Northern Arizona University has announced its largest number of first-year students, who started the fall semester Monday, in the school’s 124 year history. The school says there are an estimated 9,250 first-year undergraduate and graduate students to NAU. It’s also the largest number of Arizona residents, Native American and Hispanic/Latino students the school has had, plus the average core high school GPA is higher than last year’s record. The school is crediting its new Access2Excellence tuition program, that begins this semester. The program ensures full tuition coverage for Arizona resident students whose family annual income is $65-thousand or below, approximately the state’s median household income, or who are members of Arizona’s 22 federally-recognized Native American tribes. Student population at NAU is up three-percent from last year at all locations, including up seven-percent at the Mountain Campus in Flagstaff and at other statewide sites.