Higher Education Outcome Report · West

🏛️ Public Powerhouse

Arizona Higher Education Outcome Report

Updated continuously · 34 degree-granting institutions graded

Arizona's higher education system is a below-average mobility and lower earnings system. Median 10-year earnings sit at $45,877, -11% vs the national median.

semiconductors & tech
aerospace
healthcare

106
INSTITUTIONS: $45,877
MEDIAN EARNINGS: ▼ -11% vs natl; $23,494
AVG NET PRICE: 29 / 14
PUBLIC / PRIVATE

OUTCOME GRADE

C-

10/100 · #50 of 50

Arizona At A Glance

State-Level Intelligence

Institutions

34

331,489 students enrolled
Graduates / Year

~36,378

Estimated annual completers
Median Earnings
6th pct

$39,393

47th of 50 states
Mobility Score

1.1%

Limited data (under 5 schools)
Talent Retention
12th pct

61%

First-year retention rate
Value Ratio
0th pct

1.7x

Earnings per net-price dollar

Top Industries Hiring Graduates:

Business
Healthcare
Technology

Executive Summary

Arizona graduates earn a median of $39,393 a decade after entry, 19% below the national state average, ranking 47th of 50 states.
Degree production is led by Business and Healthcare, which together account for 56% of graduates. That diversified mix sets what the state's labor pipeline can supply.
Technology is the standout sector: graduates earn $56,251, +9.1% versus the national median. That premium points to a real wage advantage rather than sheer volume.
Education shows oversupply pressure: graduate earnings run 19.1% below the national median, suggesting the field produces more graduates than the local market rewards.
On value, Arizona returns 1.7x earnings per dollar of net price, below average cost-to-outcome efficiency in the country.
The state's strongest mobility engine is Pima Medical Institute-Tucson, which moves bottom-quintile students into the top quintile at a 1.3% rate, the highest in Arizona.

Key Insights

Earnings vs National

-8.6%

Median graduate earnings in Arizona are below the national average by 9%.
Cost vs National

+14.1%

Net price in Arizona is higher than the national average by 14%.
Mobility Rate

+0.2pp

Upward mobility rate is 0.2 percentage points above the national average.
Completion Rate

-5.7pp

Arizona's graduation rate is 5.7 percentage points below the national average.
Best Value

11.7x

Top value school: Pima Community College ($39,810 earnings vs $3,405 net price).
Low-Income Access

18.5%

19% of students come from bottom-quintile households, a measure of how open the state's colleges are to low-income students.

Education Output Profile

Business (36% of graduates) and Healthcare (20% of graduates) dominate Arizona's higher education output. Graduates in the top field earn a weighted average of $45,694.

Business

36%

$45,694 avg
Healthcare

20%

$41,542 avg
Technology

8%

$50,089 avg
Social Sciences

8%

$50,045 avg
Education

6%

$42,756 avg

Concentration: diversified HHI: 19

Outcome Performance

Arizona's highest-ROI degree cluster is Technology (Mathematics & Statistics), where graduates average $48,850 against a net cost of $11,957, a 4.1x return. That's -5.3% vs the national median. At the other end, Health Professions produces $43,041 at a 2.0x return, less than half what the top cluster delivers.

Mathematics & Statistics
4.1x

$48,850 earnings $11,957 net -5.3% vs natl
Legal Studies
3.9x

$61,324 earnings $15,821 net +18.9% vs natl
Physical Sciences
3.2x

$51,225 earnings $15,847 net -0.7% vs natl
Transportation
2.9x

$61,611 earnings $21,061 net +19.5% vs natl
Visual & Performing Arts
2.8x

$47,036 earnings $17,043 net -8.8% vs natl
Computer Science & IT
2.7x

$48,305 earnings $18,190 net -6.3% vs natl

State Talent Profile

Three lenses on Arizona's talent pipeline: which fields produce the most graduates, which command the highest earnings, and where high-pay demand outruns local supply.

Dominant Fields

Business & Marketing 36%
Health Professions 20%
Computer Science & IT 7%
Education 6%
Biology & Biomedical 5%

Highest-Earning Fields

Engineering $71,344
Communications $54,733
Social Sciences $53,185
Biology & Biomedical $52,147
Computer Science & IT $50,401

Opportunity Gaps

High earnings, low local production — fields where demand may outrun Arizona's graduate supply.

Engineering $71,344 4% of grads
Communications $54,733 3% of grads
Social Sciences $53,185 3% of grads

Mobility & Retention

Opportunity Insights

Arizona's colleges post an average mobility rate of 1.1%. 15% of students arrive from bottom-quintile households. Cross-class social connectedness averages 1.32, a proxy for the networks that help graduates convert a degree into mobility.

MOBILITY RATE

1.1%

▼ -0.6pp vs natl

Bottom 20% → Top 20%
LOW-INCOME ACCESS

15%

From bottom quintile
SUCCESS RATE

10%

If bottom 20% enroll
FIRST-GENERATION

47%

First-gen students
TALENT RETENTION

61%

First-year retention
SOCIAL CAPITAL

1.32

Economic connectedness

Mobility Leaders — Institutions Driving Upward Movement

Labor Market Alignment

Arizona's Technology programs produce graduates earning $56,251, +9.1% relative to the national median. Education graduates, however, earn 19.1% below the national median, a possible sign the state produces more of these degrees than its labor market absorbs.

Business
36% of enrollment

$46,478 -9.9% vs natl

14 schools
Healthcare
20% of enrollment

$43,041 -16.5% vs natl

17 schools
Technology
8% of enrollment

$56,251 +9.1% vs natl

5 schools
Social Sciences
8% of enrollment

$52,809 +2.4% vs natl

9 schools
Education
6% of enrollment

$41,740 -19.1% vs natl

9 schools
Sciences
6% of enrollment

$51,566 0% vs natl

5 schools

Overperforming Sectors

Technology: +9.1% vs national earnings ($56,251)

Potential Oversupply Signals

Education: -19.1% vs national — wage pressure suggests oversupply

Healthcare: -16.5% vs national — wage pressure suggests oversupply

Business: -9.9% vs national — wage pressure suggests oversupply

Institutional Landscape

Arizona's higher education system includes 2 research-oriented, 11 specialized, 3 access-oriented, 18 regional institutions. Each group plays a different role in the state's outcomes.

2

Research Universities
18

Regional Universities
3

Access-Oriented Institutions
11

Specialized Institutions

Research Universities

Access-Oriented Institutions

Cost & Access Corridors

33% of Arizona's colleges charge under $15K net. Graduates of those schools average $42,973 at 10 years. At the premium end, 2 schools charge over $40K, with graduates averaging $88,268.

NET PRICE UNDER $15K

8

33% of schools
Avg earnings: $42,973
NET PRICE $15K–$25K

5

21% of schools
Avg earnings: $42,555
NET PRICE $25K–$40K

9

38% of schools
Avg earnings: $42,190
NET PRICE OVER $40K

2

8% of schools
Avg earnings: $88,268

Top Earners

Schools ranked by median graduate earnings 10 years after enrolling.

Higher education in Arizona

Arizona is home to 106 colleges and universities, from 29 public institutions to 14 private nonprofits. Arizona State University Campus Immersion anchors the public system, and graduates across the state earn a median of about $40,078 ten years after enrolling.

Higher education clusters around Phoenix, Tucson and Tempe, and the strongest programs by enrollment are Health Professions, Business & Marketing and Computer Science & IT. We rank every school here by what its graduates actually earn and how far they move up — not by reputation or sticker price.

What college costs in Arizona

The average net price — what students actually pay after grants and scholarships — runs about $20,622 a year across Arizona. Rio Salado College stands out on return: strong graduate earnings against a comparatively low net price. Public universities and in-state tuition remain the clearest path to a low-debt degree, while need-based aid can make selective private schools surprisingly competitive.

Most Affordable Schools

Jobs & industries

Arizona's economy leans on semiconductors & tech, aerospace and healthcare, which shapes which degrees pay off fastest in-state. Programs in Health Professions, Business & Marketing and Computer Science & IT feed directly into those employers, and graduates who stay in-region benefit from established hiring pipelines and alumni networks.

Licensure & transfer

Licensure and articulation are state-specific: nursing, teaching, law, and the health professions are regulated at the Arizona level, so an in-state program is often the most direct route to practicing here. Community-college transfer agreements with public universities can also cut the cost of a four-year degree substantially.

Cost vs Return

What graduates in Arizona earn relative to what they pay for college.

MEDIAN EARNINGS (10YR)

$40,078

▼ $-3,759 vs natl

AVG NET PRICE

$20,622

▼ +$2,546 vs natl

EARNINGS / COST RATIO

1.9x

Return per dollar invested

Best Value Schools

Is Arizona Right for You?

Arizona is a strong fit if you want to build a career in semiconductors & tech and aerospace, value in-state tuition, or plan to work in the region after graduation. Use the rankings and filters below to weigh earnings, cost, and mobility for every school in the state.

Every figure on this page is derived from public federal data and read within its regional and economic context. Information Gain Policy →

Related Rankings

By StateBest Colleges in Arizona By State (Affordable)Most Affordable Colleges in Arizona By StateBest Master's Programs in Arizona By StateBest Online Colleges in Arizona

Top Schools

Chamberlain University-Arizona · AZ Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott · AZ Arizona State University Campus Immersion · AZ Arizona State University Digital Immersion · AZ University of Arizona · AZ Ottawa University-Surprise · AZ

FAQ

How many colleges are in Arizona?

There are 106 colleges and universities in Arizona in our dataset — 29 public, 14 private nonprofit.

What is the highest-earning college in Arizona?

By median graduate earnings 10 years out, Chamberlain University-Arizona leads, followed by schools like Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott and Arizona State University Campus Immersion.

How much does college cost in Arizona?

The average net price — tuition and living costs after grants — is about $20,622 per year. In-state public tuition is typically the lowest-cost path.

What are the best-paying career fields in Arizona?

Arizona's economy is anchored by semiconductors & tech, aerospace and healthcare, so degrees feeding those industries tend to pay off fastest in-state.

Is it worth going to college in Arizona?

For most students, yes — especially at in-state public universities and high-value private schools. Rio Salado College, for example, pairs strong earnings with a low net price. Weigh earnings against net price using the data on this page.

All 106 schools in Arizona

Data Behind This Page Updated 2026

106 institutions in Arizona

2026 Last updated

100% Public / federal sources

Source datasets

Methodology

States are graded on graduate earnings, social mobility, completion, and cost — each drawn from federal data and Opportunity Insights research, then normalized into a single Outcomes Index (0–100).

See the full methodology and weights →

Confidence notes

Earnings, completion, and debt figures come from federal administrative records — tax data and student-aid filings — not surveys or self-reports, the highest-confidence tier of education data available.
Social-mobility estimates are drawn from de-identified tax records covering more than 30 million students (Opportunity Insights).
Where an institution is missing a metric, it is excluded from that metric rather than imputed, so averages are never inflated by guesses.

Limitations

Federal earnings data primarily cover students who received federal financial aid; outcomes for non-aided students may differ.
Earnings are measured roughly ten years after enrollment, so they describe how earlier cohorts fared — historical outcomes, not guarantees of future results.
An institution's field-of-study mix affects raw earnings; scores reflect measured outcomes and are not fully major-adjusted unless explicitly noted.
Net price is an average; the actual cost a given student pays varies widely by family income.

Find My Degree