Why This Matters

  • THERE ARE 42 ASSOCIATE DEGREE PROGRAMS IN ARIZONA

    College Navigator reports a total of 42 community colleges in Arizona that offer two-year associate degree programs.

  • COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS PAID AN AVERAGE OF $2,600 IN TUITION

    For the 2022-23 academic year, it’s estimated that Arizona in-district community college students paid an average of $2,600 in educational costs.

  • FINANCIAL AID WAS RECEIVED BY 80.6% OF COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS

    The National Center of Education Statistics reports that 452,493 students enrolled in a two-year associate program received financial aid for the 2019-20 school year.

Our Research

This list features some of the best community colleges in Arizona. Each school featured is a nonprofit, accredited institution — either public or private — with a high standard of academic quality for post-secondary institutions. We included small, midsize, and large colleges as well as trade, technical, and vocational programs. Next, we compared this comprehensive list to a list of aggregated college rankings from reputable publications like the U.S. News & World Report among others 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), a reputable organization that examines objectives, quality and overall effectiveness of education programs throughout the United States.

We evaluated each school on tuition costs, admission, retention and graduation rates, faculty, and reputation as well as the student resources provided for students. Then we calculated the Intelligent Score on a scale of 0 to 100. Read more about our ranking methodology.

The Top 50 Community Colleges in Arizona

Best Community Colleges In Arizona Badge 2023
01
Intelligent Pick
Eastern Arizona College
01
Best for Cybersecurity Students
Cochise College
01
Best for Gamers and eSports
Paradise Valley Community College
01
Best for Native Students
Tohono O'Odham Community College
01
Best for Geosciences
South Mountain Community College
01
Best for Aviation Studies
Chandler-Gilbert Community College
01
Best for Health Sciences
Yavapai College
01
Best for the Arts
Scottsdale Community College
01
Best for Online and Hybrid Learning
Estrella Mountain Community College
01
Best for Fast Track Certificates
Glendale Community College
01

GateWay Community College
01

Phoenix College
01

Mesa Community College
01

Pima Community College
01

Central Arizona College
01

Dine College
01

Northland Pioneer College
01

Arizona Western College

What You Should Know About Graduating From Community College in Arizona

If you’re seeking a high-paying job in Arizona that requires only an associate degree, air traffic controller is first on the list. Radiation therapists, nuclear medicine technologists, and diagnostic medical sonographers are also in the top five when it comes to high-paying careers for two-year college graduates.

Researching the number of projected job openings in Arizona can help you choose an associate degree program. Preschool teachers and paralegals are expected to be in high demand between 2021 to 2031, followed by physical therapist assistants and radiologic technologists.

When deciding on a community college program, you may also want to know which associate-level jobs are on the decline in Arizona. Forest and conservation technicians are ranked as having the highest rate of decline. Embalmers and legal support workers are also on the list of fastest-declining jobs.

What’s Next?

Researching financial aid opportunities is an important part of choosing the right community college. We’ve curated a list of federal and state websites where you’ll find valuable information about financial aid opportunities for associate degree students in Arizona.

  • Arizona Commission for Postsecondary Education. This state website contains comprehensive information about understanding and applying for financial aid. Prospective students can learn about state and federal financial aid that’s available, including grants and scholarships.
  • Federal Student Aid. The U.S. Department of Education awards billions in various forms of financial aid each year through the office of Federal Student Aid. Use the FAFSA4caster to determine your eligibility, and fill out the online FAFSA form to apply.
  • CareerOneStop. This website is sponsored by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Here, you can search for financial aid opportunities by state and degree level. Some of the information you can find here includes application deadlines and other requirements, contact information, and aid amounts.