Your Student at Maricopa Community Colleges
Welcome and thank you for your interest in enrolling your student at one of our Maricopa Community Colleges. They are taking the next big step in their life, and naturally, you have questions and concerns. And we’re here to help answer them and put your mind at ease.
Why Should My Student Attend a Maricopa Community College?
Our classes are affordable.
You could save tens of thousands of dollars when you compare what it would cost your student to attend an in-state university for two years — and even more when you consider what it would cost to attend school out of state.
We provide an excellent education.
Many of our faculty work in their field of specialty and teach part-time because of their passion for the subject. Universities tend to rely on grad students who lack practical experience to teach lower-division classes.
We provide flexibility.
Attending community college is a great low-cost option for students starting out their education. We offer convenient, flexible scheduling and tuition that is calculated by the credit hour, which is cost-effective if your student will be attending part time.
We educate the workforce.
Our partnerships with local businesses and our hundreds of career-focused degree and certificate programs, create a natural pipeline for skilled workers to enter local industries. Our training also helps workers boost their career opportunities.
We’re close to home.
Starting college can be stressful. With ten colleges located Valleywide, your student can choose to attend a campus near to your home to have access to immediate family support.
We have a proven track record.
Studies show that high school graduates who attend community college before transferring to a university have a higher success rate than students who go straight to university.
We offer smaller class sizes.
Your student will receive more individual attention from our instructors and won’t become a nameless face in the crowd, unlike at other schools that fill auditorium classes with hundreds of students.
What Options are There for Paying Tuition?
We have several convenient options for paying your student’s tuition:
- Pay in person, online, or by phone
- Enroll in an affordable, monthly payment plan
- Use scholarship awards, including our own President’s Honors Scholarship
- Use financial aid, including grants, loans, and federal work-study
Are There Career Resources Available?
Yes! Our Career Services department can work with your student to find the right career path and help them plan their education to achieve their career goals. And as well as helping students cope with stress and change, our Counseling and Development offices can help with career goals.
Additional Questions
As a two-year college system, we offer various associate degrees. We also offer certificates of completion that prove that a student completed education or training in a specific field or area of study and has skills that employers in a particular industry will find desirable. And, as of 2024, we offer bachelor's degrees so you can complete your education with us!
These are long-standing myths. Our colleges offer high-quality courses comparable to the ones your student would take during their first two years at a four-year university and require a similar effort. Each of the colleges in our system receives its accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.
At Maricopa Community Colleges, we take pride in the high quality of our instructors who either have an advanced degree or a bachelor’s or an associate degree and meet a minimum requirement for the number of years of work experience they have in their field.
We have agreements with many institutions, so transferring to a four-year university is easy. As soon as your student makes the decision to transfer, they should talk to an advisor at the Academic Advisement department at their college.
Our colleges now use multiple options to determine course placement and only require a placement test if the student is unable to submit one of the following:
- High school transcript within the past 10 years
- SAT or ACT score
- GED score
- EdReady assessment results
While we don’t provide on-campus housing, there are plenty of options for accommodations in the surrounding communities not far from our campuses.
Sure! There are a number of clubs and organizations at each of our colleges that will give your student the opportunity to learn skills, build their resume, meet people, and just have fun.