| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Online only (100% online); no campuses |
| Headquarters | 4020 Jackson Blvd, Suite 1, Rapid City, SD 57702 (administrative office, not a campus) |
| Credentials | Diplomas, associate, bachelor’s and master’s degrees, graduate certificates, two doctorates |
| Typical length | Quarter credits: diploma at least 48 (Medical Billing and Coding 60), associate at least 90, bachelor’s at least 180 |
| Accreditation | Higher Learning Commission (reaffirmed August 2025; focused visit on finances due by 1 December 2026); IACBE for business programs; ABA approval for paralegal programs |
| Federal aid | Yes, for most programs |
| Who can enroll | Not residents of AR, CT, DE, MI, MN, NY, ND, OR, RI, WI or DC; new enrollment paused in KS and VA |
| Students | About 903 in fall 2024 (767 undergraduate, 136 graduate) |
| Founded / owner | 1941 in Rapid City, as the National School of Business; owned by National American University Holdings, Inc. |
| Facts checked | October 2026 |
An online university with a shrinking footprint
National American University began in Rapid City, South Dakota, in 1941 as the National School of Business. It now teaches every current program 100% online, from a 60-credit medical billing and coding diploma to master’s degrees and two doctorates, and enrolled about 903 students in fall 2024, most of them part-time. Most of its ground campuses closed from 2019, as it moved to online teaching; the Rapid City headquarters is an office, not a campus. Two things are worth knowing first: its accreditor has asked for a review of its finances by December 2026, and it does not accept students from every state (see below).
Check your state first. Per NAU’s October 2026 catalog, NAU does not enroll residents of Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, Wisconsin or the District of Columbia, and it has paused new enrollment in Kansas and Virginia. It takes part in SARA for the other states.
Programs NAU still enrolls
Every program is online, and credits are quarter credits. The table lists the programs closest to career training, with the exams or approvals NAU names, as of its 2026-27 catalog. A dash means NAU names none.
| Program | Credentials (quarter credits) | Exam, approval or limits |
|---|---|---|
| Medical Billing and Coding | Diploma (60) | No certification included; graduates may pursue AAPC or AHIMA credentials |
| Paralegal Studies | AAS (90.5), BS | ABA-approved; includes a CLA review course |
| Professional Legal Studies | BS | The AAS version no longer enrolls |
| Information Technology | AAS (93), BS (180), BS Focused, BS emphasis in Cybersecurity and Forensics | CompTIA A+, Network+, Security+, Linux+ and Cloud+ preparation; Cisco CCNA preparation in the BS |
| Accounting | BS (180), graduate certificate | Education needed to sit for the CPA exam, per NAU; not a CPA review course |
| Business Administration | AAS, BS (180), MBA (45) | IACBE-accredited; undergraduate marketing is a BS specialization only |
| Human Resource Management | BS (180), graduate certificate | Internship or action-research option |
| Healthcare Management | BS (180) | Capstone, no practicum |
| Medical Administrative Assistant | AAS | — |
| Medical Staff Services Management | AAS | — |
| Criminal Justice | AAS, BS (180), BS Focused | No police academy; further training required for policing or corrections |
| Aviation Management | BS (180) | No flight or aircraft mechanic training |
| Construction Management | AAS (90), BS | Management only, no trade training; LEED Green Associate preparation |
| Strategic security | BS, BS Focused, three MS degrees, Doctor of Strategic Security | — |
| Management; Interdisciplinary Studies; Education | AAS, BS, Master of Management; AA, BA; Doctor of Education | — |
Many shorter programs have been suspended. NAU’s list of programs no longer accepting new enrollment includes the Accounting, Business Logistics and Small Business Management associate degrees, the Healthcare Coding Diploma, and the undergraduate certificates in Business Administration, Human Resource Management, Management, Marketing, Network and Server Administrator, and Web Development. Networking and web development are now taught only as specializations within the BS in IT. NAU has no nursing, medical laboratory, surgical technology or other clinical program.
What the main programs cover
Medical Billing and Coding Diploma
The diploma has 60 credits: 37.5 in the billing and coding major and 22.5 in general education. Everything is online, and the practical part is a virtual practicum course (ME2650) rather than a placement in a medical office. NAU’s program page says the diploma takes under two years and that it does not provide certifications; graduates can go on to pursue AAPC or AHIMA coding credentials. Course availability is subject to minimum class sizes.
Paralegal Studies AAS and BS
The associate degree has 90.5 quarter credits, and both it and the bachelor’s degree are approved by the American Bar Association. Unlike the rest of NAU’s programs, three legal specialty courses, worth 13.5 credits, meet live by video conference, so students must attend those sessions live. The program includes a CLA review course. NAU also offers a BS in Professional Legal Studies; its associate version no longer enrolls.
Information Technology AAS and BS
The 93-credit associate degree is a general IT program. NAU’s program pages link its courses to CompTIA A+, Network+ and Security+, Linux+ and Cloud+. The 180-credit BS adds at least 27 credits in one specialization: Networking, Web Development or Information and Network Security. The bachelor’s includes a Cisco CCNA 200-301 preparation course (CI4297). Separate options are a reduced-credit BS Focused and a BS with an emphasis in Cybersecurity and Forensics.
Criminal Justice AAS and BS
The associate degree is run by NAU’s Henley-Putnam School of Strategic Security, and the bachelor’s degree has 180 quarter credits. The BS Focused is a reduced-credit version of the bachelor’s degree. NAU’s program page is direct about the limits: additional training will be required for policing and institutional corrections employment. There is no police academy or state peace officer certification, so students aiming for those jobs still need the training their state requires.
Healthcare Management BS
This 180-credit bachelor’s degree has two routes. Option One is a degree-completion path for students who already hold a healthcare diploma or associate degree, who can build on that earlier credential. Option Two prepares students for business roles in healthcare. The degree includes a capstone course and has no practicum. NAU also offers two related associate degrees, Medical Administrative Assistant and Medical Staff Services Management.
2026-27 tuition: one rate wherever NAU enrolls
NAU charges one undergraduate rate in every state where it enrolls, with no in-state or out-of-state difference. Tuition is per quarter credit and falls as students earn more credits, per NAU’s 2026-27 tuition and fees page:
| Credits already earned | General rate | Alumni rate |
|---|---|---|
| 0–45 | $380 | $342 |
| 46–90 | $342 | $306 |
| 91–135 | $323 | $291 |
| 136 and over | $304 | $274 |
- Military: active-duty service members pay $166.66 per undergraduate credit in every credit tier. Veterans and students using veteran education benefits pay $200 per credit if they are new or re-entering students from the Fall C term of 2026; continuing students enrolled before then keep their existing rate.
- Fees: a $100 technology fee per course, a $50 resource fee per eligible course and a one-time $75 matriculation fee.
- Graduate: master’s and graduate certificate courses in the Harold D. Buckingham Graduate School cost $2,625 each ($2,500 in the Henley-Putnam strategic security programs). The Doctor of Education costs $700 per credit and the Doctor of Strategic Security $475 per credit.
As an example, a new general-rate undergraduate taking 45 credits in a year (assuming ten 4.5-credit courses) would pay $17,100 in tuition plus about $1,000 in technology fees, the one-time $75 matriculation fee and any resource fees (our calculation, not a published figure). NAU takes federal student aid; its catalog marks the few programs that are not eligible.
Admissions and term starts
NAU has open admission. Undergraduate courses run on quarter terms, with three start sessions (A, B and C) each quarter; master’s courses start in sessions A and B, and the Doctor of Education runs on trimesters, according to the October 2026 catalog. Students can transfer in up to 75% of an undergraduate degree and 70% of a master’s degree. The “Focused” bachelor’s degrees in criminal justice, IT, management and strategic security are reduced-credit options.
Accreditation, the 2026 finance review and outcomes
The Higher Learning Commission reaffirmed NAU’s accreditation on 11 August 2025 and set the next reaffirmation for 2034-35. It also requires a focused visit on NAU’s financial stability and resources by 1 December 2026, per HLC’s action letter. The letter names no sanction or probation.
IACBE accredits NAU’s business programs from 1 May 2022 to 30 April 2029, per IACBE’s member record, and the paralegal programs are approved by the American Bar Association.
NAU has no licensure programs, so there are no exam pass rates to report. Federal IPEDS data show about 903 students in fall 2024 (767 undergraduate and 136 graduate, 752 of them part-time), and a full-time retention rate of 33% (46% for part-time students). Published graduation rates come from very small full-time cohorts and disagree between sources, so they are not given here.
NAU’s most recent student achievement report, dated March 2024, counts 266 students who completed a program between March 2023 and February 2024. The same report says NAU does not offer traditional placement services or regularly calculate placement rates.
Before you enroll
- Accreditation review of finances. HLC requires a focused visit on NAU’s financial stability by 1 December 2026. NAU remains accredited; check HLC’s site for the result after that date.
- Your state may be excluded. Residents of ten states and DC cannot enroll, and new students from Kansas and Virginia are not being accepted.
- Check that your program still enrolls. Many certificates and several associate degrees have been suspended, and individual courses run only when they meet minimum class sizes.
- Program names are not job training. Aviation Management includes no flight or mechanic training, Construction Management teaches no trade skills, and Criminal Justice does not include a police academy.
- Low full-time retention. Only 33% of full-time students came back for a second year in the latest IPEDS data, and NAU says it does not regularly calculate placement rates.
What students say
On Niche, NAU scores 4.04 out of 5 from 448 reviews (checked October 2026). Reviewers praise flexible online scheduling for working adults, supportive professors and success coaches, and an online classroom that is easy to use. Complaints there center on cost compared with value and on courses that depend heavily on self-motivation.
On OnlineU (formerly GradReports), 42% of 129 reviewers would recommend NAU (checked October 2026). The main complaints are unreturned calls and emails, advisor turnover, unexpected balances after financial aid with holds on refunds or diplomas, and weak job help. Many OnlineU reviews were written before NAU moved fully online in 2019 and describe former campus programs such as nursing, so they say less about NAU today.
Facts checked October 2026.
Programs & Courses
Business and management
- Accounting (BS; Graduate Certificate)
- Business Administration (AAS, BS; MBA)
- Human Resource Management (BS; Graduate Certificate)
- Management (AAS, BS, BS Focused; Master of Management)
- E-Marketing Graduate Certificate
- Aviation Management (BS)
- Construction Management (AAS, BS)
Healthcare administration
- Healthcare Management (BS)
- Medical Billing and Coding (Diploma)
- Medical Administrative Assistant (AAS)
- Medical Staff Services Management (AAS)
Information technology
- Information Technology (AAS)
- Information Technology (BS), with Networking, Web Development or Information and Network Security specializations
- Information Technology (BS Focused)
- Information Technology, Emphasis in Cybersecurity and Forensics (BS)
Legal studies and criminal justice
- Paralegal Studies (AAS, BS)
- Professional Legal Studies (BS)
- Criminal Justice (AAS, BS, BS Focused)
Strategic security
- Strategic Security and Protection Management (BS, BS Focused, MS)
- Intelligence Management (MS)
- Terrorism and Counterterrorism (MS)
- Doctor of Strategic Security
General studies and education
- Interdisciplinary Studies (AA, BA)
- Doctor of Education
Campus Locations
100% Online , Online,