives

For many years, the university has prioritized sustainability initiatives, and campus-wide programs and resources encourage the entire university community to get involved with sustainability efforts. There are more than a dozen LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)-certified buildings on campus and all new construction must meet strict LEED standards. Dining services and facilities contribute to a composting initiative, collecting more than 300,000 pounds of material each year, which prevents 250 metric tons of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere. Much of the campus uses renewable wind and solar technologies and the university is investigating opportunities to utilize the vast ponderosa pine forests around campus for biomass electricity or heat production.

Access and Affordability

The school's in-state tuition and fees are $13,440; out-of-state tuition and fees are $30,912. Fifty-seven percent of first-year students receive need-based financial aid, and the average net price for federal loan recipients is $15,533. The four-year graduation rate is 48%. Six years after graduation, the median salary for graduates is $47,308.

The average cost of tuition and fees for a full-time, Arizona resident undergraduate student for the 2023-24 school year is $12,652 and $28,900 for out-of-state undergraduates. NAU also participates in the Western Undergraduate Exchange Program, which offers lower tuition rates for students from the Western United States.

NAU's Access2Excellence (A2E) initiative, announced in April 2022 by President José Luis Cruz Rivera, will provide a tuition-free undergraduate college education for every Arizona resident with a household income of $65,000 or below, assuring tuition will be fully covered by scholarships and financial aid. A2E also covers the cost of tuition for members of 22 federally recognized Arizona tribes, regardless of income or residency.

Campus Resources and Cultural Centers

The college also oversees the Clara M. Lovett Art Museum, Martin-Springer Institute (promoting lessons of the Holocaust), Northern Arizona Writing Project, Ardrey Memorial Auditorium, and Kitt Recital Hall. The Native American Cultural Center is a 12,000-square-foot facility that houses many programs built to support Indigenous students and functions as a social and cultural hub. The Martin-Springer Institute was founded at NAU in 2000 to "raise awareness of human rights through Holocaust remembrance and education." The institute was founded by Holocaust survivor Doris Martin and her husband Ralph Martin.

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