Most Affordable Public Universities in Arizona
State-run four-year universities, ranked by net price after aid. In-state students usually pay far less than the published out-of-state rate.
6 public universities in Arizona are listed here, 6 of them reporting a net price. They run from $4,233 a year at Tohono O'odham Community College to $31,266 at The University of Arizona Global Campus, with a middle of about $14,967.
The cheapest are Tohono O'odham Community College, Dine College and Northern Arizona University. A low average is not a low bill for everyone — aid depends on your family's income — but it is where to start.
Public universities in Arizona, cheapest first · 6
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.
- Tohono O'odham Community College
- Dine College
- Northern Arizona University
- Arizona State University Campus Immersion
- University of Arizona
- The University of Arizona Global Campus
Questions families ask
- What is the most affordable public university in Arizona?
- By average net price — what students actually pay per year after grants and scholarships — it is Tohono O'odham Community College at about $4,233 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 public universities in Arizona cost on average?
- Across the 6 public universities in Arizona that report a figure, the middle of the range is about $14,967 a year after aid, running from $4,233 to $31,266.
- 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 public universities listed here it runs from 26% to 43%, with a middle of about 31%. 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