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Why This Matters

  • THERE ARE 43 INSTITUTIONS WITH ASSOCIATE DEGREE PROGRAMS IN ARIZONA

    College Navigator reports a total of 43 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.

  • 80.6% OF COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS RECEIVE FINANCIAL AID

    The National Center for Education Statistics estimates that 370,718 students attending two-year institutions during the 2020-21 school year received some type of financial aid.

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.

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 Community Colleges in Arizona

Best Community Colleges In Arizona Badge
01

Eastern Arizona College
01

Cochise County Community College District
01

Paradise Valley Community College
01

Tohono O'Odham Community College
01

Phoenix College
01

GateWay Community College
01

South Mountain Community College
01

Glendale Community College
01

Mesa Community College
01

Scottsdale Community College
01

Yavapai College
01

Chandler-Gilbert Community College
01

Estrella Mountain Community College
01

Pima Community College
01

Diné College
01

Central Arizona College
01

Arizona Western College
01

Rio Salado College
01

Coconino County Community College
01

Northland Pioneer College
01

Mohave Community College

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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.

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