Northern Arizona University

Northern Arizona University (NAU) is a public research university in Flagstaff, Arizona, United States. It opened in 1899 and was the third university in the Arizona Territory.

NAU has seven colleges with about 130 programs and certificates. Students can study in Flagstaff, online, or at more than 20 locations across Arizona, including the Phoenix Biomedical Core. In fall 2023, 28,194 students were enrolled, with 21,550 at the Flagstaff campus.

NAU is one of three universities overseen by the Arizona Board of Regents and is approved by the Higher Learning Commission. It is a top research university, ranked 192th by the National Science Foundation in 2023. NAU’s astronomy team helped observe NASA’s DART mission and discovered several space objects. They also help search for a possible Planet Nine. NAU is closely linked with the local Lowell Observatory.

Alumni include winners of prestigious scholarships such as the Truman, Goldwater, and Udall awards.

The NAU Lumberjacks play in the NCAA Division I, mainly in the Big Sky Conference. They have won six national championships in cross country running. Because the campus is at 6,950 ft above sea level, it is a popular place for Olympic and professional athletes to train.

History

Northern Arizona University started as the Northern Arizona Normal School on September 11, 1899, with just 23 students and two teachers. It was created to train teachers for public schools. The first class graduated in 1901 with four women who became teachers in Arizona.

During tough economic times like the Great Depression, the school helped students by providing jobs, such as working on a dairy farm or in the dining hall. This support helped the school grow.

During World War II, the university joined a special Navy training program to help students become Navy officers. After the war, many veterans returned to study, which caused enrollment to rise again. The school also began offering more programs, such as art and science, and changed its name several times before becoming Northern Arizona University in 1966.

In 2022, José Luis Cruz Rivera became the university's 17th president. In 2023, NAU announced plans to start a medical school.

Main article: 2015 Northern Arizona University shooting

Campuses

Flagstaff campus

The Flagstaff campus of Northern Arizona University covers 829 acres of forest and includes buildings for learning, managing the school, and places to live. It sits at 6,950 feet above sea level, making it the fourth highest college campus in the country. The campus is surrounded by a huge area of ponderosa pine trees and has all four seasons. The city of Flagstaff, where the campus is located, gets a lot of snow each year. People can go skiing at Arizona Snowbowl, which is close by, and famous places like the Grand Canyon and Sedona are not far away.

For many years, the university has focused on being friendly to the environment. The campus has many buildings built to save energy and all new buildings must follow these rules. The school also collects and recycles a lot of waste, and uses wind and solar power.

Statewide campuses and NAU Online

Besides the students who study at the Flagstaff campus, NAU also teaches about 8,000 students online and at locations across Arizona. The university offers more than 130 approved degree programs at over 20 places in the state. It works together with community colleges and has a partnership with Yavapai College in Prescott Valley, Arizona. The oldest and largest branch campus is in Yuma.

NAU Online provides more than 140 fully-online choices for students, including undergraduate and graduate degrees, certificates, and minors.

Academics

Colleges and programs

Northern Arizona University (NAU) has eight colleges and is building a ninth one. It offers over 130 undergraduate degrees, more than 80 master’s degrees, and about 20 doctoral degrees. There are also many certificates.

Some popular undergraduate majors are Psychological Sciences, Nursing, Biomedical Science, Criminology and Criminal Justice, Biology, and Elementary Education.

College of Arts and Letters

The College of Arts and Letters includes departments such as Art, Comparative Cultural Studies, English, Global Languages and Cultures, History, Philosophy, Music, and Theatre. It also manages the Clara M. Lovett Art Museum and other places for learning and performances.

College of Education

The College of Education offers programs for early childhood, elementary, secondary, and higher education. Subjects include Educational Leadership, Educational Psychology, STEM Education, and Teaching and Learning.

Steve Sanghi College of Engineering

This college was named after Steve Sanghi after he donated $10 million in 2024. It offers many engineering majors and has special labs for research.

College of the Environment, Forestry, and Natural Sciences

This college includes departments like Astronomy and Planetary Science, Biological Sciences, Chemistry, and Forestry. Students can use special research centers and observatories.

College of Health and Human Services

This college prepares students for health professions and serves communities, especially in Arizona. It offers degrees in Athletic Training, Communication Sciences, Dental Hygiene, and more.

College of Medicine

The university created the College of Medicine in 2023.

College of Nursing

In 2023, the School of Nursing became its own college.

College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

This college offers many social science degrees, such as Anthropology, Communication, Criminology, and Psychology. It also has programs to help students serve their communities.

W.A. Franke College of Business

The W.A. Franke College of Business was renamed after Bill Franke donated $25 million in 2007. It offers business degrees and many business programs and certifications.

School of Hotel and Restaurant Management (HRM)

The School of Hotel and Restaurant Management offers degrees in Hotel and Restaurant Management and Hospitality. It has special labs and classrooms for learning.

Honors College

NAU has the first Honors program in Arizona. It offers special courses and opportunities for all students, including study abroad and living in the Honors Hall.

Graduate College

The Graduate College offers many master’s and doctoral degrees, both online and in person. It supports graduate students with mentoring and research opportunities.

Research

NAU is known for its research and is ranked among the top universities for research. It has many labs and centers for studying the environment, health, and more. NAU also uses special telescopes for astronomy research.

Rankings

NAU is ranked among the top universities in the world and in the U.S. It is especially recognized for its contribution to the public good, research, and service.

Admissions

In 2022, NAU started a new admissions program to help more Arizona students attend college. The program makes it easier for students who haven’t taken certain required courses.

Tuition and fees

The cost for students who live in Arizona and study full-time at Northern Arizona University was about $12,652 for the 2023–24 school year. Students from outside Arizona paid about $28,900. NAU has special programs to help students from western U.S. states pay less.

In April 2022, NAU started a program called Access2Excellence. This program helps Arizona students from families earning $65,000 or less to attend college without paying tuition. It also helps members of Arizona’s federally recognized tribes. Many Arizona families qualify for this help.

Native American initiatives

Northern Arizona University wants to be a great place for Indigenous Peoples in the United States. They have many programs and a special building called the Native American Cultural Center. This building is a place where Indigenous students can meet and learn about their culture. The university also has an Office of Native American Initiatives that helps Indigenous students and communities with different programs.

Martin-Springer Institute

The Martin-Springer Institute began at Northern Arizona University in 2000. It helps people learn about human rights by remembering the Holocaust and teaching about it. The institute was created by Doris Martin, a Holocaust survivor, and her husband Ralph Martin. The institute invites speakers, holds workshops, and creates exhibitions. It also supports research and offers learning programs for teachers in Arizona.

Residence halls

NAU has places for nearly 10,500 students to live on campus.

Freshmen can stay in halls like Allen Hall, Campbell Hall, and Sechrist Hall, the tallest building in northern Arizona. Older students have choices for suite-style or apartment living, like Calderón, Campus Heights, and McKay Village.

Families living on campus go to schools in the Flagstaff Unified School District, including Kinsey Elementary School, Mount Elden Middle School, and Flagstaff High School. Some older students can live in special housing run by American Campus Communities, such as The Suites and Hilltop Townhomes.

Athletics

Main article: Northern Arizona Lumberjacks

Student-athletes at Northern Arizona University compete in many sports. Men play football, and women play volleyball, soccer, golf, and swimming. Both men and women play basketball, cross country, track and field, and tennis. The university has 15 teams. Many games happen at the Walkup Skydome, a big stadium for sports and events.

A new center for athletes opened in 2022. It has spaces for workouts, classes, and team meetings. The Lumberjacks play at the NCAA Division I level. Football is in the Football Championship Subdivision. They are part of the Big Sky Conference for most sports. The team has won several NCAA Men’s Cross Country Championships, showing success in running. Because of the high altitude, NAU’s facilities are sometimes used by athletes training for endurance sports.

Student body and on-campus activities

NAU has over 400 groups for students to join. These groups are for studying, helping others, and having fun. Students can also watch sports games together. There is a student newspaper called The Lumberjack.

The Advanced Media Lab is a large space where students can work on projects. They can make movies, use drones, and create video games. Students also run their own news shows, radio station, and TV channel. They make short films and have a cable channel that plays all day.

The school has many places for students to stay active. There is a large gym with a climbing wall and a track. Students can join teams to play sports like soccer, hockey, and Quidditch! The school band, the Lumberjack Marching Band, plays at football games and was invited to perform in a big parade. The school also has movies, concerts, and fun events for students to enjoy.

Alumni

The NAU Alumni Association has more than 160,000 graduates. These alumni include two governors of Arizona, one U.S. senator, one U.S. representative, two U.S. ambassadors, one Medal of Honor recipient, and 16 Olympians. The university also has four Truman Scholars, 11 Goldwater Scholars, and three Udall Scholars among its former students.

Professional sports

The Arizona Cardinals of the NFL used to have their summer training at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff until 2013. They then moved to Glendale. Starting in 2014, NAU began working with the Phoenix Suns and the Phoenix Mercury, teams in the NBA and WNBA.