Most Affordable Community Colleges in Arizona
Two-year colleges, ranked by what students actually pay after aid. These are usually the cheapest route to the first two years of a degree, and credits often transfer to a four-year school.
21 community colleges in Arizona are listed here, 21 of them reporting a net price. They run from $3,405 a year at Pima Community College to $31,681 at Arizona College of Nursing-Tempe, with a middle of about $12,055.
The cheapest are Pima Community College, Central Arizona College and Mohave Community College. A low average is not a low bill for everyone — aid depends on your family's income — but it is where to start.
Community colleges in Arizona, cheapest first · 21
Average net price per year after grants and scholarships, with the share of students on federal Pell grants where reported. Schools publishing no net price are listed last.
- Pima Community College
- Central Arizona College
- Mohave Community College
- Cochise County Community College District
- Rio Salado College
- Yavapai College
- Arizona Western College
- Eastern Arizona College
- Northland Pioneer College
- Glendale Community College
- Phoenix College
- Mesa Community College
- Paradise Valley Community College
- Estrella Mountain Community College
- Chandler-Gilbert Community College
- South Mountain Community College
- Scottsdale Community College
- GateWay Community College
- Coconino Community College
- Community Christian College
- Arizona College of Nursing-Tempe
Questions families ask
- What is the most affordable community college in Arizona?
- By average net price — what students actually pay per year after grants and scholarships — it is Pima Community College at about $3,405 a year. That is an average across all students there; your own cost depends on your family's income, so check the school's net price calculator.
- What is the difference between sticker price and net price?
- Sticker price is the published tuition before any aid. Net price is what students actually pay after grants and scholarships are subtracted — not loans, which you pay back. Net price is usually far lower, and at expensive private colleges the gap can be tens of thousands a year, which is why every figure on this page is net price rather than tuition.
- How much do community colleges in Arizona cost on average?
- Across the 21 community colleges in Arizona that report a figure, the middle of the range is about $12,055 a year after aid, running from $3,405 to $31,681.
- What does the Pell grant percentage mean?
- It is the share of undergraduates at that school receiving a federal Pell grant — need-based aid that does not have to be repaid. A higher share usually means the school enrols more students from lower-income families. Across the community colleges listed here it runs from 7% to 90%, with a middle of about 27%. It is the only aid figure the Department of Education publishes per school, so it is the only one shown.
Which of these actually fits you?
A list is a starting point, not an answer. Two minutes of questions gives you a shortlist ranked on cost, academics, size and location — with the reaches labelled honestly.
Find your match — free