Northern Arizona University
Northern Arizona University is located in Flagstaff, Arizona. It is a public, 4-year or above institution.
From Wikipedia:
Northern Arizona University (NAU) is a public research university based
in Flagstaff, Arizona. Founded in 1899, it was the final university
established in the Arizona Territory.
NAU is one of the three universities governed by the Arizona Board of
Regents and accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. As of fall
2023, 28,194 students were enrolled at NAU with 21,550 at the Flagstaff
campus. The university is divided into seven academic colleges offering
about 130 undergraduate and graduate programs, and various academic
certificates. Students can take classes and conduct research in
Flagstaff, online, and at more than 20 statewide locations, including
the Phoenix Biomedical Core research campus. The university is
classified among “R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity”
and ranked No. 187 in the National Science Foundation (NSF) national
research rankings for fiscal year 2022. NAU’s astronomy faculty led the
observations of the NASA DART mission, co-discovered several
astronomical bodies such as Eris and Sedna, and are major participants
in the search for the hypothetical Planet Nine. The university is a
primary institution of the Lowell Observatory. Alumni include 4 Truman
Scholars, 11 Goldwater Scholars, and 3 Udall Scholars. The NAU
Lumberjacks compete in the NCAA Division I primarily as part of the Big
Sky Conference, and have won several national championships in cross
country running. At an elevation of 6,950 ft (2,120 m) above sea level,
the school’s athletic facilities are used by Olympic and professional
athletes worldwide for prestige high altitude training.
Notes
These are items that bear looking into more closely.
- This institution’s six year bachelors graduation rate is 59.1%, so approximately 2/5 of undergrads who enroll do not earn a bachelors degree from here.
Overview of institution
This, and the rest of the page, use info from the most recent year available, generally 2023.
Institution kind: Doctoral Universities: High Research Activity
Undergrad program: Balanced arts & sciences/professions, some graduate coexistence
Graduate program: Research Doctoral: Comprehensive programs, no medical/veterinary school
Enrollment profile: High undergraduate (see more details below)
Average net price for undergrads on financial aid: $17,115 . This is 90% the average cost of Harvard.
Actual price for your family: Go here to see what your family may be asked to pay. It can be MUCH lower than the average price but also higher for some.
Size and setting: Four-year, large, primarily residential
In state percentage: 73% of first year students come from Arizona
In US percentage: 99% of first year students come from the US
Graduation rate (within 6 years) for students seeking a Bachelors: 59.1% (this is what is usually reported as “graduation rate”)
Graduation rate (within 4 years) for students seeking a Bachelors: 46.5%
Student to tenure-stream faculty ratio: 40.5 (undergrads to tenure-stream faculty) [Tenure explained]
Student to faculty ratio: 19.4 (undergrads to all faculty)
Degrees offered: Certificate of less than 1 year, Certificate of at least 12 weeks but less than 1 year, Certificate of at least 1 year but less than 2 years, Bachelor’s degree, Postbaccalaureate certificate, Master’s degree, Post master’s certificate, Doctor’s degree: research scholarship, Doctor’s degree: professional practice, Doctor’s degree: other
Schedule: Semester
Institution provides on campus housing: Yes
Dorm capacity: There are enough dorm beds for 9952 students
Freshmen required to live on campus: No
Advanced placement (AP) credits used: Yes
Disabilities: 6.32 percent of undergrads are registered as having disabilities.
Map
Comparisons
The sections below show this institution compared with others. The ones listed are ones it has identified as peers, who consider themselves peers, and/or who the federal government considers peers. If a comparison school has the same value as the focal school, its cell is grayed out. Arrows show where there is a signficant trend over time for a school. You can swipe across the table to see more of it; the focal school column is always visible.
- Northern Arizona University lists these schools as ones to compare itself within federal IPEDS data, and they do the same back: University of Vermont, Idaho State University, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Ball State University, Miami University-Oxford, Texas State University, Bowling Green State University-Main Campus, Rutgers University-Newark, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, University of Akron Main Campus, Old Dominion University
- Northern Arizona University compares itself to these institutions, but not vice versa: University of Central Florida, William & Mary, Auburn University, Clemson University, San Diego State University, Binghamton University, University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras, Florida International University, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus, Texas Tech University, University of Houston, Oklahoma State University-Main Campus, University of Arkansas, University of North Georgia, Georgia State University, The University of Alabama, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Temple University, Louisiana Tech University, University of Nevada-Reno, Mississippi State University, University of North Texas, North Carolina A & T State University, New Jersey Institute of Technology, George Mason University, University of Rhode Island, Towson University, The University of Texas at Dallas, Indiana University-Indianapolis, University of Oregon, West Virginia University, Illinois State University, Kansas State University, Virginia Commonwealth University, University of Nevada-Las Vegas, Florida Atlantic University, University of Maryland-Baltimore County, Kent State University at Kent, University of New Hampshire-Main Campus, The University of Texas at Arlington, University of Missouri-Kansas City, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, University of Missouri-St Louis, The University of Texas at San Antonio, South Dakota State University, University of North Dakota, Utah State University, University of Louisville, Ohio University-Main Campus, Montana State University, East Carolina University, University of Mississippi, University of Massachusetts-Lowell, Sam Houston State University, University of Idaho, University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus, University of Alabama in Huntsville, University of South Alabama, Northern Illinois University, Central Michigan University, North Dakota State University-Main Campus, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, New Mexico State University-Main Campus, University of Wyoming, Western Michigan University, Missouri University of Science and Technology, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, The University of Texas at El Paso, University of Massachusetts-Boston, Portland State University, University of Toledo, Michigan Technological University, University of California-Merced, University of Northern Colorado, Cleveland State University, Wichita State University, Augusta University, University of South Dakota, University of Memphis, University of Maine, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, University of New Orleans, University of Southern Mississippi, The University of Montana, University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, Texas A & M University-Commerce, Wright State University-Main Campus, CUNY Graduate School and University Center, Jackson State University
- These institutions compare themselves to Northern Arizona University, but not vice versa: University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez, James Madison University, California State Polytechnic University-Pomona, University of St Thomas, Rowan University, Brigham Young University-Idaho, St. John’s University-New York, University of Northern Iowa, Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, DeVry University-Arizona, Adams State University, Claremont Graduate University, University of Advancing Technology
Enrollment
General
Teaching
Tenure track faculty are those who are eligible for tenure. This includes both pre-tenure and tenured faculty. Once faculty get tenure, they are (generally) protected from being fired for intellectual reasons, helping to ensure their freedom in teaching and research. They can still lose their positions for misconduct, financial problems, not fulfilling their duties, or other reasons.
Non-tenure track faculty are not eligible for tenure. Some are hired one semester at a time, some have multi-year contracts. They typically have a higher teaching load than tenure track faculty, leaving less time for research or other creative endeavors. They are also easier to fire than tenured faculty. Sometimes they are external experts (a noted musician, a former senator) who are hired to teach some classes without the expected permanence of a tenure-track position.
Note that this chart uses US federal demographic data: it only has two genders and a specified set of ethnicities and races.
Having a low student to faculty ratio is considered a good thing by many, as it can mean more individual attention.
Geography
This has information on the location of the institution. See the about page for more information on what the metrics are and how they are calculated. The goal is to neutrally provide information: for example, some individuals want stringent gun control in an area, some want the opposite: the categories are meant to be descriptive.
Financial Aid
Graduation
Note these are bachelors graduation rates in six years, not four (this is standard). Sample sizes can be small for some demographic groups with few individuals in a school, leading to large year-to-year fluctuations and often extreme values for those groups (if there are two individuals in the class with a given identity, the possible graduation rates are 0%, 50%, or 100% depending on whether zero, one, or both students graduate within six years).
Library
Libraries are changing rapidly. Note that how institutions count digital collections may vary.
Diversity
The US Census Bureau has a diversity index that goes from 0 to 1. In their words, “A 0-value indicates that everyone in the population has the same racial and ethnic characteristics. A value close to 1 indicates that everyone in the population has different racial and ethnic characteristics.” This uses their formula, but with the resolution available for the federal IPEDS data (which does not separate for a given demographic group whether members identify as Hispanic or not). This metric is about heterogeneity within the population, not the proportion of the population that comes from historically excluded groups.
Following the practice of the census, the index is multiplied by 100 to give the percentage probability a random pair of individuals will have a different background. Most institutions argue that diversity is a benefit, so by default a higher number is listed as better, but there may be cases where this measure does not reflect the mission of a college (for example, 70% of the students at a tribal college or university may be American Indian: that could be low-scoring by this metric but should not be read as “bad” given the institution’s mission).
These numbers are based on the most recent year available, generally 2023, which predates effects of the US Supreme Court’s striking down of affirmative action. This has often changed, sometimes dramatically, the incoming student demographics at some institutions.
Overall diversity
Freshman profile
Demographic data for first time degree-seeking students. Note that this uses US federal demographic data: it only has two genders and a specified set of ethnicities and races.
Freshman geography
Test scores
SAT scores
ACT scores
Majors
This presents information on the number of majors and the median earnings one and five years after graduation for people who got a degree from this institution in that field. The earnings are for those who are working and not enrolled in further education. The earnings data (from the federal college scorecard) also has information on earnings for those categorized as ‘MALE’ and ‘NOMALE’ – for readability, these are recategorized here as “Men” and “Women”, respectively, which adopts the gender binary used in other federal data. “W/M earnings ratio” is the median earnings of women divided by men, as a percentage.