Northern Arizona University College Portrait
Northern Arizona UniversitySouth San Francisco St Flagstaff, AZ 86011
(928) 523-5511/ (888) 628-2968
Northern Arizona University
The Northern Arizona University mission is to provide an outstanding undergraduate residential education strengthened by research, graduate and professional programs, and sophisticated methods of distance delivery. NAU is a high research university with its main campus located on 740 acres in Flagstaff, Arizona. NAU-Yuma shares a campus with Arizona Western College in Yuma. Arizona and NAU-Community Campuses are located at nearly 36 sites throughout the state. Northern Arizona University is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.
Living in the Lumberjacks Community
The university is comprised of ten academic colleges/divisions offering 80 baccalaureate, 48 masters, and 8 doctoral degrees. Our new student orientation program is designed to get you off to the right start with information from financial aid, our Gateway Student Success Center, college representatives, faculty, and more. And with more than 200 student clubs and organizations available, there are plenty of ways to get involved and meet other students who share your interests.
The Big Picture: How many students were on campus in Fall 2011?
More Information
| Total Students | 25,364 | |
|---|---|---|
Undergraduate Snapshot
| Total Undergraduate Students | 20,750 | |
|---|---|---|
| Gender | ||
| Women | 0 | <1% |
| Men | 12,059 | 58% |
| Gender Not Reported | 8691 | 42% |
| Race/Ethnicity | ||
| American Indian / Alaskan Native | 852 | 4% |
| Asian | 353 | 2% |
| African American / Black | 688 | 3% |
| Hispanic | 3,486 | 17% |
| Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | 78 | <1% |
| White | 13,612 | 66% |
| Two or More Races | 675 | 3% |
| International | 822 | 4% |
| Race/Ethnicity Not Reported | 184 | 1% |
| Where do NAU undergraduates call home? | |
|---|---|
| Arizona | 72% |
| Other US States & Territories | 24% |
| Other Countries | 4% |
| How old are NAU undergraduates? | |
| Average Age | 22 |
| Percent of Undergraduates Age 25 or Older | 23% |
New Student Applications (Fall 2011)
New Freshmen High School Background and Test Scores
Test(s) Required for Admission: SAT or ACT recommended
| Test Scores of Enrolled New Freshmen | ACT | SAT |
|---|---|---|
| Composite | 20 - 25 | |
| Math | 19 - 25 | 470 - 590 |
| English | 19 - 26 | |
| Critical Reading | 470 - 590 |
50% of admitted students have test scores within the ranges listed, 25% have scores above, and 25% have scores below.
| High School Background of Enrolled New Freshmen | ||
|---|---|---|
| Percent in top 25% of High School Graduating Class | 48% | |
| Percent in top 50% of High School Graduating Class | 82% | |
| Percent of New Freshmen who submitted HS GPA | 67% | |
| Average High School GPA (4-point scale) | 3.40 | |
| Percent who submitted High School GPA | 98% | |
Sticker Price: How much does it cost on average?
Typical Undergraduate Costs for 2010-11 without Financial Aid (Full-Time, In-State Students)
Total Typical Cost of Attendance: $22,730.00
May 2012
NAU uses the IPEDS cost of attendance calculator, not VSA.
http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?q=nau&s=all&id=105330#netprc
http://nau.edu/FinAid/Cost/Budgeting/
Out-of-State & Other Costs
More Information
The cost to attend Northern Arizona University varies based on the individual circumstances of students and may be reduced through grants and scholarships.
How much would I pay?
Financial Aid: How much help is there to pay?
Scholarships & Grants
- 43% of 2010-11 full-time undergraduates received need-based grants or scholarships; the average award for the year was $7,664.00. Scholarships and grants are financial aid that does not need to be repaid and is sometimes referred to as gift aid.
Annual Need-Based Loans
- 46% of 2010-11 full-time undergraduates received need-based work-study and/or loans (not including parent loans); the average loan for the year was $3,331.00. Loans need to be repaid. Typically, repayment starts once you are no longer enrolled full-time. Please refer to page 12 of the Funding Education Beyond High School guide on the US Department of Education's Federal Student Aid website for more information about Financial Need.
Percent of 2010 Full-time Beginning Students Receiving Each Type of Financial Aid
NOTE: Students may receive aid from more than one source.
NAU Classes & Instructors
| Classroom Environment | |
|---|---|
| Students per Faculty | 20 to 1 |
| Undergraduate classes with fewer than 30 students | 61% |
| Undergraduate classes with fewer than 50 students | 85% |
| Total Full-Time Instructional Faculty | 864 |
| % of Full-Time Instructional Faculty Who Are Female | 49% |
| % of Full-Time Instructional Faculty Who Are Persons of Color | 11% |
| % of Full-Time Instructional Faculty Who Have the Highest Academic Degree Offered in Their Field of Study | <1% |
More Information
Campus-based Housing
87% of new freshmen live in campus-based housing or residence halls.
32% of all undergraduates live on campus
More Information
Campus Safety
"The mission of the NAU Police Department is to further the university's vision of providing an outstanding undergraduate residential education by fostering a safe and healthy environment through quality law enforcement services and community problem solving partnerships. The guiding principles of the mission are: open and honest communication, continual training and education for all involved, appreciation of the diverse nature of our community. NAU also provides a free Alert System that will send text messages to student cell phones in case of an emergency."
Campus Crime Statistics
Carnegie Classification of Institutional Characteristics
The Carnegie Classification's were created "to reference the great diversity of colleges and universities in the United States, and ... enable [people] to identify groups of roughly comparable institutions." For information on the Carnegie Classifications system, please visit their website: http://classifications.carnegiefoundation.org/
- Basic Type
- Research Universities (high research activity)
- Size and Setting
- Large four-year, primarily residential
- Enrollment Profile
- Majority undergraduate
- Undergraduate Profile
- Full-time four-year, selective, higher transfer-in
- Undergraduate Instructional Program
- Professions plus arts & sciences, some graduate coexistence
- Graduate Instructional Program
- Comprehensive doctoral (no medical/veterinary)
NOTE: Institutional classifications based on the Carnegie 2005 edition.
More Information
Student Activities and Involvement at NAU
Students who are actively involved in their own learning and development are more likely to be successful in college. Colleges and universities offer students a wide variety of opportunities both inside and outside the classroom to become engaged with new ideas, people, and experiences. Institutions measure the effectiveness of these opportunities in a variety of ways to better understand what types of activities and programs students find the most helpful.
Institutions participating in the VSA program measure student involvement on campus using one of four national surveys. Results from the one survey are reported for a common set of questions selected as part of VSA. Following are the selected results from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). The questions have been grouped together in categories that are known to contribute to student learning and development. The results reported below are based on the responses of seniors who participated in the survey.
Group Learning Experiences
- 91% percent of seniors worked with classmates on assignments outside of class.
- 58% of seniors tutored or taught other students
- 19% of seniors spent at least 6 hours per week participating in co-curricular activities such as student organizations and intramural sports
Active Learning Experiences
- 89% of seniors spent at least 6 hours per week preparing for class
- 18% of seniors worked on a research project with a faculty member
- 50% of seniors participated in an internship, practicum, or field experience
- 57% of seniors participated in community service or volunteer work
- 12% of seniors participated in study abroad
- 94% of seniors made at least one class presentation last year
Institutional Commitment to Student Learning and Success
- 96% of seniors believe this institution provides support for student success
- 70% of seniors rated the quality of academic advising at this institution as good or excellent
- 62% of seniors reported that this institution provided help in coping with work, family and other non-academic responsibilities
- 95% of seniors reported working harder than they thought they could to meet an instructor's standards or expectations
Student Interaction with Campus Faculty and Staff
- 55% of seniors believed that the campus staff were helpful, considerate, or flexible
- 82% of seniors believed that faculty are available, helpful, or sympathetic
- 95% of seniors reported that faculty members provided prompt feedback on their academic performance
- 71% of seniors discussed readings or ideas with faculty members outside of class
Experiences with Diverse Groups of People and Ideas
- 69% of seniors reported that they often tried to understand someone else's point of view
- 83% of seniors reported their experience at this institution contributed to their understanding people of other racial and ethnic backgrounds
- 57% of seniors often had serious conversations with students of a different race or ethnicity
Student Satisfaction
- 84% of seniors would attend this institution if they started over again
- 88% of seniors rated their entire educational experience as good or excellent
- 81% of seniors reported that other students were friendly or supportive
Evaluation of Experiences
Survey Administration Process
Survey Information
Majors and Degrees
| Degrees awarded at Northern Arizona University in 2010-11 | |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's | 4,020 |
| Master's | 1,707 |
| Doctoral | 95 |
| Total | 5,822 |
More Information
| Areas of Study with the largest number of bachelor's degrees awarded in 2010-11 | |
|---|---|
| 18% | |
| 16% | |
| 9% | |
| Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General | 9% |
| 8% | |
| Links to degree programs at Northern Arizona University |
|---|
Bachelor'sMaster'sDoctoral |
Student Success & Progress Rate
A 83% four-year success and progress rate means that 83% of students starting in Fall 2005 either graduated or are still enrolled at a higher education institution four years later.
More Information
Counts for the Fall 2005 entering class shown in the graph above.
- 2,105 First-Time, Full-Time Students
- 1,198 Full-Time Transfer Students
Success & Progress Rate Table
Retention of Freshman Class
First-time students in Fall 2010 that returned for their second year: 72%
More Information
Student Learning at Northern Arizona University
All colleges and universities use multiple approaches to measure student learning. Many of these are specific to particular disciplines, many are coordinated with accrediting agencies, and many are based on outcomes after students have graduated.
The Office of Academic Assessment seeks to support quality student learning and to foster excellence in educational practices by establishing and maintaining a culture of assessment and improvement at the course, program, and institutional levels. The basic premise (and slogan) of the OAA is "Assessment for Improving Student Learning."
Learning Assessment Examples
Pilot Project to Measure Core Learning Outcomes
Colleges and universities participating in the College Portrait measure the typical improvement in students' abilities to think, reason, and write using one of three tests. This is part of a pilot project to better understand and compare what students learn between their freshman and senior years at different colleges and universities.
2007 - 09 Results from the Collegiate Learning Assessment
The Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA) measures critical thinking, analytic reasoning, problem solving, and written communication using a performance task and an analytic writing task. The scores from the tasks are reported separately below.
Test Administration Process
Test Information
Performance Task Results for First-time, Full-time Students
The increase in learning on the performance task is at or near what would be expected at an institution testing students of similar academic abilities.
Freshman Score: 1111
Senior Score: 1183
CLA score range: 400 to no maximum score.
Average EEA scores for tested students
Freshman Score: 1067
Senior Score: 1089
Analytic Writing Task Results for First-time, Full-time Students
The increase in learning on the analytic writing task is above what would be expected at an institution testing students of similar academic abilities.
Freshman Score: 1076
Senior Score: 1177
CLA score range: 400 to no maximum score.
Average EEA scores for tested students
Freshman Score: 1067
Senior Score: 1089