Tuition and Fees

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Tuition and fees are what you pay an educational institution for your classes and related services. 

Tuition

Tuition is the amount of money that is charged for each academic credit hour. Tuition rates at Rio Salado vary according to your residency classification as shown in the Tuition Rates table below. Tuition fees are due 10 calendar days prior to the start of class. 

*Note: Tuition and fees are subject to change.

Tuition due dates: Be sure to check your class schedule in your Student Center for tuition due dates.

Questions About Residency?

Questions regarding residency can be answered by the Admissions, Records and Registration office at (480) 517-8540.

Residency Status Lower Division
Cost Per Credit / Clock Hour		 Upper Division
Cost Per Credit/Clock Hour
Maricopa County Resident + / ++ 
All Maricopa County residents and other Arizona counties, not including Apache and Greenlee, are eligible due to reciprocal agreements with each county.		  $97 per credit hour  $145.50 per credit hour
Maricopa County Senior Resident
All Maricopa County residents aged 65 or older are eligible, but only for courses having seats available as of the second day of class.		  $48.50 per credit hour  $72.75 per credit hour
Out-of-State Residing in Arizona
All students who reside in Arizona but do not qualify as Maricopa County residents 		  $372 per credit hour  $420.50 per credit hour
Out-of-County Resident  $518 per credit hour  $566.50 per credit hour
Distance Learning/Online +++/++++, (out-of-state)  $253 per credit hour  $379.50 per credit hour
Out-of-state Military and Veterans Online
For questions related to eligibility contact  your campus Veterans and Active Duty Coordinator 		  $225 per credit hour -OR- $2,700 per semester (flat rate with 12 credits or more) $225 per credit hour -OR-
$2,700 per semester (flat rate with 12 credits or more)
Western Undergraduate Exchange Program (WUE) +++++
*Note: Tuition and fees are subject to change.		  $145.50 per credit hour  $218.25 per credit hour
Clock Hour $5-6 per clock hour
*Program costs are estimated based on the average number of clock hours to complete the program.		  N/A

 

+Students from any other county in Arizona are considered Maricopa County residents (in county) due to a reciprocal arrangement with that county. Reciprocal agreements allow for in-county tuition rates for residents of all Arizona counties except Apache or Greenlee counties without an Out-of-County Residence Affidavit.

++According to ARS §15-1802F, “A person who is a member of an Indian tribe recognized by the US Department of the Interior whose reservation lies in this state and extends into another state and who is a resident of the reservation is entitled to classification as an in-state student.” Therefore, unclassified and out-of-state surcharges do not apply to such students.

+++ According to ARS §15-1470, community college districts may offer credit and noncredit courses and services outside of this state. A district is not entitled to state aid payments for students who are provided courses and services outside of this state.

++++This rate applies to out-of-state students who are taking distance learning courses or students who are taking classroom-based credit courses through a contract agreement between MCCCD and the company they work for. This rate does not apply to Study Abroad Programs as there is a separately calculated rate for those students.

+++++The educational consortium sponsored by Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) allows out-of-state students to take courses offered by MCCCD and pay a tuition of 150% of in-state tuition in accordance with state statute. Likewise, Maricopa County residents may attend institutions in other states and pay 150% of the resident tuition rate. This rate also applies to distance learning classes taken by eligible non-resident out of state students.

Questions About Residency?

Questions regarding residency can be answered by the Admissions, Records and Registration office at (480) 517-8540.

Residency Status Tuition Rate

Maricopa County Resident and all Reciprocal Counties
Offered to students who have resided in Arizona for at least 365 days before the official start of term.

All counties in Arizona are reciprocal except Apache and Greenlee counties.

$85 per credit

Out-of-State

Offered to students who reside outside of Arizona who are taking online classes.

 

$250 per credit

Tuition Cap at $2750 per semester (11 credits or more)

Out-of-County
Offered to students who live in the non-reciprocal Arizona counties of Apache and Greenlee.

To apply for the Maricopa County Resident Rate, complete the Out-of County Residence Affidavit form here (Dynamic Form).  

Please allow the Student Business Services office 2-3 business days for processing.

$401 per credit

Non-Resident/Online Distance Learning Classes
Offered to online students who reside in Arizona and do not qualify for the Maricopa County Resident Rate.

$241 per credit

Incarcerated Re-Entry Program

In-state (Arizona): $85 per credit
Out-of-state: $241 per credit

Out-of-State Military
Offered to military students and student veterans who reside out-of-state and do not otherwise qualify for the Maricopa County Resident tuition.

$225 per credit

12 or more credits per semester - flat rate $2,700

Non-Resident/ Out-of-State (In-person Classes)
Offered to students who reside in AZ and do not qualify for the Maricopa County Resident Rate.

$326 per credit

Out-of-State (WUE)
Offered to out-of-state students participating in Western Undergraduate Exchange Program (WUE)

Note: Students who are residents of a WUE state (Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wyoming and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands) are eligible to apply. Click here to apply (Dynamic Form).

$127.50 per credit

Maricopa County Resident - Senior Rate (Audit or Credit)
Offered to Maricopa County (Arizona) residents who are age 65 or more who are taking courses for credit or audit. This student is responsible for all other fees and charges.

Note: This rate is currently 50% of the Maricopa County Resident tuition.

$42.50 per credit

Fees

Fees are charges for various services that may be provided to you through the college. You can view a list of fees in the table below. 

Audit Fees

$25 per credit

Registration Processing Fee

$15 per semester, per college

Course Fees
Some courses and programs may require additional fees charged apart from the tuition. The College reserves the right to add and adjust course fees, as deemed appropriate.

Please review the Additional Course Fees List for Rio Salado College

Payment Plan (Optional)
Processing Fee (Non-refundable)

$25 per semester, per college

Returned Check Fee

$15 per check

Transcripts - Official

$5 per transcript

Transcripts - Unofficial

Free

Each year the Maricopa Community College District establishes a standard student cost of attendance budget based on institutional costs and estimated costs of living. These budgets represent an estimate of the cost of attendance for fall and spring. See Rio Salado's Financial Aid Cost of Attendance https://www.riosalado.edu/student-resources/financial-aid/applying-fina…  for more information.