Public · Community college

Rio Salado College

Tempe, Arizona · Midsize city

16%
Transfer rate: $8,341
Avg net price: 9%
Grad / completion: $41,015
Median earnings

Rio Salado College is a public certificate-granting institution in Tempe, Arizona (midsize city setting), enrolling 11,668 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicMidsize · 11,668 undergradsMidsize city

About Tempe, Arizona

Tempe is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. Fort McDowell was established approximately 25 mi (40 km) northeast of present downtown Tempe on the upper Salt River in 1865 allowing for new towns to be built farther down the Salt River. Opened in September 2007, Tempe Center for the Arts is a community crown jewel for performing and visual arts. (Wikipedia)

Setting: Midsize city
Highest degree offered: Associate
Nearest big city: 6 miles to Phoenix, AZ
To the ocean: 164 miles
Nearest airport: 2 miles to Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX) · major hub

How Rio Salado College compares

Graduation rate9%

Higher than 1% · #72 of 72 in Arizona

Earnings, 10 years after entry$41,015

Higher than 72% · #15 of 61 in Arizona

Average net price$8,341

Cheaper than 77% · #7 cheapest of 70 in Arizona

Median debt at graduation$9,500

Lower than 57%

Student–faculty ratio31 : 1

Lower than 4%

Undergraduate enrollment11,668

Larger than 97%

Percentiles compare Rio Salado 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

Women7,88468%
Men3,78432%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White47%
Black8.6%
Hispanic29%
Asian4.0%
Other or multiracial11%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 11,668
Student–faculty ratio: 31 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 7%
First-generation students: 47%
Students over 25: 30%
Median family income: $21,808
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $65,970

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 1,157 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

From Arizona58%
Other U.S. states38%
International4.0%

A regional draw: about 57% of first-years come from Arizona, the rest from elsewhere.

4% came from outside the U.S. 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: $13,425
Average net price: $8,341

Outcomes

Graduated: 9%
First-year retention: —
Transferred to another college: 16%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $42,314
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $41,015
Median debt at graduation: $9,500
Students with federal loans: 4%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 17%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students

Low-income (Pell)

First-generation

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

Campus safety

Safety grade: A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students: 0.1 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024): 0
Property offenses (2022–2024): 4

Reported offenses in an average year

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

1.3reported offenses a year

0 violent a year1.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary

1.3

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

$6,800

$30–48k

$10,182

$48–75k

$9,356

$75–110k

$10,871

$110k+

$13,425

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.

of first-years get a grant from the school

$1,217

average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 7% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,217. 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 162 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): $41,015
Typical debt at graduation: $9,500
Debt vs. one year's pay: 23%
Out-earn a HS grad: 57%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.3 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

$38,638

Men

$47,742

Men out-earn women by $9,104 (24%) 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: 45°F
Annual rain: 7.2″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Phoenix Sky Harbor Intl AP, AZ US station (2 mi from campus).

What Rio Salado College graduates study — and earn

Business Operations Support and Assistant ServicesCert.

1,062 grads— 1 yr$48k 5 yr— debt

1,062—$48,475—Criminal Justice and CorrectionsCert.

1,031 grads$51k 1 yr$57k 5 yr$12k debt

1,031$51,384$56,820$11,500 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssoc.

428 grads— 1 yr$56k 5 yr$17k debt

428—$55,835$16,750 Fine and Studio ArtsCert.

346 grads— 1 yr$58k 5 yr— debt

346—$58,091—Mental and Social Health Services and Allied ProfessionsCert.

135 grads— 1 yr$38k 5 yr— debt

135—$38,341—Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, OtherCert.

124 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

124———Plumbing and Related Water Supply ServicesCert.

83 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

83———Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsCert.

80 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

80———Electrical and Power Transmission InstallersCert.

71 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

71———Finance and Financial Management ServicesCert.

65 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

65———Criminal Justice and CorrectionsAssoc.

55 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

55———Entrepreneurial and Small Business OperationsCert.

53 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

53———

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 Rio Salado College

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

Glendale Community College

Public

Glendale, Arizona · Large suburb · 11 mi to Phoenix

Students: 11,975
Tuition: $2k
Transfer: 20%
Earnings: $43k

Phoenix College

Public

Phoenix, Arizona · Large city · 2 mi to Phoenix

Students: 8,555
Tuition: $2k
Transfer: 23%
Earnings: $41k

Mesa Community College

Public

Mesa, Arizona · Large city · 12 mi to Phoenix

Students: 14,460
Tuition: $2k
Transfer: 21%
Earnings: $44k

Arizona Western College

Public

Yuma, Arizona · Midsize city · 150 mi to Phoenix

Students: 6,374
Tuition: $3k
Transfer: 9%
Earnings: $37k

Yavapai College

Public

Prescott, Arizona · Small city · 79 mi to Phoenix

Students: 3,988
Tuition: $3k
Transfer: 20%
Earnings: $40k

Metropolitan Community College-Kansas City

Public

Kansas City, Missouri · Large city · 2 mi to Kansas City

Students: 10,649
Tuition: $4k
Transfer: 15%
Earnings: $41k

Colleges near Rio Salado College

Brookline College-Tempe

Tempe, AZ · Private for-profit · Associate · 282 students

1 mi

Arizona College of Nursing-Tempe

Tempe, AZ · Private for-profit · Bachelor's · 1,202 students

1 mi

Aviation Institute of Maintenance-Phoenix

Phoenix, AZ · Private for-profit · Certificate · 105 students

2 mi

University of Phoenix-Arizona

Phoenix, AZ · Private for-profit · Bachelor's · 85,991 students

2 mi

Arizona State University Campus Immersion

Tempe, AZ · Public · Bachelor's · 64,674 students

2 mi

Bryan University

Tempe, AZ · Private for-profit · Certificate · 2,506 students

2 mi

University of Advancing Technology

Tempe, AZ · Private for-profit · Associate · 855 students

2 mi

Refrigeration School Inc

Phoenix, AZ · Private for-profit · Certificate · 1,346 students

3 mi

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.