Rio Salado College
Tempe, Arizona · Website
$41,015
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$41,015
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Rio Salado College is a public 4-year college in Tempe, Arizona with 11,668 undergraduates. Its average net price after grants is $8,341 a year (tuition and fees $2,358 in-state, $8,958 out-of-state). 8.5% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $41,015 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $9,500 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$8,341
US median $17,138
Tuition in-state
$2,358
Out-of-state $8,958
Admission rate
Open
Completion rate
8.5%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$9,500
About $101 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$41,015
Rank 2,518 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $8,341
- Tuition in-state
- $2,358
- Tuition out-of-state
- $8,958
- Cost of attendance
- $13,425
- Students with a need-based grant
- 6.8%
- Students with federal loans
- 4.0%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $6,800
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $10,182
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $9,356
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $10,871
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $13,425
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $2,046 in 2015-16 to $2,358 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- Open admission
- Undergraduates
- 11,668
- Part-time students
- 85%
- Women
- 62%
- Students per teacher
- 31
- Completion rate
- 8.5%
- Highest degree
- Associate's degree
- Programs
- 119
- Other
- Hispanic-serving, Open admission
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 2,518 of 5,094 US colleges and 45 of 99 in Arizona (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | AZ median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $8,341 | $20,678 | $12,792 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $2,358 | $8,774 | $8,626 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | - | 90% | 83% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 8.5% | 54% | 46% | 58% |
| Retention rate | - | 75% | 76% | 75% |
| Median debt | $9,500 | $9,500 | $19,500 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $42,314 | $36,057 | $43,105 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $41,015 | $40,059 | $50,314 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US public 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 23% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 66% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
119 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Operations Support and Assistant ServicesCertificate | Certificate | 1,062 | Withheld | Withheld | $50,135 | $32,681 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsCertificate | Certificate | 1,031 | Withheld | $51,384 | $60,390 | $57,702 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesOnlineAssociate's | Associate's | 428 | $12,250 | Withheld | $51,899 | $44,125 |
| Fine and Studio ArtsOnlineCertificate | Certificate | 346 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Mental and Social Health Services and Allied ProfessionsOnlineCertificate | Certificate | 135 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $43,365 |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, OtherCertificate | Certificate | 124 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $55,699 |
| Plumbing and Related Water Supply ServicesCertificate | Certificate | 83 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsCertificate | Certificate | 80 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Electrical and Power Transmission InstallersCertificate | Certificate | 71 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $53,078 |
| Finance and Financial Management ServicesCertificate | Certificate | 65 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $53,418 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsAssociate's | Associate's | 55 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $46,706 |
| Entrepreneurial and Small Business OperationsOnlineCertificate | Certificate | 53 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $50,211 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsCertificate | Certificate | 47 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $34,631 |
| Business/Commerce, GeneralOnlineCertificate | Certificate | 43 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $60,097 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsOnlineAssociate's | Associate's | 38 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $48,733 |
| Legal Support ServicesCertificate | Certificate | 32 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $49,747 |
| Mental and Social Health Services and Allied ProfessionsAssociate's | Associate's | 30 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $40,734 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsCertificate | Certificate | 30 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $47,440 |
| Physical Sciences, GeneralOnlineAssociate's | Associate's | 29 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $49,076 |
| Natural SciencesOnlineCertificate | Certificate | 28 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Legal Support ServicesOnlineAssociate's | Associate's | 27 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $44,669 |
| Computer/Information Technology Administration and ManagementCertificate | Certificate | 24 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $52,615 |
| Public AdministrationCertificate | Certificate | 22 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/TechniciansCertificate | Certificate | 21 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $51,586 |
| Foods, Nutrition, and Related ServicesCertificate | Certificate | 19 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Tempe and Arizona on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Arizona
- Homes: Homes for sale in Arizona
Questions and answers
How much does Rio Salado College cost?
$8,341 a year is the average net price at Rio Salado College after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $2,358 for in-state students and $8,958 for out-of-state students, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $13,425. Families earning under $30,000 pay $6,800 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Rio Salado College?
Rio Salado College has open admission: it accepts students who meet its basic requirements, such as a high school diploma.
How much do Rio Salado College graduates earn?
$41,015 a year is the median pay of former Rio Salado College students who work, 10 years after they started ($42,314 after 6 years). That ranks 2,518 of 5,094 US colleges and 45 of 99 in Arizona. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Criminal Justice and Corrections (Certificate) at $51,384.
How much student debt do Rio Salado College graduates have?
$9,500 is the median federal student loan debt of Rio Salado College graduates, about $101 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 4.0% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Rio Salado College?
8.5% of first-time, full-time students at Rio Salado College finish within 6 years. The median of public 4-year colleges is 46%.
What are the most popular majors at Rio Salado College?
Business Operations Support and Assistant Services (1,062 certificate graduates), Criminal Justice and Corrections (1,031 certificate graduates), Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (428 associate's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 119 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.