There are various distinctive research facilities at the Naval Postgraduate School. These facilities were created to give academic staff and students a vibrant research setting in which to work on issues of particular relevance to the Department of Defense and the Department of the Navy. Research up to the Secret Compartmented Information (SCI) level is possible in NPS's classified facilities. NPS has excellent facilities for hosting conferences, workshops, symposia and meetings. Both small and large groups can be accommodated by the extensive range of amenities.

There are around 2670 students in the university.

The Naval Postgraduate School does not directly take applications from potential students for admission, in contrast to civilian institutions. The governments of each country must legally sponsor and nominate all international students. Requests for an evaluation of academic records should be made through the proper channels in the prospective student's Ministry of Defense in order to be admitted into a specific curriculum at NPS. The Ministry of Defense will then coordinate the request through the Office of Defense Cooperation (ODC) at the U.S. Embassy in the country. In order to be admitted to the designated curriculum, the ODC will send the necessary academic records to NPS for a formal examination. NPS should ideally receive academic records four to six months before the desired start date. The academic prerequisites are clear-cut and easy to understand. A minimum of a baccalaureate degree or its equivalent is required of all admitted students. This coursework needs to have been finished at an accredited college or institution with a minimum grade point average of C+ (2.30 on a 4.0 scale). A minimum grade point average of 2.6 is required for courses in the Department of National Security Affairs. For evaluation, a clear copy of the official transcript from each college and university the prospective student attended must be provided in English. Each completed course's title or subject area, the number of units or credit hours gained for each course, the grade or score obtained for each course, the date of each degree and certificate award, and the name of each degree should all be listed on transcripts. Transcripts should also specify the minimal passing grade in accordance with the grading scheme or scale in use. Calculus and calculus-based physics must be successfully completed in order to be considered for technical or engineering programs. The Special Operations/Irregular Warfare and Department of Defense Management curriculum require college-level algebra to be completed successfully. An application package containing the most recent Graduate Record Examination (GRE) results is required of prospective Ph.D. students.

Students can access a range of safety resources and training from the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS), including: Instruction Students receive instruction in RODS, ergonomic awareness, and traffic safety. Restricted Area Eight hours of initial classroom instruction, eight hours of on-the-job training, and an annual refresher course are required of qualified students. Emergency management Students are urged to develop an emergency supplies bag, create a family emergency plan, and stay informed before to, during, and following an occurrence as ways to prepare for emergencies.

The majority of NPS students are active-duty officers from all branches of the US military, while a number of programs also allow US government employees and officers from about 30 partner nations to matriculate. Faculty members are primarily civilians.

Military housing is offered for Service Members with families, single Service Members, at La Mesa and Ord Military Community (OMC); the properties are managed by the Parks at Monterey Bay - Michaels Organization. Before renting, leasing, or purchasing a property, any military personnel reporting to the Presidio of Monterey / Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center, or Naval Postgraduate School, must get in touch with and complete the Housing Services Office (HSO). The purpose of the HSO is to give military retirees, DoD civilians, and service members and their families balanced information about housing relocation. The HSO is the first person to contact if you have any queries about housing in the Monterey region after you arrive.

Positions for faculty at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) are posted on the Higher Education Recruitment Consortium (HERC) employment website. Additionally, the NPS includes a Human Resources Office where employees can get information about their rights and the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).