Northern Arizona University (NAU) vs University of Nevada-Reno (UNR)

Northern Arizona University (NAU) and University of Nevada-Reno (UNR) are two distinct universities with unique offerings. NAU, located in Flagstaff, Arizona, boasts a higher acceptance rate (84%) compared to UNR's 79%. Both universities offer a diverse range of undergraduate programs, with NAU excelling in fields like forestry, engineering, and nursing, while UNR is known for its strengths in engineering, business, and education. NAU's student body is slightly larger, with over 20,000 undergraduates, while UNR has a more compact undergraduate population of around 12,000. In terms of graduation rates, UNR holds a slight edge, with a four-year graduation rate of 30% compared to NAU's 27%. To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table that delves into these aspects and more, allowing you to assess which university
Northern Arizona University logo

Northern Arizona University

University of Nevada-Reno logo

University of Nevada-Reno

Overview

Location Flagstaff, Arizona Reno, Nevada
Campus setting City: Small City: Large
College type 4 year 4 year
Control/business model Public Public
Calendar system Semester Semester
Degrees offered Undergraduate and Graduate Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate 74.0% 78.0%
Common app member No Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate 78.4% 88.2%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $25

Graduate: $65
Undergraduate: $60

Graduate: $60
SAT range N/A 1060 - 1270
ACT range N/A 20 - 26
Students submitting SAT score 12.0%
Students submitting ACT score 60.0%
Total number of applicants 42,872 9,421
Total number of admissions given out 33,592 8,306
Admitted students who chose to enroll 5,297 3,412
Yield rate 15.8% 41.1%
Test scores (SAT/ACT) N/A N/A
High school GPA Required Required
Recommendation letters Not required Not required
High school transcript Not required Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) Required Required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price
In state: $28,430

Out of state: $43,176
In state: $26,796

Out of state: $42,888
Average net price $16,059 $16,398
Tuition
In state: $10,650

Out of state: $25,396
In state: $7,470

Out of state: $23,562
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $6,000

Meal plan: $5,338
Room/dormitory: $5,850

Meal plan: $5,792
Available payment plans
  • Guaranteed tuition plan
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

97.0%
Average amount $12,922
86.0%
Average amount $7,232
Students receiving federal student loan 34.0%
Average amount $5,314
29.0%
Average amount $5,001
Students taking out private loans 4.0%
Average amount $13,306
4.0%
Average amount $12,013

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 24,162
Men 37.0% Women 63.0%
17,025
Men 47.1% Women 52.9%
Graduate students 4,549
Men 32.1% Women 67.9%
4,009
Men 39.3% Women 60.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Low
Moderate
Out-of-state students 31.9% 26.1%
International students 2.2% 2.8%
Campus local/setting City: Small City: Large
Dormitory capacity 9,853 3,524
First year students are required to live on campus? No No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from Arizona California Colorado Nevada New Mexico Nevada California Hawaii Oregon Washington

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Education
  • Health Professions
  • Business
  • Engineering
  • Public Administration and Social Service
  • Health Professions
  • Engineering
  • Biological and Biomedical Sciences
  • Public Administration and Social Service
  • Social Sciences
Students to faculty ratio 21:1 17:1
Institutional accreditation Higher Learning Commission Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Outcome

Graduation rate 59.0% 62.7%
Dropout rate 40.0% 34.1%
Transferred out N/A N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $94,560
  • Year 2: $101,406
  • Year 3: $108,112
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $100,716
  • Year 2: $92,632
  • Year 3: $96,135
Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: $80,374
  • Year 2: $79,081
  • Year 3: $89,768
Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $69,244
  • Year 2: $76,117
  • Year 3: $81,532
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $67,225
  • Year 2: $74,890
  • Year 3: $79,106
Construction Management (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $67,718
  • Year 2: $68,219
  • Year 3: $75,432
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: $71,725
  • Year 2: $71,183
  • Year 3: $71,928
Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $58,840
  • Year 2: $59,350
  • Year 3: $70,793
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $58,911
  • Year 2: $65,042
  • Year 3: $70,433
Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $62,712
  • Year 2: $54,252
  • Year 3: $68,199
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $101,016
  • Year 2: $104,192
  • Year 3: $106,685
Computer and Information Sciences, General (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $79,284
  • Year 3: $89,037
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $79,780
  • Year 2: $82,440
  • Year 3: $86,482
Mining and Mineral Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $69,338
  • Year 3: $82,783
Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $63,402
  • Year 2: $67,473
  • Year 3: $78,990
Civil Engineering (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $60,203
  • Year 2: $66,169
  • Year 3: $77,729
Psychology, General (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $57,770
  • Year 3: $75,701
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $69,757
  • Year 2: $69,161
  • Year 3: $74,927
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $61,629
  • Year 2: $67,324
  • Year 3: $73,298
Medicine (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $56,591
  • Year 2: $57,995
  • Year 3: $71,617

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.