Public · Community college

Paradise Valley Community College

Phoenix, Arizona · Large city

25%
Transfer rate
$12,180
Avg net price
19%
Grad / completion
$47,196
Median earnings

Paradise Valley Community College is a public certificate-granting institution in Phoenix, Arizona (large city setting), enrolling 5,117 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicMidsize · 5,117 undergradsLarge cityOther

About Phoenix, Arizona

Phoenix is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. The Hohokam people occupied the Phoenix area for 2,000 years. The Phoenix Symphony Hall is home to the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra, the Arizona Opera and Ballet Arizona. The Arizona Opera company also has intimate performances at its new Arizona Opera Center, which opened in March 2013. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large city
Highest degree offered
Associate
Nearest big city
15 miles to Phoenix, AZ
To the ocean
177 miles
Nearest airport
15 miles to Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX) · major hub

How Paradise Valley Community College compares

Graduation rate19%

Higher than 4% · #64 of 72 in Arizona

Earnings, 10 years after entry$47,196

Higher than 87% · #7 of 61 in Arizona

Average net price$12,180

Cheaper than 61% · #17 cheapest of 70 in Arizona

Median debt at graduation$6,995

Lower than 84%

Student–faculty ratio14 : 1

Lower than 62%

Undergraduate enrollment5,117

Larger than 91%

Percentiles compare Paradise Valley 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

5,117undergrads
  • Women3,04459%
  • Men2,07341%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White51%
  • Black4.1%
  • Hispanic31%
  • Asian3.5%
  • Other or multiracial11%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
5,117
Student–faculty ratio
14 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
18%
First-generation students
47%
Students over 25
35%
Median family income
$22,686
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$96,570

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 868 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Arizona99%
  • Other U.S. states1.4%

Most first-years stay in state — Paradise Valley 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
$18,375
Average net price
$12,180

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
19%
First-year retention
Transferred to another college
25%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$41,597
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$47,196
Median debt at graduation
$6,995
Students with federal loans
7%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
30%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
19%
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
Other
Varsity athletes
190 (117 men · 73 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 (7)

Soccer50
Track and Field (Outdoor)44
Baseball37
Cross Country18
Softball17
Golf15
Tennis9

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)
0
Property offenses (2022–2024)
1

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (6,148 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.

0.3reported offenses a year
0 violent a year0.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
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
$10,823
$30–48k
$12,187
$48–75k
$12,527
$75–110k
$15,318
$110k+
$18,165

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.

33%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$1,769
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 33% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,769. 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 570 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)
$47,196
Typical debt at graduation
$6,995
Debt vs. one year's pay
15%
Out-earn a HS grad
54%

Typical debt would take roughly 1.5 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
$44,719
Men
$50,136

Men out-earn women by $5,417 (12%) 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
104°F
Winter low
43°F
Annual rain
8.9″

Average temperature

HighLow
30°70°110°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.00.61.2JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Phoenix Deer Valley Muni AP, AZ US station (4.8 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 Paradise Valley Community College

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

Colleges near Paradise Valley 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.