Why This Matters
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31 FOUR-YEAR COLLEGES IN ARIZONA
According to College Navigator, the four-year colleges in Arizona include 18 public and 13 private non-profit options.
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$12,183 AVERAGE IN-STATE TUITION & FEES
For the 2022-23 school year, the average in-state tuition for public four-year colleges in Arizona is $12,183, according to College Board.
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$15,330 AVERAGE FINANCIAL AID
In the U.S., full-time undergraduate students attending college in 2021-22 received an average of $15,330 per year in financial aid.
Our Research
This list features some of the best brick-and-mortar colleges in Arizona. Each school featured is a nonprofit, accredited institution — either public or private — with a high standard of academic quality. We included liberal arts colleges and research universities as well as small, midsize, and large institutions. Next, we compared this comprehensive list to a list of aggregated college rankings from reputable publications, such as U.S. News & World Report, to simplify a student’s college search. We pored through these rankings so students don’t have to.
The colleges on our list are accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) — this organization examines the objectives, quality, and overall effectiveness of postsecondary education programs in the central United States.
We evaluated each school on tuition costs, admission standards, retention and graduation rates, faculty, and reputation as well as the resources and services provided for on-campus students. Then, we used this information to calculate the Intelligent Score on a scale of 0 to 100. Read more about our ranking methodology.
Online College Programs That Might Interest You
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
The Top 50 Colleges in Arizona

What You Should Know About Graduating From College in Arizona
If you’re still undecided on your major, you should consider the jobs with the most career potential in the state. As of May 2022, the five Arizona industries with the highest number of employees are office and administrative support occupations, food preparation and serving, transportation and material moving, sales, and management.
The five fastest-growing fields in Arizona for those with bachelor’s degrees are medical and health services managers; substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors; information security analysts; data scientists; and interpreters and translators.
You should also become familiar with the top employers in Arizona so that you’ll have a good starting point for your job search. These include the University of Arizona, Raytheon, Mesa Public Schools, General Dynamics, and HonorHealth Scottsdale Shea Medical Center.
What’s Next?
Financial aid is an important aspect of researching colleges in Arizona. Below, we have listed some resources for both federal and state aid that includes information about grants and scholarships as well as other types of financial assistance.
- Arizona Commission for Postsecondary Education. This site includes information about Arizona colleges and financial aid as well as helpful links to financial aid websites, such as the Arizona Grants Portal.
- Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Provided by the U.S. Department of Education, FAFSA is the main form students use to apply for financial aid for college. To determine if you’re eligible for aid, submit a completed FAFSA form online.
- CareerOneStop Scholarship Finder. This tool will show you available scholarships, grants, and loans and can be filtered by state and degree type. It includes information such as dollar amounts, how to apply, qualifications, deadlines, and contact details.