According to the 2017 Distance Education State Almanac, more than 383,000 students enroll in online college schools in Arizona, with the number of online students growing 72.2% between 2012 and 2015. In 2015, Grand Canyon University served as the top school in the state for distance enrollment. Arizona's many public universities also boast high online enrollment, including Arizona State University, the University of Arizona, and Northern Arizona University. Graduates from accredited online colleges in Arizona pursue careers in education, healthcare, business, and all other sectors of the Arizona economy.
This article ranks the best online colleges in Arizona. It also assesses the state of online learning in Arizona, explains tuition discount opportunities, and provides job outlook statistics for Arizona college graduates. Students attending the best online colleges in Arizona can also benefit from the list of scholarships available to online students.
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Overview of Online Colleges in Arizona
A Brief Overview of Higher Education in Arizona
Prospective Arizona college students benefit from the state's variety of colleges and universities. Arizona counts 86 degree-granting institutions within its borders, including 30 two-year and four-year public colleges and universities, according to the National Center for Educational Statistics. College students also attend the state's 13 private, nonprofit schools and 43 for-profit institutions. In 2016, 608,084 students attended a college or university in Arizona, with over half that number taking at least one online course, according to the 2017 Distance Education State Almanac.[dataviz-stats public="30" non-profit="13" for-profit="43"]Tuition rates at Arizona institutions vary depending on the type of school and the degree level. The College Board reports that Arizona community colleges offer some of the lowest tuition rates in the country, with an average rate of $2,580 a year in 2018-19. Arizona's four-year public institutions charge an average tuition rate of $11,540, with the University of Arizona charging an in-state tuition rate of $12,487 in 2018-19. By comparison, out-of-state students at the University of Arizona pay $36,386 per year in tuition. Private schools typically charge higher tuition rates than out-of-state public institutions.Arizona college students fund their degrees with a mix of savings, loans, and scholarships. The state offers grant aid to students with financial need, according to the National Association of State Student Grant and Aid Programs. For example, the Arizona Financial Aid Trust awarded over $20 million in need-based grants in 2015-16. In total, Arizona students received nearly $23 million in grants to support their education that year.
Higher Education in Arizona
Featured Online Programs
The State of Online Higher Education in Arizona
According to the 2017 Distance Education State Almanac, Arizona's robust online higher education offerings serve more than half of the enrolled students at Arizona institutions. In Arizona, 383,700 students took at least one online course, representing 59.1% of all students and vastly exceeding the national average of 29.7%. Just under 300,000 of these students complete all of their college classes online. Of that number, 221,670 enroll as undergraduates and 77,550 enroll as graduate students. Arizona's fully online students represent 46.1% of all college students enrolled across the state, much higher than the national average of 14.3%. Only 20.5% of fully online students live in Arizona, with the remainder enrolling from out of state.[dataviz-nces online="46.1" undergrad="73.8" in-state="20.5"]The Arizona Commission for Postsecondary Education works to expand access to higher education in the state. As part of that mission, the commission helps college students pay for college by offering savings plans and granting more than $2.4 million each year for college students attending an Arizona institution of higher learning.
Tuition Breaks for Out-of-State Students
Many of the best online colleges in Arizona offer tuition discounts for the state's many out-of-state college students. These discounts can include lower tuition rates, or even in-state tuition rates, for fully online students or for students from qualifying states. For example, the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) helps lower costs by allowing out-of-state students from 16 member states and territories to attend Arizona schools at discounted tuition rates.WICHE member states include Arizona, Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. During the 2017-18 academic year, over 40,000 students participated in WICHE's Western Undergraduate Exchange, saving over $365 million on out-of-state tuition. The program caps out-of-state tuition rates at no more than 150% of in-state tuition.In addition, WICHE offers the Internet Course Exchange to increase student access to online courses offered by other institutions within the exchange program. The exchange program makes it easier for students enrolled in accredited online colleges in Arizona to take online classes from other WICHE member institutions.
Best Online Colleges in Arizona
Below, you will find our rankings of the best online four-year programs in Arizona. Our profiles look at how schools approach online education and then list out their services for distance students and their popular, fully online degrees. After reviewing the best online schools in Arizona, explore our state resources, like a database of every college and university in Arizona or our index of popular in-state scholarships.
Ranking Methodology
To determine the best online colleges in each state, we examined the factors most important to prospective students: Academic quality and reputation, online program strength, and cost and student aid. At the most basic level, we use the following formula to determine the best online colleges: Academic Quality + Online Offerings + Cost and Student Aid = Final Score. Of course, there's more to these calculations than meets the eye. Visit our methodology page to discover the data points that shape our formula and to learn more about the process we use to rank schools.
Most Affordable Online Colleges in Arizona
Below you'll find the online schools in Arizona sorted by lowest tuition rate.
Affordability Methodology
Our list of the most affordable online schools in AZ is based on in-state yearly tuition, or annual tuition rates if a school does not differentiate between in-state and out-of-state students. Tuition rates are based on a full course load each semester or term. All colleges on the list offer at least one bachelor's degree completion program available entirely online.Those institutions with the lowest tuition are ranked highest, providing prospective students with a true list of the most affordable online colleges in their state.
College Graduate Outlook in Arizona
Job Outlook for College Graduates in Arizona
In Arizona, college graduates join a strong economy that employs over 2.7 million workers, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Those employees earn a mean annual wage of $48,160 across all sectors in the state, and typically college graduates earn higher salaries than those without a college degree. Earning a college degree also makes professionals more competitive in the job market and leads to lower unemployment rates. As a study conducted by Georgetown University found, college graduates make $1 million more in wages during their lifespan than those without a college degree.In September 2018, the BLS reported a 4.6% unemployment rate in Arizona, slightly above the national average. Research shows that college graduates benefit from a lower unemployment rate than average. For example, the BLS reported in May 2018 that the national unemployment rate stood at 3.9% while the unemployment rate for professionals with a college degree stood at 2.1%.Arizona boasts several strong industries, including aerospace, business and financial services, technology, and healthcare. Within these sectors, college graduates work as sales representatives, managers, software developers, and registered nurses. Many of these jobs offer above-average salaries. Registered nurses, for example, earn an average salary of over $75,000 in Arizona, while management occupations average six-figure salaries.