NAU tuition proposal focused on resources key to student access and success; limits higher tuition adjustments for future Lumberjacks

Northern Arizona University’s tuition proposal for 2023-24 is focused on ensuring that the university fulfils its mission to provide all talented, hard-working Arizonans with an exceptional postsecondary education that is affordable and accessible throughout the state. In conjunction with the tuition proposal, which seeks an increase of 3 percent for undergraduate resident students, the university is launching its Access2Excellence (A2E) program this fall, which provides full tuition coverage for Arizona resident undergraduate students with a household income of less than $65,000 per year.

“These resources ensure we are investing in programs like A2E that increase the number of Arizona resident students participating in higher education, especially from underserved and rural communities,” said President José Luis Cruz Rivera. “In addition, the small tuition increase—coupled with continued cost containment efforts—provides the resources necessary to invest in talented faculty and staff, impactful services and excellent academic programs that together will boost completion rates, improve post-college outcomes aligned with Arizona’s workforce needs and power upward mobility and social impact for all students at NAU.”

NAU also plans to align the undergraduate statewide base tuition rate with the Flagstaff rate, while maintaining a different fee structure. In doing so, all students will have the same base tuition and scholarship structure at the time of admission across statewide locations, enhancing student mobility and choice to pursue their NAU education at the right location based on their personal needs and professional aspirations.

With the introduction of a multi-year maximum annual growth rate for the period of Fall 2024 through Fall 2029, NAU proposes a modest maximum rate for tuition increases in any given year—3.5 percent for undergraduate resident tuition and 5 percent for graduate resident tuition and academic fees. This approach will enable the university to remain nimble in adapting to the evolving strategic context and inflationary pressures while simultaneously providing students and families with a predictable framework and upper limit for tuition and fee increases. The proposed 7 percent and 8 percent maximum growth rates for housing and dining, respectively, reflect the increasing operational costs in these areas and the need to continue to address deferred maintenance in the university housing infrastructure.

In addition to the base increase, the NAU tuition proposal includes a 4 percent adjustment to existing college fees and a $1 per credit hour IT fee increase to support additional college academic support and continued IT infrastructure investments.

With this proposal, graduate resident students will see a 4 percent increase in tuition. There also will be a tuition increase for domestic non-resident and international students of 5 percent; undergraduate online students will see an increase of 1.7 percent; online graduate students will see an increase of 4.2 percent; and Personalized Learning will increase by 3.2 percent per 6-month subscription.

NAU’s proposal increases the enrollment fee to $325 for incoming Fall 2024 international graduate students to align with the existing enrollment fee for undergraduate students; the undergraduate Honors program fee will increase by $10 per semester; and the program fee for the Doctorate in Physical Therapy program for all incoming cohorts will be adjusted to $5,200 per semester to reflect the increased programmatic cost.

To support increasing costs for operations and maintenance and to help address renovation needs, a 4.25 percent increase in residential housing is proposed. This rate also ensures NAU is competitive with off-campus options in the Flagstaff community that are most often 12-month leases and include utility and application fees.

Due to escalating food prices, increased labor costs for NAU’s dining provider Sodexo, and to enhance flexibility in meal plan options, the proposal includes a 6 percent increase in the 2023-24 meal plan.

Additional details about the 2023-24 tuition and fee proposal, as well as the maximum growth rate proposal for 2024-29, is included below:

Flagstaff campus base tuition

  • New resident undergraduate students: $11,352
  • New nonresident undergraduate students: $27,600
  • Resident graduate students: $11,846
  • Nonresident graduate students: $29,338
  • International undergraduate students: $28,600
  • International graduate students: $30,338

NAU-Yuma, NAU-Yavapai and NAU Statewide locations base tuition

  • Resident undergraduate students: $11,352
  • Nonresident undergraduate students: $11,352
  • Resident graduate students: $11,846
  • Nonresident graduate students: $29,338

Personalized Learning

  • Personalized Learning: $3,200/six-month subscription
  • Personalized Learning- nursing programs: $3,975/six-month subscription

Online

  • Undergraduate: $473 per credit hour
  • Graduate: $610 per credit hour

Proposed Maximum Annual Growth Rates for the period Fall 2024 to Fall 2029

  • Undergraduate Resident: 3.5 percent
  • Graduate: 5 percent
  • Academic Fees: 5 percent
  • Housing: 7 percent
  • Meal Plans: 8 percent 

Public tuition hearing scheduled

Northern Arizona University will conduct a virtual public hearing for testimony and comments from the public, students and other interested parties regarding 2023-24 tuition and fee proposal in conjunction with the Arizona Board of Regents, Arizona State University and the University of Arizona from 3-5 p.m. March 28. The hearing will be streamed through ABOR Live. Regents also will accept comments electronically at either tuition@azregents.edu or ”Contact Us” at www.azregents.edu; mailed to 2020 N Central Ave., Suite 400, Phoenix, AZ 85004; or faxed to (602) 229-2555.

President Cruz Rivera’s Letter to ABOR

NAU 2023-24 Proposed Tuition and Fee Rates

NAU Communications