Northern Arizona University History (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

  • Bachelor's in History
  • Public university
  • Flagstaff, AZ
  • About 27 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Northern Arizona University history graduates earn about what history graduates earn nationally, $28,862 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $21,250 in federal loans, close to the national median of $23,973. Several Arizona programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$28,86235th percentile of 370 programs nationally
Earnings after 5 years$39,73338% more than year one
Median federal debt$21,250The lowest of 5 Arizona programs
Debt-to-earnings74%Arizona median 74%, national 73%

How it compares

Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Arizona and national columns are the medians across all history bachelor's programs that report the figure.

Five years out, Northern Arizona University graduates earn less than the national figure and about $8,284 less than the Arizona median. Several Arizona programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.

Debt and first-year pay at every Arizona history program

Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Arizona medians.

Northern Arizona UniversityOther Arizona programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

What graduates earn over time

Pay rises about 38% between the first and fifth year.

Northern Arizona University grads, year 1$28,862
Northern Arizona University grads, year 5$39,733
All Arizona history grads, year 5$48,017

Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $225 a month, or 9.4% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

56% of graduates (19 of 34) were working in Arizona one year after graduating. Prices in the Flagstaff area are about the same as the national average.

Careers this field leads to

These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to history, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education

$58,360

Median pay in Arizona. 21,190 people work in this job in Arizona. Nationally, jobs are projected to stay about the same in number from 2025 to 2035, with about 63,500 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $46,240Top 10%: $93,530

Natural Sciences Managers

$124,920

Median pay in Arizona. 900 people work in this job in Arizona. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 8% from 2025 to 2035, with about 9,200 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus 5 years or more of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $65,780Top 10%: $209,130

Tour and Travel Guides

$37,560

Median pay in Arizona. 2,450 people work in this job in Arizona. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 11,900 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent.

Bottom 10%: $31,680Top 10%: $62,020

Museum Technicians and Conservators

$46,650

Median pay in Arizona. 90 people work in this job in Arizona. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 1,600 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $35,410Top 10%: $68,920

About Northern Arizona University

History ranks 44th of 52 bachelor's programs at Northern Arizona University by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($76,782), Construction Management ($76,708), and Computer Science ($74,815).

Common questions

The median graduate earns $28,862 one year after graduating and $39,733 five years after. The median across history bachelor's programs in Arizona is $39,283.

About this data

  • Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
  • Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
  • Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
  • Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of Arizona comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
  • Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
  • School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the history program.

Sources

  1. U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
  2. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
  3. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
  4. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
  5. NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024

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