Northern Arizona University Reviews

"NAU is a second-rate university. If you are accustomed to a research university, it feels more like a community college. The professors are second-rate also. I had one who taught a class on a subject she had zero familiarity with, but made sure to make googly eyes at all the male grad students, and finally got kicked out for stalking one of them. Of course, being second-rate doesn't stop them from being super stuck up about their tiny careers at a small college in Podunk. The degree program I was in also required us to take at least one class each semester completely outside our major. That's fine for undergrads, but for graduate students? Already been there and done that. At a real university. And the only professor I had who showed any interest in what would become of us after graduation was one who was completely outside of my major department. The department itself could have cared less."

"I am very satisfied with my experience at NAU. My advisor was always there to answer questions. I had the best professors. I like to learn on my own, so I think that is why I enjoyed the online learning environment. I did not mind the reading and writing. I enjoyed reading all of my books. I also love writing essays. I got A's mostly on all of my essays. I also loved doing the discussions. It did not matter to me that the professor was not involved in my learning or the discussions. I didn't want help. I just wanted to do it on my own. I didn't want someone to hold my hand. I like learning on my own and on my own time. I got accepted into grad school at NAU, but dropped, because I realized the program was not for me. It had nothing to do with NAU."

"Don't wast your time going here, you won't get a good job out of it. Employers see it as a Party School, your degree won't be taken seriously. You might get a job as Telemarketer , waiter, bartender or laborer. Go to a major University if you want a job out of it."

"I enrolled in the Computer Information Technology graduate program. What drew me to the program was it was subscription-based where you take as many courses for 6 months. One pro is tuition is cheap & the program was flexible. You can take the courses & submit assignments whenever you want. The bad, it was mostly literature-based. The entire program is all writing papers. No lab or video lectures. How are you supposed to learn anything as technical as IT with no lab?? Each course required 12,000 words!! I dropped the entire program & knew it was just a waste of time. Learned way more for my money's worth at a community college. If you enjoy writing papers or plan on getting a Ph.D., this program is for you. If you want hands-on learning with labs, better off also looking at another college. The professor has no clue about the subject matter. The course platform was frustrating to use & navigate. It did seem user-friendly at first, but the find the grade earned for each assignment took some searching."

"Great school with a fantastic staff… I received a degree in education and went on to teach art for 35 years. I have been a very lucky man and have the highest respect for NAU. Thank you to Northern Arizona University for being here for me and I wish the best for all who consider going there."

"Here's the thing, NAU at a glance is a fantastic school in a nice town with a great staff among bad ones. But Once you start attending and you face a crisis, such as the pandemic, the school will fail you more than any other school I have attended. Like I mentioned, I have met some amazing staff, and some really do try their best to help you the way they can. But this does not change the fact that the 'student support' NAU likes to brand itself with is false advertising. NAU supports it's students when their needs are as basic as changing your major and learning about trees, but when you need helping learning about the transfer system, rights as a student, fighting for mental health, and overall staying in school through a crisis this school does not fit the bill. I have reached out to my advisors and disability services literally begging for help in a mental health crisis and have been ignored and overlooked. I filed an official complained which only was a pat on the back and a comment of 'you'll be fine' There is no real student support, not if you don't fit their perfect shell of the basic student, if you need anything related to leaving the school staying on track or not falling into a mental or physical crisis, they will fail you. Legal action should be taken against this school for overlooking so many students screaming for their help."

"joke of a school. They display your name on virtual commencement and then email you a week later saying you didn’t graduate. Avoid at all costs. Every teacher I had through my 4 years failed to provide me adequate instructions and most just seem like they want to get through the semester. They don’t care about your they care about money. Biggest regret of my life going here"

"Do not go to school here. It’s overpriced and you will not get a job in your field of study. Flagstaff is very expensive and not worth the money to live here. Professors carry their own agendas and the student is not part of it. Your money will be taken from you in a Disneyland fashion and you will be left broke with a degree and no job opportunities as flagstaff is not large and has little industry or future. Unless your a waiter. Veterans are second class citizens."

"As beautiful as Flagstaff is, the programs at NAU are probably worse that my high school education. The advisors have no idea what they are talking about and therefore are replaced almost every year. In most cases, the students are smarter than the teachers and have to correct their mistakes in class. Organization is almost nonexistent within the university. If you're looking for a school that will decrease your knowledge and leave you with less brain cells from the time you're a freshman to the time you graduate, this can definitely be the school for you."

"The MBA program at NAU is a bad joke. The bad joke is on the students. Seriously, I advise you to look elsewhere. Maybe the University of Arizona or one of the colleges in California? It just seemed like high-school all over again. NAU is big on all of the typical stuff, students cheating, professors not caring, problems with parking/university transportation, etc. NAU is really disappointing. I had high expectations. I graded from high school and with my BS degree with very high grades. I could have gone "almost" anywhere. This will go down as one of the biggest mistakes of my life."

"Let's be honest, the surrounding environment is amazing. The education is NOT. I spent the last four years trying to prepare myself for a career only to find out that my classes have taught me nothing. Instructors expect you to write to their personal agenda, assignments have no value, and rarely do students have the opportunity to seek out their own interests. As a student who attended/participated in almost every on-campus academic fair, career expo, and research symposium... I can say with confidence that this campus offers little to academic growth. Capstone experiences are nothing more than lectures, instructors are less than helpful, and our assignments are designed not to further our understanding but to pass students. I am extremely disappointed with my experience at NAU and I would not recommend any prospective high school senior or transfer student to consider this university. For those who would like an example of what I mean, allow me to share my experience with one of my major core classes: I was required to write an essay about how all law enforcement agents (regardless of demographics) promote the white agenda and should be disbanded to promote public welfare in a class that was suppose to focus on communication theory. As a Hispanic student who comes from a family of police officers, I found this asinine and completely ridiculous; the class had nothing to do with government or politics. Needless to say, this was not the first time I experienced a situation where my assignment had nothing to do with the class or that the topic of discussion derailed into a lecture on the instructor's personal philosophy. All in all, what did I learn from my classes from NAU? Nothing. What can I apply from my classes into my career? Nothing. If I can summarize Northern Arizona University into a single sentence, it would be this: You don't come here for an education, you come here for an easy diploma."

"I would not recommend going to NAU to ANYONE. The culture here is rotten to the core and it starts with Rita Chang spending our money for her own personal gain. In addition there is very limited opportunity for campus involvement. Limited sports, unresponsive clubs, and a Greek life that is oppressed. The sports are no fun to support because the stadium is empty any time they play. I reached out to three clubs I thought I might want to join and got no response from any of them. Made it really difficult to make friends as a freshman. So I joined Greek life and enjoyed it. Until campus stripped ya of our resources and picked us apart multiple times for different “violations” that they seemingly made up. One of them was for having a disagreement amongst new members about which power tool to use. My one opportunity to make friends and enjoy my time at college was taken from me and ruined. I would NEVER go here if you have any other choice. The only benefit is the scholarship they offer. Other than that you may as well be going to a community college."

"I've yet to investigate the source of a report made not to my benefit for"disrupting the educational process". I was a B+ student for more than 3 years with no conflict whatsoever. Conceivably that I am old enough to be considered a professor or parent there was age discrimination. Now as a Flagstaff resident and one who used the library regularly am banned from the campus by their police. I have received no response from the appeals department. who is disrupting the educational process? Another question might be whether the police are interested in representing the school and its students. I am friends with a previous assistant dean and his wife, professor there at the same time. Perhaps their influence could make a dent. Until then I will seek other schools though I don't forget!"

"I obtained my degree in biomedical sciences with a minor of chemistry and had an overall great experience. NAU is an already large school that is growing rapidly and if you aren't ready for that it can be overwhelming. The campus is laid out beautifully right in the middle of Flagstaff. I would rate the intro classes mediocre mainly because the sizes of the intro classes are well over 100. Once you get past the intro classes, I loved all of my classes and found them super interesting. This seems to be a trend in big schools and there for I think this is something to be prepared of if you are going to a big public University. Probably the most helpful thing NAU offered me were the supplement instruction (SI) sessions which made those big classes, and later on, hard classes, easier to digest and learn the material."

"I had a wonderful experience at NAU. The degree that I earned has more than prepared me for my future career. I love the fact that NAU provides a great deal of support and instruction for their students. They are very caring and attend to the needs of each individual students. NAU offers a wide variety of majors. They even have a video array of online degree options. NAU also has a low cost of tuition when compared to other public institutions. I would recommend NAU to any student looking for a quality education."

"Northern Arizona University is a large university with a small-town feel. I received a Bachelor of Fine Arts, Visual Communication with an emphasis in Graphic Design in 2016. The program I entered was fairly rigorous and diverse. The senior capstone lacked in assistance with job placement and design challenges. After graduating, I learned more about my field in my job than when I was in school. Many design classes had us teaching ourselves using tutorials. I sometimes feel like I could have become a graphic designer by watching tutorials on YouTube. I could have saved so much money! I am grateful for the degree and it does help with the job search. Just having a degree boosts your chances of getting an interview and better pay. Overall, I enjoyed my college experience and did expand my network."

"NAU is an awesome school. The faculty and staff are very supportive and are willing to help anyone who needs it. You can tell that NAU truly cares from its students. I am very happy with my education there and would recommend NAU to anyone. I look back fondly on my experience there."

"Something that I truly loved about NAU is that despite all of the madness that you can find on a college campus, it felt like home to me. I met hundreds of people during my time there and I would have to say that the staff at NAU was always professional, understanding and helpful. My counselor's always had a let's get it done attitude and they really believed in me throughout my years there. If you ever get the change to work with Ed Hood, he is one of my personal favorites!"

"I attended NAU online while working 12 hour days to support my family. NAU online's flexible scheduling made it easy to study while working. The classes and professors were supportive of me, and they also provided me lots of resources for post-graduation."

"I very much enjoyed my time as a student at NAU. I did attend the university during a time of transition when the housing crisis for upper-division and even sophomore students began and when many construction projects began to obstruct the once beautiful scenery on campus. That being said, I had wonderful teachers in both my major programs as well as elective courses. The small-town feel of Flagstaff is just big enough to not feel like a small pond, but not huge like Tempe or Tucson. Students attending NAU should be prepared for off-campus housing after their first year, but I still visit Flagstaff often as it is my favorite place in the world. My critiques of the university are not with the quality and level of education, merely with some of the logistics of the campus."