Private for-profit · Community college
Carrington College-Mesa
Mesa, Arizona · Large city
- 0%
- Transfer rate
- $48,877
- Avg net price
- 54%
- Grad / completion
- $36,718
- Median earnings
Carrington College-Mesa is a private for-profit certificate-granting institution in Mesa, Arizona (large city setting), enrolling 528 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.
About Mesa, Arizona
Mesa is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. The history of Mesa dates back at least 2,000 years to the arrival of the Hohokam culture. The Hohokam built the original canal system. The canals were the largest and most sophisticated in the prehistoric New World. Mesa has over 2,280 acres of parkland in the city limits. Its largest is Red Mountain Park which spans 1,146 acres. It includes a lake, playgrounds, a basketball court and a cement volleyball court. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Large city
- Highest degree offered
- Associate
- Nearest big city
- 13 miles to Phoenix, AZ
- To the ocean
- 166 miles
- Nearest airport
- 9 miles to Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX) · major hub
How Carrington College-Mesa compares
Higher than 41% · #37 of 72 in Arizona
Higher than 61%
Higher than 55% · #33 of 61 in Arizona
Cheaper than 1% · #70 cheapest of 70 in Arizona
Lower than 57%
Lower than 73%
Larger than 63%
Percentiles compare Carrington College-Mesa with the nation's 3,519 two-year and certificate schools, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count two-year and certificate schools in Arizona.
Student body
Undergraduates by gender
- Women43482%
- Men9418%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White25%
- Black9.5%
- Hispanic42%
- Asian2.3%
- Other or multiracial21%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 528
- Student–faculty ratio
- 12 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 52%
- First-generation students
- 55%
- Students over 25
- 54%
- Median family income
- $16,832
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $62,532
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Cost
- In-state tuition
- —
- Room & board
- —
- Total cost of attendance
- —
- Average net price
- $48,877
Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.
Outcomes
- Graduated
- 54%
- First-year retention
- 79%
- Transferred to another college
- 0%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $34,062
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $36,718
- Median debt at graduation
- $9,500
- Students with federal loans
- 66%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 29%
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- No
- Application fee
- Free
Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- A
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 0.0 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (528 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.
What you'll actually pay, by family income
Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.
College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.
Does the school pay you to attend?
Carrington College-Mesa funds essentially no grants of its own — almost all aid here comes from federal (Pell), state, or outside sources rather than the school's own discount. Its sticker price is what it is.
Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid, 2022–23 full-time first-year undergraduates.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $36,718
- Typical debt at graduation
- $9,500
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 26%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 44%
Typical debt would take roughly 2.6 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.
Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.
The pay gap here
Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.
Men out-earn women by $5,797 (16%) a decade out.
Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.
Campus climate
- Summer high
- 106°F
- Winter low
- 38°F
- Annual rain
- 8.8″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Tempe Asu, AZ US station (4.6 mi from campus).
What Carrington College-Mesa graduates study — and earn
Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.
Colleges similar to Carrington College-Mesa
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Carrington College-Mesa side by side →
Carrington College-Tucson
Tucson, Arizona · Large city · 1 mi to Tucson
- Students
- 517
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $37k
Arizona College-Glendale
Glendale, Arizona · Large suburb · 9 mi to Phoenix
- Students
- 403
- Tuition
- $19k
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $35k
UEI College-Mesa
Mesa, Arizona · Large city · 13 mi to Phoenix
- Students
- 657
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $31k
Southwest Institute of Healing Arts
Tempe, Arizona · Midsize city · 10 mi to Phoenix
- Students
- 534
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $30k
Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences
Tempe, Arizona · Midsize city · 11 mi to Phoenix
- Students
- 692
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $37k
Penrose Academy
Scottsdale, Arizona · Large city · 14 mi to Phoenix
- Students
- 403
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 1%
- Earnings
- $36k
Colleges near Carrington College-Mesa
UEI College-Mesa
Mesa, AZ · Private for-profit · Certificate · 657 students
Mesa Community College
Mesa, AZ · Public · Certificate · 14,460 students
Avalon Institute-Mesa
Mesa, AZ · Private for-profit · Certificate · 298 students
Pima Medical Institute-Mesa
Mesa, AZ · Private for-profit · Associate · 705 students
East Valley Institute of Technology
Mesa, AZ · Public · Certificate · 377 students
Arizona School of Integrative Studies
Mesa, AZ · Private for-profit · Certificate · 155 students
Arizona College-Mesa
Mesa, AZ · Private for-profit · Certificate · 140 students
Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences
Tempe, AZ · Private for-profit · Certificate · 692 students
Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.