NAU graduate admissions

Applicants must have earned a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 out of a 4.0 scale for their bachelor’s degree to be considered for regular admission. Admitted students are expected to have undergraduate educational experiences, including general education studies, that are similar to those required for a baccalaureate at Northern Arizona University. Students holding a cumulative GPA below 3.0 may be considered for conditional admission with a recommendation and rationale from the admitting academic program. 

Undergraduate transcripts from all undergraduate and/or graduate work completed in the U.S. must be uploaded to evaluate your application. Ensure all pages of your transcript are included and can be easily read. Your official transcripts, sent from the issuing institution directly to Northern Arizona University, will be required upon admittance to your graduate program for GPA and degree conferral verification. NAU students do not need to submit official transcripts for NAU coursework.

NAU students may access unofficial transcripts via LOUIE. NAU alumni must have an NAU Google account to access their LOUIE files. You may create a Google account by following the instructions under Alumni at mail.nau.edu. You may then request transcripts on the transcripts and enrollment verification page.

For a transcript to be considered official for admission purposes, it must be sent directly from the former institution to NAU. Transcripts may be sent electronically to gradadmissions@nau.edu or via ground to:

Northern Arizona University
Graduate Admissions
PO Box 4184
Flagstaff, AZ 86011

Academic programs, departments, or colleges may have admission requirements in addition to those of the Office of Graduate & Professional Studies. These may include, but are not limited to:  the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), a portfolio, scholarly papers, letters of recommendation, or a personal statement. For these specific requirements, contact the specific academic program and/or refer to the academic catalog.

If an applicant meets all admission criteria, has been evaluated and recommended for admission by the academic program, and has been evaluated and approved by the Office of Graduate & Professional Studies, the applicant may be granted regular admission, barring any extenuating circumstances.

If an applicant is not qualified for regular admission status, they may be granted conditional admission. Reasons for conditional admission vary and may include, but are not limited to:

• The Bachelor’s degree is expected to be completed before the commencement of graduate work, but has not yet been posted to an official transcript;
• Minimum admission standards were not met, but the applicant demonstrates a potential to meet the requirements of the degree;
• Programmatic or discipline-specific requirements are deficient or the applicant lacks certain prerequisites;
• Begins a graduate program as a “Preplan” student*.

To change from conditional status to regular status, the student must complete all admission requirements and remove all deficiencies noted in the admission letter. Students who fail to meet conditional admission requirements may be denied regular admission upon department and Office of Graduate & Professional Studies review and will not be allowed to progress in the degree. For more information, please see NAU Policy 100319: Academic Continuation, Probation, Dismissal, and Readmission – Graduate.

* Only certain graduate degrees are considered “Preplan” programs. Students who apply for a “Preplan” degree program are given the opportunity to take courses soon after the submission of their application. Students who fail to meet Office of Graduate & Professional Studies or programmatic admission requirements may be denied regular admission and will not be allowed to progress in the degree, despite any courses that may have been completed.

Individuals interested in personal enrichment or not ready to apply to a degree program may apply for admission as a non-degree student. The application process is streamlined and does not require the submission of transcripts or test scores.

Graduate non-degree-seeking students are allowed to apply up to a maximum of 12 units of appropriate and approved coursework toward a graduate degree upon admission to a graduate program.

Residency Classification for tuition purposes is based on policies set by the Arizona Board of Regents.  Students arriving in Arizona from another state, enrolled in an institution of higher education in Arizona, and maintaining continuous enrollment are presumed to be presiding in Arizona primarily as a student and are not present to establish domicile. Therefore, they are not eligible for the Arizona resident tuition rate.

Typically, for a student to be independently classified as a resident for tuition purposes, they must be physically present in Arizona 12 consecutive months prior to enrollment, employed and paying AZ taxes, and able to document up to 24 months of financial independence. This presence must be coupled with clear and convincing evidence of intent to establish a domicile in Arizona beyond the circumstances of being a student. The mere presence of a person in this state does not, by itself, constitute domicile. There is a presumption that no adult student or emancipated minor has established a domicile in this state while attending any educational institution in this state.

Students may qualify for an Arizona Board of Regents-approved exception to the 12-month residency rule.   Enrolled students may submit Exception and Change of Residency Status petitions for which they qualify within established deadlines for each term.