Towson vs Northern Arizona University (NAU)

Towson University and Northern Arizona University, both public universities with rich histories, offer distinct educational experiences. Towson, located in Maryland, boasts a higher acceptance rate (83%) compared to Northern Arizona's (79%). While Towson's student body is more diverse, Northern Arizona has a slightly higher graduation rate (62% vs. 60%). Both universities offer a wide range of undergraduate programs, with Towson excelling in fields like business, education, and nursing, while Northern Arizona shines in areas such as engineering, forestry, and sustainability. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to discover more key differences and make an informed decision about which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Northern Arizona University	Towson University
Overview
Location	Flagstaff, Arizona	Towson, Maryland
Campus setting	City: Small	City: Small
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%	85.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	78.4%	87.9%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $25 Graduate: $65	Undergraduate: $45 Graduate: $45
SAT range	N/A	1040 - 1220
ACT range	N/A	21 - 26
Students submitting SAT score		28.0%
Students submitting ACT score		3.0%
Total number of applicants	42,872	11,616
Total number of admissions given out	33,592	10,213
Admitted students who chose to enroll	5,297	2,592
Yield rate	15.8%	25.4%
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: $28,126 Out of state: $43,178
Average net price	$16,059	$11,076
Tuition	In state: $10,650 Out of state: $25,396	In state: $7,100 Out of state: $22,152
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,000 Meal plan: $5,338	Room/dormitory: $7,632 Meal plan: $6,650
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	73.0% Average amount $9,261
Students receiving federal student loan	34.0% Average amount $5,314	42.0% Average amount $5,098
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $13,306	5.0% Average amount $15,576

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	24,162 Men 37.0% Women 63.0%	17,907 Men 40.5% Women 59.5%
Graduate students	4,549 Men 32.1% Women 67.9%	2,949 Men 22.9% Women 77.1%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	31.9%	10.6%
International students	2.2%	1.7%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	9,853	5,351
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	Maryland New Jersey Pennsylvania New York Virginia

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Health Professions Business Engineering Public Administration and Social Service	Education Health Professions Computer and Information Science Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Business
Students to faculty ratio	21:1	16:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	59.0%	72.3%
Dropout rate	40.0%	6.8%
Transferred out	N/A	18.9%
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	Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $110,447 Year 2: $107,906 Year 3: $122,885 Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $73,340 Year 2: $82,440 Year 3: $94,047 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $73,795 Year 2: $83,768 Year 3: $85,948 Information Science/Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $85,262 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,242 Year 2: $66,821 Year 3: $79,355 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,719 Year 2: $66,984 Year 3: $69,964 Human Resources Management and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $60,483 Year 2: $63,666 Year 3: $68,130 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $63,907 Year 2: $67,156 Year 3: $67,633 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $58,402 Year 3: $66,692 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,389 Year 2: $62,012 Year 3: $65,981

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