NAU offers free tuition for students with household income below $65K

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. - Northern Arizona University announced Arizona residents with household incomes at or below $65,000 will be provided with a tuition-free education.

The Access2Excellence initiative will start in the fall of 2023 for first-year and transfer students who attend the Flagstaff campus, or one of the university's other Arizona sites.

Currently, about half of Arizona households meet the $65,000 financial threshold.

"If you are an Arizona resident and live in a household where your family income is at or below $65,000 per year, which is the current median for the state, you have an opportunity to come to NAU—tuition-free," NAU President José Luis Cruz Rivera said in a news release.

Fees and housing costs are not included in the free tuition offer, which comes as the university has faced declining enrollment in recent years.

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Last March, NAU launched a pilot program assuring admission for students who meet Arizona high school graduation requirements with a 3.0 GPA or higher.

"NAU aims to be a leading university for access, success and equitable value. The Access2Excellence initiative is only one in a series of actions aimed at delivering on this mission and better serving all Arizonans," Cruz Rivera added. "There is more to come, including reimaging our statewide footprint, expanding and updating our programmatic offerings and finalizing our Strategic Roadmap to help guide our actions well into the future."

The Associated Press (AP) contributed to this report.