Public · Community college

Mesa Community College

Mesa, Arizona · Large city

21%
Transfer rate
$12,132
Avg net price
16%
Grad / completion
$44,034
Median earnings

Mesa Community College is a public certificate-granting institution in Mesa, Arizona (large city setting), enrolling 14,460 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicMidsize · 14,460 undergradsLarge cityNJCAA Division II

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
12 miles to Phoenix, AZ
To the ocean
166 miles
Nearest airport
8 miles to Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX) · major hub

How Mesa Community College compares

Graduation rate16%

Higher than 2% · #68 of 72 in Arizona

Earnings, 10 years after entry$44,034

Higher than 81% · #11 of 61 in Arizona

Average net price$12,132

Cheaper than 62% · #16 cheapest of 70 in Arizona

Median debt at graduation$7,473

Lower than 80%

Student–faculty ratio18 : 1

Lower than 39%

Undergraduate enrollment14,460

Larger than 98%

Percentiles compare Mesa Community College 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

14,460undergrads
  • Women7,88555%
  • Men6,57545%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White42%
  • Black6.0%
  • Hispanic35%
  • Asian4.0%
  • Other or multiracial12%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
14,460
Student–faculty ratio
18 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
21%
First-generation students
46%
Students over 25
34%
Median family income
$22,608
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$96,273

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 2,332 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Arizona97%
  • Other U.S. states3.1%

Most first-years stay in state — Mesa Community College draws overwhelmingly from Arizona.

Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Cost

In-state tuition
$2,358
Out-of-state tuition
$8,958
Room & board
Books & supplies
$1,104
Total cost of attendance
$18,194
Average net price
$12,132

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
16%
First-year retention
Transferred to another college
21%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$38,702
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$44,034
Median debt at graduation
$7,473
Students with federal loans
7%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
28%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
16%
Low-income (Pell)
4%
First-generation
5%

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
Athletics
NJCAA Division II
Varsity athletes
326 (185 men · 141 women)

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%.

Varsity sports (11)

Soccer58
Track and Field (Outdoor)55
Track and Field (Indoor)51
Baseball36
Basketball31
Cross Country24
Volleyball16
Beach Volleyball15
Golf14
Softball13
Tennis13

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.1 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
3
Property offenses (2022–2024)
4

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 3 campuses (17,077 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.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

2.3reported offenses a year
1.0 violent a year1.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
1.0
Rape
0.3
Fondling
0.3
Aggravated assault
0.3
Motor vehicle theft
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

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.

< $30k
$10,838
$30–48k
$11,619
$48–75k
$13,211
$75–110k
$15,063
$110k+
$18,140

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?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

37%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$1,511
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 37% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,511. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 1,228 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$44,034
Typical debt at graduation
$7,473
Debt vs. one year's pay
17%
Out-earn a HS grad
54%

Typical debt would take roughly 1.7 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

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.

Women
$40,029
Men
$48,541

Men out-earn women by $8,512 (21%) 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

HighLow
30°70°110°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.00.71.3JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Tempe Asu, AZ US station (3.8 mi from campus).

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 Mesa Community College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Mesa Community College side by side →

Colleges near Mesa Community College

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.