Cost comparison
Affordable colleges in Arizona
CampusPin lists 67 colleges in Arizona. The 40 below are ordered by lowest published in-state tuition, with a median of $3,004 and a median average net price of $12,780 among those reporting it. Tuition, total cost, and net price are three different numbers — the table keeps them separate.
Arizona college costs by the numbers
- Lowest published in-state tuition
- Tohono O'odham Community College ($932)
- Median in-state tuition (40 reporting)
- $3,004
- Median net price after aid (37 reporting)
- $12,780
- Highest graduation rate
- International Baptist College and Seminary (88%)
- Most selective
- Grand Canyon University (79% acceptance)
- Largest by enrollment
- Grand Canyon University (113,257 students)
Arizona colleges by published in-state tuition
Lowest published in-state tuition first. Every figure is as reported by the institution to federal data collections; blank cells are unreported values, not zeros.
| College | In-state tuition | Out-of-state tuition | Avg. net price | Graduation rate | Acceptance rate | Public/private | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tohono O'odham Community College | $932 | $932 | $4,233 | 34% | Open admission | Public | Sells, AZ |
| Dine College | $1,410 | $1,410 | $10,218 | 13% | Open admission | Public | Tsaile, AZ |
| Mohave Community College | $2,208 | $7,968 | $5,974 | 38% | Open admission | Public | Kingman, AZ |
| Northland Pioneer College | $2,232 | $10,320 | $9,240 | 22% | Open admission | Public | Holbrook, AZ |
| Central Arizona College | $2,250 | $4,500 | $4,714 | 27% | Open admission | Public | Coolidge, AZ |
| Cochise County Community College District | $2,280 | $6,120 | $7,929 | 30% | Open admission | Public | Sierra Vista, AZ |
| Eastern Arizona College | $2,352 | $9,552 | $9,197 | 42% | Open admission | Public | Thatcher, AZ |
| Chandler-Gilbert Community College | $2,358 | $8,958 | $12,726 | 30% | Open admission | Public | Chandler, AZ |
| Estrella Mountain Community College | $2,358 | $8,958 | $12,254 | 32% | Open admission | Public | Avondale, AZ |
| GateWay Community College | $2,358 | $8,958 | $13,339 | 29% | Open admission | Public | Phoenix, AZ |
| Glendale Community College | $2,358 | $8,958 | $7,461 | 16% | Open admission | Public | Glendale, AZ |
| Mesa Community College | $2,358 | $8,958 | $12,132 | 16% | Open admission | Public | Mesa, AZ |
| Paradise Valley Community College | $2,358 | $8,958 | $12,180 | 19% | Open admission | Public | Phoenix, AZ |
| Phoenix College | $2,358 | $8,958 | $12,055 | 14% | Open admission | Public | Phoenix, AZ |
| Rio Salado College | $2,358 | $8,958 | $8,341 | 9% | Open admission | Public | Tempe, AZ |
| Scottsdale Community College | $2,358 | $8,958 | $13,336 | 17% | Open admission | Public | Scottsdale, AZ |
| South Mountain Community College | $2,358 | $8,958 | $12,780 | 16% | Open admission | Public | Phoenix, AZ |
| Pima Community College | $2,442 | $7,758 | $3,405 | 28% | Open admission | Public | Tucson, AZ |
| Coconino Community College | $2,907 | $9,987 | $13,996 | 24% | Open admission | Public | Flagstaff, AZ |
| Yavapai College | $2,948 | $9,486 | $8,683 | 34% | Open admission | Public | Prescott, AZ |
| Arizona Western College | $3,060 | $9,870 | $8,983 | 20% | Open admission | Public | Yuma, AZ |
| Pathways College | $6,180 | $6,180 | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Private | Phoenix, AZ |
| Aspen University | $6,870 | $6,870 | Not reported | 27% | Open admission | Private | Phoenix, AZ |
| Sessions College for Professional Design | $7,400 | $7,400 | $15,149 | 40% | Open admission | Private | Tempe, AZ |
| Indian Bible College | $7,980 | $7,980 | $5,068 | 60% | Open admission | Private | Flagstaff, AZ |
| National Paralegal College | $7,995 | $7,995 | $15,670 | 33% | Open admission | Private | Phoenix, AZ |
| University of Phoenix-Arizona | $9,552 | $9,552 | $13,520 | 21% | Open admission | Private | Phoenix, AZ |
| Sonoran Desert Institute | $12,200 | $12,200 | $20,678 | 33% | Open admission | Private | Tempe, AZ |
| Bryan University | $12,219 | $12,219 | $20,383 | 41% | Open admission | Private | Tempe, AZ |
| Arizona State University Campus Immersion | $12,223 | $33,139 | $14,967 | 68% | 90% | Public | Tempe, AZ |
| American InterContinental University System | $12,397 | $12,397 | $15,172 | 9% | Open admission | Private | Chandler, AZ |
| Northern Arizona University | $13,009 | $29,881 | $14,158 | 61% | 90% | Public | Flagstaff, AZ |
| International Baptist College and Seminary | $13,800 | $13,800 | $14,660 | 88% | Open admission | Private | Chandler, AZ |
| University of Arizona | $13,926 | $42,278 | $16,674 | 68% | 86% | Public | Tucson, AZ |
| DeVry University-Arizona | $17,408 | $17,408 | Not reported | 67% | Not reported | Private | Phoenix, AZ |
| Grand Canyon University | $17,850 | $17,850 | $22,472 | 43% | 79% | Private | Phoenix, AZ |
| Arizona College-Glendale | $18,835 | $18,835 | $27,919 | 85% | Open admission | Private | Glendale, AZ |
| University of Advancing Technology | $19,365 | $19,365 | $28,522 | 35% | 98% | Private | Tempe, AZ |
| Chamberlain University-Arizona | $20,785 | $20,785 | $40,096 | 50% | 91% | Private | Phoenix, AZ |
| Arizona College of Nursing-Tucson | $24,944 | $24,944 | $37,136 | Not reported | Open admission | Private | Tucson, AZ |
“Open admission” means the college reports an open-admission policy to the federal IPEDS survey (2024-25), or reported admitting every applicant. Programs such as nursing can still have their own entry requirements, so confirm with the college.
What the Arizona cost data shows
- Tohono O'odham Community College has the lowest published in-state tuition on this page at $932 per year. Published tuition is the sticker price and excludes housing, food, books, and fees.
- Median published in-state tuition is $2,358 across the public colleges here and $12,308 across the private ones — a $9,950 difference at sticker price. Private colleges often discount heavily, so compare net price before ruling one out.
- Median average net price is $12,780 across the 37 colleges here that report it. Net price includes housing and other costs, so it can exceed tuition alone.
- 37 of the 40 colleges listed report an average net price, and 38 report a graduation rate. Blank cells mean the institution has not reported that figure to the federal collections — not that the value is zero.
How this list was built
This page lists colleges CampusPin holds for Arizona, sorted by published in-state tuition, lowest first. That sort is the only ranking applied — there is no CampusPin score, no editorial ordering, and no “#1 cheapest” claim.
Published tuition is the sticker price for instruction. Total cost of attendance adds housing, food, books, and fees. Average net price is what students actually paid on average after grant and scholarship aid, reported to federal collections for a prior entering class. Net price is an average across a whole cohort and varies substantially by family income, so treat it as a comparison tool between colleges rather than a prediction of your own bill.
Figures come from the institution’s federal reporting (67 of 67 Arizona institutions report in-state tuition). Always confirm current costs with the college’s financial aid office before making a decision.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the cheapest college in Arizona?
- Of the 40 Arizona colleges on this page, Tohono O'odham Community College in Sells reports the lowest published in-state tuition at $932 per year. That is the sticker price before aid and before housing and food; the college's net price after grants may rank differently.
- Is tuition the same as the total cost of college?
- No. Published tuition covers instruction only. Total cost of attendance adds housing, food, books, transportation, and fees. Net price is what students actually paid on average after grant and scholarship aid was applied, and across the 37 Arizona colleges reporting it here the median is $12,780. Compare all three before deciding a college is or isn't affordable.
- Are public colleges cheaper than private colleges in Arizona?
- At sticker price, yes on this page: median published in-state tuition is $2,358 at the public colleges listed and $12,308 at the private ones. Private colleges typically discount more heavily through institutional grants, so the gap in net price is usually much smaller than the gap in tuition.
- Will I personally pay these amounts at a Arizona college?
- Almost certainly not exactly. Net price varies widely by family income, and the figures here are averages across a previous entering class reported to federal collections. Use them to compare colleges against each other, then run the numbers for your own situation with the net price estimator and confirm with each financial aid office.
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Data sources & methodology
Cost, aid, and outcome figures for Arizona colleges are compiled from federal datasets and each institution's own reporting.
Sources used across this page
Not every source informs every figure. Each data point draws on the source appropriate to it see the relevant section and the data dictionary for field-level provenance.
IPEDS / NCES College Navigator
Federal enrollment, admissions, tuition, retention, and program data. Released annually with a 1–2 year lag.
U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard
Net price by income band, post-graduation earnings, and federal aid context.
Institutional websites
Each school's official admissions, registrar, and financial-aid pages are the authoritative source for current details.
Where a value is unavailable it is shown as unavailable, never as 0, free, or a negative judgment. Always confirm final details with the institution before applying.
Suggested citation
CampusPin. Affordable Colleges in Arizona. Retrieved from https://campuspin.com/affordable-colleges/arizona