Northern Arizona University Admission
Northern Arizona University Undergraduate Program
Northern Arizona University Application

The Facts

Northern Arizona University is a large, public state school located in the town of Flagstaff, Arizona, and is home to over 11,035 undergraduate students and approximately 5,810 graduate and part-time students. The university is divided up into several smaller undergraduate colleges including schools of arts and sciences, ecosystem science and management, engineering and technology, business administration, health professions, fine and performing arts, social and behavioral sciences, communication, hotel and restaurant management, and the Center of Excellence in Education. The school offers its students over one hundred degrees in a wide range of mostly preprofessional areas; some of the most popular choices include elementary education, business, hotel and restaurant management, criminal justice, and psychology.

Admission to Northern Arizona University is quite competitive, and the applicant pool has been growing with each passing admissions cycle. Last year, over 13,000 students applied for admission to the school, and approximately 6,000 of those students were accepted; of those, about 2,500 matriculated. The admitted students had an average combined SAT score ranging from 930 to 1180, and an average comprehensive ACT score ranging from 19 to 24. Additionally, over 57% of those admitted were ranked in the top 25% of their high school graduating class with an average high school GPA of about 3.4.

Northern Arizona University has a manageable student to faculty ratio of 17:1, and it is rare to find a class with more than thirty students. In general, professors get high marks from students in terms of accessibility and willingness to help out; however, there are the occasional teachers who are more interested in their own careers to spend too much time assisting students. An interesting note; the school offers students a chance to finish their degree in three years, which saves money and allows them to get a head start on their careers.

The Social Scene

The town of Flagstaff, Arizona doesn’t really offer students much in the way of entertainment; however, there are a few bars, shops and cafes that welcome students and are relatively affordable. The NAU campus itself is quite large, and has a free bus system to help students get from class to class. There is also a great student activities center and a great athletic center that both get high marks from students.

There are a fair amount of fraternities and sororities at the school, and the Greeks throw some wild parties that are extremely popular with students. The Greeks are a highly visible presence on campus, and basically govern on-campus social life. Drinking is definitely a popular activity, and the administration seems to simply turn a blind eye to all the partying.

The dating scene is what you make of it; while it isn’t very diverse, there are plenty of good catches to be found...

What’s Good

“Even though the school is large, there is a real sense of community here, and people aren’t afraid to smile at a stranger.”

“The food here is awesome, which is saying a lot for dorm food.”

“There are a ton of majors offered here, and they really help to prepare you for the real world and your future career.”

What’s Bad

“The dorms are few and far between. For part of my freshmen year, I ended up sleeping on a bunk bed in a hallway.”

“There isn’t really anything to do around here besides drink. The student activities board needs to give us all more options.”

“The administration is really difficult. There’s a lot of red tape to cut through, and it’s hard to talk to a real human being about anything.”

Let the Penn Group help you apply to college.

• View our services
• Send a request now
• Read articles about applying to college