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NAU Graduation Rate & Retention Rates

40% 4-Year Graduation Rate
58% 6-Year Graduation Rate
76% Retention Rate

Northern Arizona University 2023 Graduation & Retention Report

Make an informed decision about your education by understanding NAU retention and graduation rates. First year retention rates let you know how many first-time, full-time students students come back for their second year. Graduation rates tell you how many students complete their degree and how long it takes.

NAU Retention Rate

76% Freshmen Retention Rate
Good Retention Rate

Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.

With 76% students making it past their freshmen year, NAU has freshmen retention rates above the national average.

Nationwide, the average first to second year retention rate is 70.57%.

When looking at just colleges and universities in Arizona, the average is 67.94%.

NAU Retention  76 out of 100
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100%
Arizona Retention  68 out of 100
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100%
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Retention Rate
NAU76%
Nationwide70.57%
Arizona67.94%

NAU Graduation Rates

58% 6-Year Graduation Rate
24.81% Transfer Rate
14.68% Dropout Rate

How many of the estimated 4,388 students in the class of 2015 completed their degree within eight years?

Four years after beginning their degree, 40% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 58% of the students had graduated and after eight years 60% of this class completed their degree.

The official graduation rate of NAU is 58%. This is the percentage of students who completed their degree within 150% of the published time. That means six years for a standard bachelor's degree program.

The average NAU student takes 4.33 years to graduate with their bachelors.

Four Year Graduation Rate  47%
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100%
Six Year Graduation Rate  58%
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100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  60%
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100%

NAU Graduation Rates vs. National Average

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Completion WithinUndergraduatesPercentage
Four Years3,57447%
Six Years4,38858%
Eight Years1392%
Did Not Complete3,04140%
The non-completers rate is anyone who is not still enrolled at the institution after eight years. Both transfer students and drop-outs could be included in this group.
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NAU Drop Out Rate

Approximately 3041 students or 40% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.

What happened to the 3041 students who did not complete their degree?

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Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled311.0%
Transferred187861.8%
Dropped Out1,11136.5%

NAU Graduation Rates by Race/Ethnicity

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Race/EthnicityGraduation Rate
American Indian or Alaskan Native37%
Asian60%
Black / African-American32%
Hawaiian29%
Hispanic52%
International66%
Multi-Ethnic50%
Unknown33%
White61%

Some Students Take More Time To Graduate

Some schools have mainly first-time, full-time students, while others cater to part-time students, transfer students, or adult learners. For a variety of reasons first-time, full-time students under the age of 25 are usually more likely to graduate in four years.

Traditional Students:

First-time, full-time students under the age of 25.

Non-Traditional Students:

Any student that is not first-time, full-time, and under the age of 25.

The majority of students at NAU are considered 'traditional students' who are first-time attending full-time.

Comparing the graduation rates of specific cohorts shown below will be more revealing than the overall statistics shared above.

First-Time / Full-Time NAU Graduation Rates

44% First-Time, Full-Time
55% 6-Year Grad Rate
Good Grad Rate

First-time / full-time students at Northern Arizona University represent 44% of the students in the class of 2015, and 41.50% of NAU bachelor's degree graduations.

With a four-year graduation rate of 40%, first-time students in the NAU class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.

After six years, the NAU graduation rate was 55%, and by the eight year mark, 57% of the cohort had completed their degree.

Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes full-time is 37.92% after four years, 46.43% after six years, and 47.82% after eight years.

Four Year Graduation Rate  40 out of 100
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100%
Six Year Graduation Rate  55 out of 100
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100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  57 out of 100
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NAU First-Time / Full-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

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First-Time / Full-Time CompletionsNAUNationwide
Four Years40%37.92%
Six Years55%46.43%
Eight Years57%47.82%

First-Time / Full-Time NAU Drop Out Rates

1426 first-time / full-time students or 43% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

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First-Time / Full-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled312.17%
Transferred98168.79%
Dropped Out42029.45%

First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rates

9% First-Time, Part-Time
35% 6-Year Grad Rate
Good Grad Rate

First-time / part-time students at Northern Arizona University represent 9.29% of the students in the class of 2015.

With a six-year graduation rate of 35%, first-time, part-time students in the NAU class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.

After eight years, the graduation rate was 38%.

Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 14.37% after four years, 21.59% after six years, 23.72% after eight years.

Six Year Graduation Rate  35 out of 100
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100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  38 out of 100
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100%

First-Time / Part-Time NAU Graduation Rates vs. National Average

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First-Time / Part-Time CompletionsNAUNationwide
Four Years16%14.37%
Six Years35%21.59%
Eight Years38%23.72%

First-Time / Part-Time NAU Drop Out Rates

435 first-time / part-time students or 62% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

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First-Time / Part-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled71.61%
Transferred27362.76%
Dropped Out15535.63%

Non First-Time / Full-Time Students

34% Returning, Full-Time
70% 6-Year Grad Rate
Good Grad Rate

2550 NAU students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 33.69% of the students in the class of 2015.

Non first-time students could include transfer students or adults who have returned to school after an absense.

With a six year graduation rate of 70%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate higher than the national average for students in this category.

After eight years, the graduation rate was 72%.

Nationwide, the average graduation rate for non first-time undergraduates attending classes full-time is: 49.57% after four years, 53.83% after six years, and 55.07% after eight years.

Six Year Graduation Rate  70 out of 100
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100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  72 out of 100
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NAU Non First-Time / Full-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

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Returning / Full-Time CompletionsNAUNationwide
Four Years0%49.57%
Six Years70%53.83%
Eight Years72%55.07%

Non First-Time / Full-Time NAU Drop Out Rates

720 non first-time / part-time students or 28% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

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First-Time / Part-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled121.67%
Transferred41858.06%
Dropped Out29040.28%

Non First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rates

13% Returning, Part-Time
53% 6-Year Grad Rate
Good Grad Rate

1004 NAU students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 13.26% of the students in the class of 2015.

With a six year graduation rate of 53%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate higher than the national average.

After eight years, the graduation rate was 54%.

Nationwide, the average graduation rate for non first-time undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 36.03% after six years, 36.03% after eight years.

Six Year Graduation Rate  53 out of 100
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100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  54 out of 100
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NAU Non First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

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Returning / Part-Time CompletionsNAUNationwide
Four Years0%30.46%
Six Years53%36.03%
Eight Years54%37.80%

Non First-Time / Part-Time NAU Drop Out Rates

460 non first-time / part-time students or 46% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

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Returning / Part-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled81.74%
Transferred20644.78%
Dropped Out24653.48%

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