Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Flagstaff

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Flagstaff AZ - downtown hotelPhoto: SearchNet Media from Tucson, Arizona, USA · CC BY 2.0
Colleges in and near Flagstaff

Flagstaff is a college town: 28 of every 100 residents are students

Northern Arizona University (23,098 students on campus) and Coconino Community College (2,072) are inside the city. Across Arizona, 6 of every 100 residents are enrolled in college.

College town28% of residents are studentsCoconino Community CollegeNorthern Arizona University

From the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard, June 2026; IPEDS fall 2023 enrollment) and the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 2020–24. Straight-line distances from the center of Flagstaff. Colleges are described, not graded.

Within 15 miles
2
25,170 students on campus
Nearest college
1.8 mi
Coconino
Residents in college
28%
Above AZ (6%)
Nearest community college
1.8 mi
Coconino · $2,907 tuition
Nearest public university
1.9 mi
Northern Arizona University · $13,009 in-state
Students on campus in Flagstaff
25,170
next to 77,260 residents

What stands out about college in Flagstaff

Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.

A college town28 of every 100 Flagstaff residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Arizona.Two colleges within 1.9 milesNorthern Arizona University admits 90% of applicants. Together they have 25,170 students on campus.A community college 1.8 miles awayCoconino Community College in Flagstaff: tuition and fees $2,907 a year for Arizona residents.In-state price at Northern Arizona UniversityLiving in Arizona, Northern Arizona University charges $13,009 in tuition and fees; from out of state, $29,881. State residency rules decide which a new arrival pays.
Town & gown

What it’s like to live in Flagstaff

How much the colleges shape the town, from the Census Bureau’s survey of residents.

28 of every 100 Flagstaff residents are in college (AZ: 6).

25,170students on campus at Flagstaff’s 2 colleges, next to 77,260 residents (dorm students count as residents)
10,770college students live in Flagstaff households rather than dorms
25.9median age · AZ 39.0
51%of residents are women · AZ 50% (±0.8 points)
58%of homes rented · AZ 33%
$1,645median rent · 7% above the state
FlagstaffFlagstaff, AZ
Cost of living$1,645/mo median rentDSafetyCrime reported to the FBIC−HealthCDC estimatesA−Jobs & incomeIncome, jobs, getting aroundB−HandbookTrash day, parking, who to call

How students change Flagstaff’s other numbers

Read the town’s other grades with this in mind. How TownRatings handles college towns →

Jobs & income B−

Students who live off campus count in the Census poverty figures: 18.2% of Flagstaff residents are below the poverty line, 13.0% when college students are left out (that estimate could be off by 2 points either way). 44% of the students themselves are below the line. In college towns, the Jobs & income grade uses the rate without students and leaves unemployment out.

Cost of living D

The Cost grade leaves out the share of renters paying 30% or more of income on rent wherever students are a quarter of residents or more (28% here): it would mostly measure student incomes.

Health A−

CDC’s estimates follow each place’s age mix, and Flagstaff’s median age is 25.9 (Arizona 39.0), so the adult figures describe a young population.

Safety C−

Crime is counted per resident, and students who live here count as residents. A college with its own police department reports its incidents under that department, not the city.

Every college

Colleges within 15 miles of Flagstaff

Both are public. Every other college is more than 15 miles from Flagstaff.

5 mi10 mi15 miNorthern Arizona UniversityCoconinoFlagstaff
University or collegeCommunity college
Coconino Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · 2,072 on campus · In Flagstaff$14knet price24%graduate$40kearningsTuition and fees: $2,907 a year. The net price counts housing and food at full cost.Northern Arizona UniversityUniversity or college · Public · 23,098 on campus · In Flagstaff90%admitted$14knet price61%graduate$54kearnings

Degree-granting colleges with 100 or more students on campus (fall 2023 enrollment, minus students who study only online). Admitted: share of applicants offered a place. Net price: the average a year after grants, for students on federal aid. Graduate: within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting.

What it costs

What would your family pay?

The average a year after grants, for families on federal aid, at the colleges within 15 miles. Pick your family’s income.

Family income

Starts at $48–75k, where Flagstaff’s median household income ($71,512) falls.

Northern Arizona UniversityIn Flagstaff · sticker $29,933$13,330a year
Coconino Community CollegeIn Flagstaff · sticker $19,844 · tuition $2,907$13,705a year

The average a year after grants and scholarships, for first-time, full-time students on federal aid, from the College Scorecard. Your own price depends on your aid package; every college has a net price calculator. For community colleges the net price counts housing and food at full cost, so tuition is shown beside it. “—”: not reported for that income.

Outcomes

Do students finish, and does it pay?

Each dot is a college within 15 miles of Flagstaff: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.

$0$20k$40k$60k$80k0%25%50%75%100%Graduate →CoconinoNorthern Arizona University
Northern Arizona University61% graduate$54k earnings$19k typical debt
Coconino Community College24% graduate$40k earnings$10k typical debt

Graduation: first-time, full-time students within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 years (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting, for students who got federal aid.

Majors

What students study in Flagstaff

Share of bachelor’s and associate degrees by field across Flagstaff’s 2 colleges, weighted by undergraduates; then the biggest programs.

Health professions 17%Business 16%Education 7%Psychology 7%Biology 6%Liberal arts 6%Everything else 41%

Biggest programs

Psychology, GeneralNorthern Arizona University · 451 graduates a year
$50k4 yrs out
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingNorthern Arizona University · 419 graduates a year
$85k4 yrs out
Biology, GeneralNorthern Arizona University · 414 graduates a year
$55k4 yrs out
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesNorthern Arizona University · 341 graduates a year
$56k4 yrs out
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsNorthern Arizona University · 256 graduates a year
$51k4 yrs out
CriminologyNorthern Arizona University · 253 graduates a year
$57k4 yrs out
Business Administration, Management and OperationsNorthern Arizona University · 246 graduates a year
$66k4 yrs out
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessNorthern Arizona University · 179 graduates a year
$61k4 yrs out

College Scorecard: degree shares (PCIP; each college’s six largest fields are kept, the rest count as everything else) and the field-of-study file, median earnings 4 years after graduating.

Questions about college in Flagstaff

Is Flagstaff a college town?

Yes. 28 of every 100 Flagstaff residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), against 6 across Arizona. Northern Arizona University has 23,098 students on campus, next to 77,260 residents.

What colleges are in Flagstaff?

Northern Arizona University and Coconino Community College are inside the city.

Why is Flagstaff’s poverty rate so high?

Students who live off campus count in the Census figures. 18.2% of residents are below the poverty line; leaving college students out, 13.0% are (ACS 2020–24, give or take 2 points).

What is the closest community college to Flagstaff, and what does it cost?

Coconino Community College in Flagstaff, 1.8 miles away. Tuition and fees are $2,907 a year for Arizona residents; the federal net price, $13,996, counts housing and food at full cost.

How hard is it to get into Northern Arizona University?

Northern Arizona University admitted 90% of applicants in the Scorecard’s latest year.

Neighbors talk college

Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Colleges: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023 enrollment). “On campus” is fall enrollment minus students who study only online. Distances are straight-line from the center of Flagstaff. Residents in college, age, rent and poverty (including poverty without college students, table B14006): U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–24. Colleges are described, not graded; the College town label marks towns where 15% or more of residents are enrolled. How TownRatings describes colleges →