Maricopa Community Colleges (Arizona)

Maricopa Community Colleges offers the largest community college system in Arizona, serving over 200,000 students across ten campuses with specialized pathways in semiconductor manufacturing, renewable energy, and aerospace. Its semiconductor program places 92% of graduates within three months, a rate 15% higher than the average for similar programs nationwide. While Central Piedmont Community College (#9) excels in banking and healthcare salaries, Maricopa’s breadth is unmatched, providing 600+ degree and certificate pathways that make it faster than the typical rival for producing entry-level tech workers. With in-district tuition averaging $2,000 per year—30% cheaper than the runner-up among large urban systems—Maricopa enables over 1,500 transfers annually to Arizona State University.