National University Online: Cost and Outcomes (2026)
Jump to a section 8 sections
- National University is a San Diego nonprofit, first accredited by WSCUC in 1977
- Northcentral University merged into National University in fall 2022
- Most NU bachelor’s degrees list $640 a credit and a $69,000 estimate
- Net price counts living costs, so it sits above NU’s tuition
- 48% of NU’s 2017-18 undergraduate starters earned an award within eight years
- Counseling psychology and education master’s lead NU’s awards
- Who National University fits, and the watch-outs
- Check your own aid before you apply to National University
National University, the San Diego nonprofit accredited by WSCUC (school ID 119605), charged $13,284 in tuition and fees for 2025-26, and 48% of undergraduates who started in 2017-18 earned an award within 8 years (College Scorecard, October 15, 2026 release). Its 2024-25 net price of $24,008 counts living costs and rests on 10 students. Other schools have similar names; this is ID 119605.
Recommended next step
Check your aid before you choose National University
About two minutes, with the federal rules for the year you start (2026-27 or 2027-28). No name, email or phone. With a bachelor's already, it shows no Pell and your graduate loan limit. NU's financial aid office sets your actual offer.
Check my aidIf you are spending your own money this time, the risk is paying for courses and leaving without a degree. NU’s own per-credit prices below say more about what you would pay than an average of 10 students.
How many terms until you finish?
Tell us what you're working toward and the credits you have. You'll see an estimate right here, nothing to sign up for.
National University is a San Diego nonprofit, first accredited by WSCUC in 1977
| Fact | National University |
|---|---|
| Control | Private nonprofit |
| Sponsor | National University System (WSCUC lists a multi-institution system) |
| Accreditor | WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC), first accredited 1977 |
| Next accreditation visit | Spring 2028, after an offsite review in fall 2027 |
| Undergraduates enrolled exclusively in distance education courses (fall 2024) | 73% |
| Graduate students enrolled exclusively in distance education courses (fall 2024) | 93% |
| Degree-seeking undergraduates (fall 2024) | 10,794, 41% part-time |
| Graduate students (fall 2024) | 10,878 |
| Undergraduates 25 or older (fall 2023) | 82% |
| Admissions | Open admissions; admission rate Not published |
| Federal school ID (UNITID) | 119605 |
WSCUC, an institutional accreditor, lists NU as accredited, with its most recent Commission action on June 28, 2024. College Navigator says eligible NU students may receive Pell Grants and other federal aid, such as Direct Loans. NU offers no campus housing.
Private nonprofit is the control Scorecard files for NU. Our guide to nonprofit vs for-profit online colleges explains the three labels Scorecard uses and how to check one school’s figures.
Northcentral University merged into National University in fall 2022
-
Northcentral University founded
NU describes it as a graduate-oriented online university.
-
WSCUC approves the merger
WSCUC, the accreditor of both schools, notified the National University System that it approved the merger.
-
NU announces the merger
National University publishes its announcement of the merger with Northcentral.
-
Northcentral becomes part of NU
NCU students became NU students at the time of the merger.
NU says the merger added more than 10,000 students and 80 graduate and doctoral programs. Students who were at Northcentral at the time can finish in the same format they started and choose which school’s name goes on the diploma.
NU says some students may continue to see Northcentral branding until the integration is completed. The completion cohorts below started in 2017-18 and fall 2019, before the merger.
Most NU bachelor’s degrees list $640 a credit and a $69,000 estimate
These are rates from NU’s tuition page, updated October 13, 2026. NU says “most undergraduate programs are included” in MyTerms, its flat-rate tuition: 11 to 24 semester credits in a 16-week term cost one flat rate, and fewer than 11 are charged per credit.
| Program | Credits | Per credit | NU's total estimate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Most bachelor's degrees (for example BBA, BS Criminal Justice Administration, BS Cybersecurity) | 120 | $640 | $69,000 |
| Associate of Arts in General Education | 60 | $640 | $34,500 |
| Master of Arts in Education | 30 | $663 | $20,140 |
| Master of Business Administration | 30 | $867 | $26,010 |
| MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling | 60 | $654 | $44,090 |
| Master of Social Work, generalist track | 60 | $776 | $51,310 |
| Master of Science in Nursing | 59.33 | $675 | $52,560 |
| Doctor of Business Administration | 48 | $1,138 | $71,875 |
By our count, 44 of the 46 bachelor’s degrees on NU’s tuition page list $640 a credit and $69,000. The BS in Biology ($625 a credit, $75,000) and the 125-credit BS in Construction Management ($71,875) differ.
Graduate rows add a course material fee per course, from $0 for the MBA to $695 for the MSN, Master of Science in Nursing. A graduate nursing degree, the usual route to advanced roles such as nurse practitioner.. NU says its totals may include a one-time $450 learning management fee and change with transfer credit and repeated courses.
By our arithmetic, 120 credits at $640 comes to $76,800, more than NU’s $69,000 estimate, and NU’s pages do not explain the gap. Ask an advisor which price applies to your program.
Active-duty service members pay $250 a credit for undergraduate courses, and NU estimates $30,001 for most bachelor’s degrees at that rate. If you pay out of pocket, NU’s tuition page says it offers no payment plans and tuition is due on the first day of class.
Net price counts living costs, so it sits above NU’s tuition
Net price is the full cost of attendance minus grants. NU publishes its 2026-27 cost of attendance, and by our math living costs are $20,128 of its $34,060 undergraduate total.
College Navigator defines average net price as the total cost of attendance, food, housing and other expenses included, minus the average grant aid. Scorecard’s $24,008 average for 2024-25 covers 10 full-time, first-time students with federal aid, while 41% of NU’s undergraduates studied part-time in fall 2024.
For 2026-27, Pell pays up to $7,395 a year. StudentAid.gov says Pell usually goes only to undergraduates who display exceptional financial need and have not earned a bachelor’s degree. 34% of NU undergraduates had a Pell Grant in 2024-25.
For a master’s, StudentAid.gov lists up to $20,500 a year in Direct Unsubsidized Loans from July 1, 2026, for students outside the interim exception. It says Direct PLUS Loans for graduate borrowers are no longer available.
For those students, the total for graduate study is $100,000 if you have never been a professional student. The lifetime maximum is $257,500 in any combination of subsidized, unsubsidized and graduate PLUS loans, regardless of any amount paid or discharged.
NU’s aid page says these loan changes “will mostly affect students who start new programs on or after that date.” Our guide to how much you can borrow for a master’s explains each limit and the interim exception.
NU’s aid office sets your award only after you are accepted into a degree program. It releases loan money for your second payment period only after you finish the first.
48% of NU’s 2017-18 undergraduate starters earned an award within eight years
| Measure | National University |
|---|---|
| Earned an award within 8 years (undergraduates who started in 2017-18) | 48% |
| Graduated within 6 years (first-time, full-time, fall 2019 cohort) | 43% |
| Returned for a second year (first-time bachelor’s students who began in fall 2023) | 53% full-time, 29% part-time |
| Median earnings 6 years after starting (entered 2015-16 and 2016-17) | $69,601 |
| Median earnings 10 years after starting (entered 2011-12 and 2012-13) | $73,988 |
| Graduates’ median earnings 4 years after finishing (finished 2017-18 and 2018-19) | $81,115 |
| Graduates’ median federal loan debt (entered repayment in fiscal 2024 and 2025) | $25,000 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan (2024-25) | 24% |
Counseling psychology and education master’s lead NU’s awards
These are NU’s eight largest fields by awards in 2023-24, from Scorecard’s field-of-study file. Each is offered fully online, except that Scorecard lists only some nursing bachelor’s credentials as fully online.
| Field and credential | Awards, 2023-24 | Median earnings, 4 yrs after | Median federal debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (master's) | 1,098 | $78,497 | $29,078 |
| Education, General (master's) | 779 | $77,748 | $35,541 |
| Special Education and Teaching (master's) | 352 | $85,908 | $41,000 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations (master's) | 298 | $96,924 | $30,750 |
| Registered Nursing (bachelor's) | 262 | $114,413 | $25,604 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations (bachelor's) | 239 | $78,266 | $28,125 |
| Psychology, General (bachelor's) | 172 | $66,849 | $26,334 |
| Student Counseling and Personnel Services (master's) | 138 | $78,979 | $41,000 |
Earnings cover graduates who finished in 2017-18 and 2018-19, in 2024 dollars; debt covers graduates who finished in 2022-23 and 2023-24. “Registered Nursing” is short for Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing.
If you are weighing a counseling master’s, compare accredited online counseling programs on licensure and Scorecard outcomes (that page uses the June 2026 release).
Who National University fits, and the watch-outs
It fits if
- You want a master’s in counseling, education or business online. Those fields had the four largest award counts in 2023-24, all offered fully online.
- You want one course at a time. NU says most courses run four or eight weeks and you can start a new course every month.
- You are an adult learner. 82% of undergraduates were 25 or older in fall 2023.
Watch-outs
- 52% of 2017-18 undergraduate starters had no NU award after eight years, by our math from the 48% rate.
- The net price says little about your cost. Scorecard’s $24,008 for 2024-25 rests on 10 students.
- Two master’s fields carry $41,000 in median federal debt. That is special education and student counseling, for 2022-23 and 2023-24 finishers.
- No payment plan if you pay yourself. Tuition is due on the first day of class.
Check your own aid before you apply to National University
Scorecard’s averages describe other students. The aid check applies the federal rules for the year you start (2026-27 or 2027-28) to your answers, takes about two minutes and shows your result without asking for a name, email or phone number. With a bachelor’s already, it shows no Pell and gives your federal graduate loan limit; NU’s financial aid office sets your actual offer.
On the same measures, College Scorecard’s October 2026 data puts Capella University at a 32% eight-year rate for 2017-18 starters and $9,772 in graduates’ median federal debt (graduates entering repayment in fiscal 2024 and 2025), and Walden University at 35% and $20,834 on the same cohorts. Both are for-profit.
Degree Sources may refer readers to schools through partners. School matching is optional, comes after your aid result, and is not an application or admission to National University or any school. The figures here come from federal data and NU’s own pages, and this profile does not rank schools.
See your aid before you apply to National University
About two minutes. Your result shows before any email; school matching is optional afterwards and is not an application to any school.
Check my aidWant your finish-line plan by email? Go to the quick check
Sources
Every figure in this guide comes from one of these pages. How we check sources
- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard: National University (UNITID 119605)
- College Scorecard data files, October 15, 2026 release
- College Scorecard data dictionary: field definitions and cohort years
- NCES College Navigator: National University (enrollment and distance education fall 2024, age fall 2023)
- WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC): National University, accreditation status
- National University, Merger FAQs (National and Northcentral have merged)
- National University, National University and Northcentral University receive accreditor approval to merge
- National University, National University Announces Merger with Northcentral University (July 18, 2022)
- National University, About
- National University, Tuition and Fees (updated October 13, 2026)
- National University, MyTerms flat-rate undergraduate tuition
- National University, Active Military Tuition and Fees (updated October 13, 2026)
- National University, 2026-2027 Cost of Attendance
- National University, Online Degree Programs (course length and start dates)
- National University, Financial Aid and Scholarships
- Federal Student Aid, 2026-27 Federal Pell Grant maximum and minimum award amounts
- StudentAid.gov, Federal Pell Grants (undergraduates without a bachelor's degree)
- StudentAid.gov, One Big Beautiful Bill Act: Important Definitions (graduate loan limits, Grad PLUS)
Related Resources
Capella University Online: Cost and Outcomes (2026)
Capella's graduate tuition averaged $15,092 for 2024-25; FlexPath bills a flat fee per 12-week session. 32% of 2017-18 undergrads earned an award in 8 years.
Walden University Online: Cost and Outcomes (2026)
Walden charges $360 a quarter credit for most bachelor's courses and $715 for the DBA (2026). 35% of undergrads finish in 8 years. DBA settlement, explained.
Best Online Counseling and MSW Programs 2026
Six CACREP and CSWE online counseling and MSW programs compared on Scorecard outcomes. Mental health counselors earned a $59,350 median in May 2025.