
Source: National Center for Educational Statistics. This is the most recent data available as of January 2020
Questions & Answers
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What do all these numbers mean?
All costs are the average net cost paid by families in each income bracket. Net cost is the total cost of attendance minus government grants and institutional scholarships. Loans of any kind are not included. Figures are based on data from the 2017-18 school year, which is the latest available as of January 2020.
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What is “Total Cost” on the chart?
Total cost is the total cost of attendance for that particular college. It includes:
- Tuition and fees (in-state tuition for public schools)
- Room and board (on campus)
- Books and supplies
- Other expenses (travel and personal)
There are detailed chart below for each school that shows these expenses. Click here to go to the individual cost breakdown for schools.
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How can I use this information?
This information is useful for building a realistic college budget. It's a good place to start until you better understand your specific circumstances. For example, let's say your income is $100,000 per year. This chart shows that the average state school would run $17,740 and the average private school would be $26,588. You can also get information on specific Arizona schools in the chart above or the tables below.
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Will my family pay the amount on this chart?
Probably not. The numbers are averages. You may be below average or above average. However, there are two key points we can learn from this data:
- Families with higher incomes ($75,000-$110,000 and $110,000+) will most likely pay close to full price at the public schools.
- Private colleges have a higher list price but offer more discounts. This brings their net price much closer to the cost of state-funded schools.
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Where did this information come from?
As part of federal financial aid, colleges are required to provide detailed cost information to the U.S. government. This data is made available to the public through the National Center for Education Statistics. For more details, click here.
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What about athletes, merit aid or minority students?
Athletes, high achieving students, and those with minority status are averaged in with everyone else. Within each income bracket, there are families that pay more than average and families that pay less than average.
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The costs on this chart seemed large, how can families afford to pay it?
For many families paying for college is not easy, but in the end they figure out. Most families will pay their net cost of college with some combination of:
- college savings and investments
- payments from current income
- loans
- outside scholarships (check out our Scholarship Guide For Busy Parents, which describes how you and your student can win scholarships for college and save money!)
- tax planning
- student work

Net Price:
Net price is the total cost of attendance minus the average amount of government grants and institutional scholarships awarded. This is an average, so you may pay above the average or below the average. Your exact net price is likely to be different and sometimes drastically different.
Most families will pay the net price with some combination of savings and investments, current income and various loans. Some students will also receive scholarships from sources other than the federal or state government or the college. Any scholarships and grants from these outside sources are not included in the data. However, government grants and institutional scholarships are included in the averages.
Total Cost at University of Arizona (2017-18) | |
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Tuition and Fees | $11,877 |
Room and Board | $12,300 |
Books | $800 |
Other Expenses | $3,300 |
Total | $28,277 |
Total Cost:
Total cost is the total cost of attendance for that particular institution for the 2017-18 school year. This is the latest data available as of January 2020. Total costs include:
- Tuition and fees (in-state tuition for public schools)
- Room and board (on campus)
- Books and supplies
- Other expenses (travel and personal)
College Total Cost | ||
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Family Income | AZ Public $27,300 | AZ Private $44,422 |
$0 - $30k | $8,401 | $20,698 |
$30,001 – $48k | $9,928 | $21,675 |
$48,001 – $75k | $13,858 | $24,234 |
$75,001 – $110k | $17,740 | $26,588 |
$110,001+ | $19,402 | $29,594 |
Public vs. Private Averages
This table shows the average total cost of attendance for the Arizona public and private colleges we have included in our analysis. The costs include a breakdown of the average net price paid by family income. Notice that the average private college is $9,000-$13,000 more than the average public school, depending on your income bracket. It is important to stress that these are averages. Most families will not be average, and their individual circumstances could be drastically different. I encourage all families to work with their preferred colleges to get information specific to their family.
Below are similar charts for each individual private and public college in Arizona. Click a school to view its complete chart.
Public AZ Schools Cost Breakdown
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Arizona State University-Tempe
Tempe Year 2017-18 2018-19 Tuition and Fees $10,792 $10,822 Room and Board $12,209 $12,648 Books $1,125 $1,148 Other Expenses $3,404 $3,430 Total $27,530 $28,048 Family Income Net Cost (Actual) Net Cost (Estimated) $0-$30k $7,300 $7,437 $30,001 - $48k $8,466 $8,625 $48,001 - $75k $13,994 $14,257 $75,001 - $110k $16,814 $17,130 $110,001+ $18,901 $19,257 -
University of Arizona
Tucson Year 2017-18 2018-19 Tuition and Fees $11,877 $12,467 Room and Board $12,300 $12,550 Books $800 $800 Other Expenses $3,300 $3,400 Total $28,277 $29,217 Family Income Net Cost (Actual) Net Cost (Estimated) $0-$30k $10,234 $10,574 $30,001 - $48k $11,307 $11,683 $48,001 - $75k $14,756 $15,247 $75,001 - $110k $19,862 $20,522 $110,001+ $21,208 $21,913 -
Northern Arizona University
Flagstaff Year 2017-18 2018-19 Tuition and Fees $11,059 $11,564 Room and Board $9,944 $10,282 Books $1,000 $1,000 Other Expenses $4,920 $4,420 Total $26,923 $27,266 Family Income Net Cost (Actual) Net Cost (Estimated) $0-$30k $10,999 $11,139 $30,001 - $48k $11,585 $11,733 $48,001 - $75k $13,780 $13,956 $75,001 - $110k $17,881 $18,109 $110,001+ $19,822 $20,075
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Arizona State University-West
Glendale Year 2017-18 2018-19 Tuition and Fees $10,301 $9,840 Room and Board $11,212 $11,588 Books $1,125 $1,148 Other Expenses $3,404 $3,430 Total $26,042 $26,006 Family Income Net Cost (Actual) Net Cost (Estimated) $0-$30k $6,127 $6,119 $30,001 - $48k $8,462 $8,450 $48,001 - $75k $11,206 $11,191 $75,001 - $110k $16,474 $16,451 $110,001+ $17,319 $17,295 -
Arizona State University-Polytechnic
Mesa Year 2017-18 2018-19 Tuition and Fees $10,301 $9,840 Room and Board $12,093 $11,683 Books $1,125 $1,148 Other Expenses $3,404 $3,430 Total $26,923 $26,101 Family Income Net Cost (Actual) Net Cost (Estimated) $0-$30k $6,963 $6,750 $30,001 - $48k $8,699 $8,433 $48,001 - $75k $12,770 $12,380 $75,001 - $110k $16,326 $15,828 $110,001+ $17,261 $16,734 -
Arizona State University-Downtown Phoenix
Phoenix Year 2017-18 2018-19 Tuition and Fees $10,792 $10,822 Room and Board $13,842 $14,584 Books $1,125 $1,148 Other Expenses $3,404 $3,430 Total $29,163 $29,984 Family Income Net Cost (Actual) Net Cost (Estimated) $0-$30k $7,551 $7,764 $30,001 - $48k $9,705 $9,978 $48,001 - $75k $14,899 $15,318 $75,001 - $110k $18,646 $19,171 $110,001+ $19,759 $20,315 -
Arizona State University-Skysong
Scottsdale Year 2017-18 2018-19 Tuition and Fees $10,350 $10,317 Room and Board $12,339 $12,626 Books $1,125 $1,148 Other Expenses $3,404 $3,430 Total $27,218 $27,521 Family Income Net Cost (Actual) Net Cost (Estimated) $0-$30k $11,466 $11,594 $30,001 - $48k $12,648 $12,789 $48,001 - $75k $16,500 $16,684 $75,001 - $110k $20,296 $20,522 $110,001+ $23,351 $23,611
Private AZ Schools Cost Breakdown
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Embry Riddle
Year 2017-18 2018-19 Tuition and Fees $34,662 $35,654 Room and Board $10,468 $11,394 Books $1,400 $1,400 Other Expenses $4,506 $4,598 Total $51,036 $53,046 Family Income Net Cost (Actual) Net Cost (Estimated) $0-$30k $28,209 $29,320 $30,001 - $48k $26,984 $28,047 $48,001 - $75k $30,543 $31,746 $75,001 - $110k $32,293 $33,565 $110,001+ $35,272 $36,661
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Prescott College
Year 2017-18 2018-19 Tuition and Fees $30,501 $31,485 Room and Board $9,322 $9,322 Books $982 $982 Other Expenses $1,448 $1,506 Total $42,253 $43,295 Family Income Net Cost (Actual) Net Cost (Estimated) $0-$30k $14,993 $15,363 $30,001 - $48k $17,475 $17,906 $48,001 - $75k $20,470 $20,975 $75,001 - $110k $26,498 $27,151 $110,001+ $32,382 $33,181 -
Arizona Christian
Year 2017-18 2018-19 Tuition and Fees $24,958 $26,796 Room and Board $9,820 $10,674 Books $1,200 $1,200 Other Expenses $4,000 $4,000 Total $39,978 $42,670 Family Income Net Cost (Actual) Net Cost (Estimated) $0-$30k $18,892 $20,164 $30,001 - $48k $20,566 $21,951 $48,001 - $75k $21,688 $23,148 $75,001 - $110k $20,972 $22,384 $110,001+ $21,127 $22,550
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