Private for-profit · Community college
Penrose Academy
Scottsdale, Arizona · Large city
- 1%
- Transfer rate
- $22,586
- Avg net price
- 90%
- Grad / completion
- $35,839
- Median earnings
Penrose Academy is a private for-profit certificate-granting institution in Scottsdale, Arizona (large city setting), enrolling 403 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.
About Scottsdale, Arizona
Scottsdale is a city in eastern Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, and is part of the Phoenix metropolitan area. Scottsdale was originally an Akimel O'odham village known as Vaṣai S-vaṣonĭ, meaning 'rotting hay'. Some Akimel O'odham remain there today. Until the late 1960s, there was a still-occupied traditional dwelling on the southeast corner of Indian Bend Road and Hayden Road. The highest concentrations of galleries, studios and museums that are open to the public are in Downtown Scottsdale. Its Scottsdale Arts District can be segmented into three distinct districts. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Large city
- Highest degree offered
- Certificate
- Nearest big city
- 14 miles to Phoenix, AZ
- To the ocean
- 177 miles
- Nearest airport
- 13 miles to Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX) · major hub
How Penrose Academy compares
Higher than 89% · #4 of 72 in Arizona
Higher than 78%
Higher than 52% · #36 of 61 in Arizona
Cheaper than 24% · #49 cheapest of 70 in Arizona
Lower than 90%
Lower than 56%
Larger than 59%
Percentiles compare Penrose Academy 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
- Women38896%
- Men154%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White58%
- Black1.5%
- Hispanic14%
- Asian1.0%
- Other or multiracial25%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 403
- Student–faculty ratio
- 15 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 21%
- First-generation students
- 42%
- Students over 25
- 29%
- Median family income
- $32,968
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
- $22,586
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
- 90%
- First-year retention
- 88%
- Transferred to another college
- 1%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $32,256
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $35,839
- Median debt at graduation
- $6,333
- Students with federal loans
- 36%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 54%
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- No
- Application fee
- $100
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 (403 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?
Penrose Academy 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)
- $35,839
- Typical debt at graduation
- $6,333
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 18%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- —
Typical debt would take roughly 1.8 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
Graduates here tend to earn well relative to what they borrow — typical debt pays back fast, and most out-earn a high-school graduate.
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.
Campus climate
- Summer high
- 104°F
- Winter low
- 42°F
- Annual rain
- 8.7″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Scottsdale Muni AP, AZ US station (1.4 mi from campus).
What Penrose Academy 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 Penrose Academy
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Penrose Academy side by side →
Arizona College-Glendale
Glendale, Arizona · Large suburb · 9 mi to Phoenix
- Students
- 403
- Tuition
- $19k
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $35k
Pima Medical Institute-East Valley
Mesa, Arizona · Large city · 23 mi to Phoenix
- Students
- 306
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $39k
Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences
Tempe, Arizona · Midsize city · 11 mi to Phoenix
- Students
- 692
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $37k
Pima Medical Institute-Mesa
Mesa, Arizona · Large city · 12 mi to Phoenix
- Students
- 705
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $39k
Carrington College-Tucson
Tucson, Arizona · Large city · 1 mi to Tucson
- Students
- 517
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $37k
Avalon Institute-Mesa
Mesa, Arizona · Large city · 13 mi to Phoenix
- Students
- 298
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $31k
Colleges near Penrose Academy
Phoenix Seminary
Scottsdale, AZ · Private nonprofit · Graduate
Paradise Valley Community College
Phoenix, AZ · Public · Certificate · 5,117 students
Arizona Culinary Institute
Scottsdale, AZ · Private for-profit · Certificate · 149 students
The School of Architecture
Scottsdale, AZ · Private nonprofit · Graduate
Scottsdale Community College
Scottsdale, AZ · Public · Certificate · 5,377 students
Avalon Institute-Phoenix
Phoenix, AZ · Private for-profit · Certificate · 219 students
Xtylo Beauty and Barber College
Phoenix, AZ · Private for-profit · Certificate · 57 students
Phoenix Institute of Herbal Medicine & Acupuncture
Phoenix, AZ · Private for-profit · Graduate
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.