Prescott, Arizona Colleges: Costs & Earnings (2026 stats)
Executive Summary (TL;DR)
Colleges in Prescott, Arizona: median public in-state tuition $35,685 (+526.0% vs national median) median 10-year earnings $69,664 (+17.3% vs U.S.) employment-outcome proxy 89.8% working & not enrolled at 8 years median graduate debt $20,000 (+48.1% vs U.S.) 7,425 students enrolled statewide.
Overview
Colleges and universities in Prescott serve students across Arizona with associate, bachelor's, and graduate pathways. 3 reporting campuses in this city profile, with about 7,425 students enrolled in federal data, and median in-state tuition near $35,685. Tables below compare costs, completion, earnings, and standout institutions against Prescott, Arizona and U.S. medians from the College Scorecard.
Prescott vs Arizona & national benchmarks
Medians aggregate institution-level College Scorecard fields unless noted. Enrollment is total undergraduate headcount summed across reporting campuses.
| Geography | In-state tuition | Net price | Median debt | Completion rate | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prescott, Arizona | $35,685 | $24,724 | $20,000 | 39.2% | 7,425 |
| Arizona (state median) | $2,358 | $9,738 | $11,024 | 35.0% | 531,808 |
| United States | $5,700 | $9,912 | $13,500 | 49.3% | 14,465,291 |
Earnings & employment outcomes: Prescott, Arizona vs benchmarks
Scorecard does not publish formal job-placement rates. We use the share of the 8-year cohort reported as working and not enrolled (working ÷ working + not working) as a federal employment-outcome proxy. 2-yr and 3-yr default rates are federal cohort default shares (0–1 scale). We show 2-yr default as the primary benchmark; 3-yr default appears only when enough campuses report non-suppressed values (otherwise —). 3-yr repayment progress is the share of completers making progress on loans after 3 years. Sample: bachelor's-predominant institutions with enrollment ≥ 200. Medians pool campus-level values.
| Geography | Median earnings (10 yr) | Working & not enrolled (8 yr) | Retention (FT yr 1) | 2-yr default | 3-yr default | 3-yr repayment progress | Debt ÷ earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prescott, Arizona | $69,664 | 89.8% | 78.0% | 4.0% | — | 69.3% | 0.33 |
| Arizona (state median) | $49,894 | 88.2% | 67.9% | 7.1% | — | 61.8% | 0.45 |
| United States | $59,401 | 93.0% | 76.4% | 5.0% | — | 73.8% | 0.36 |
Other cities in Arizona (3+ campuses)
Other cities in the same state with at least three reporting campuses.
| City | In-state tuition | Net price | Median debt | Completion | Enrollment | Earnings (10 yr) | Working (8 yr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prescott, Arizona | $35,685 | $24,724 | $20,000 | 39.2% | 7,425 | $69,664 | 89.8% |
| Phoenix | $9,552 | $21,107 | $11,066 | 20.7% | 191,290 | $46,811 | 86.5% |
| Tempe | $12,260 | $21,738 | $14,576 | 32.7% | 88,450 | $55,167 | 88.8% |
| Tucson | $13,906 | $18,600 | $11,390 | 54.4% | 61,547 | $54,318 | 89.6% |
| Scottsdale | $3,189 | $19,207 | $8,500 | 22.4% | 59,711 | $69,111 | 91.5% |
| Chandler | $11,960 | $16,125 | $8,298 | 14.2% | 33,298 | $40,922 | 81.7% |
| Flagstaff | $8,560 | $7,206 | $13,625 | 79.3% | 25,354 | $59,083 | 92.0% |
| Mesa | $7,666 | $29,778 | $9,500 | 14.2% | 17,626 | N/A | N/A |
| Glendale | $15,905 | $23,766 | $16,360 | 23.6% | 14,477 | $55,315 | 91.2% |
| United States | $5,700 | $9,912 | $13,500 | 49.3% | 14,465,291 | $59,401 | 93.0% |
Top college in Prescott, Arizona by graduation rate (150% time)
Ranked by 150% time completion rate (4-year bachelor's-predominant institutions, enrollment ≥ 500). Higher rate = more students finishing within 150% of normal time.
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Rank 1, Graduation Rate, 69.0%, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott
Top college in Prescott, Arizona by employment outcome (8 yrs after entry, working & not enrolled)
Ranked by share of the 8-year cohort reported as working and not enrolled — a federal outcome proxy, not a verified job-placement rate. Enrollment ≥ 500.
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Rank 1, Employment Outcome, 94.7%, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott
Most selective college in Prescott, Arizona (lowest admission rate)
Ranked by lowest admission rate (most selective first). Bachelor's-predominant four-year institutions with enrollment ≥ 500 and a reported admission rate.
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Rank 1, Admission Rate, 76.6%, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott
Top college in Prescott, Arizona by entry-level earnings (1 yr post-completion, program)
Ranked by median program-level earnings one year after completion (highest first). Enrollment ≥ 300; reflects completers in reported CIP programs, not all entrants.
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Rank 1, Entry-Level Earnings, $83,609, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott
Top college in Prescott, Arizona by early-career earnings (4 yr post-completion, program)
Ranked by median program-level earnings four years after completion (highest first). Enrollment ≥ 300; program cohort, not institution-wide median.
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Rank 1, Early-Career Earnings, $105,527, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott
Top college in Prescott, Arizona by mid-career earnings (6 yrs after entry)
Ranked by median earnings six years after entry (highest first). Bachelor's-predominant institutions with enrollment ≥ 500.
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Rank 1, Mid-Career Earnings, $71,228, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott
Top college in Prescott, Arizona by 8-year earnings (8 yrs after entry)
Ranked by median earnings eight years after entry (highest first). Bachelor's-predominant institutions with enrollment ≥ 500.
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Rank 1, 8-Yr Earnings, $81,788, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott
Top college in Prescott, Arizona by long-term earnings (10 yrs after entry)
Ranked by median earnings ten years after entry (highest first). Bachelor's-predominant institutions with enrollment ≥ 500.
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Rank 1, 10-Yr Earnings, $92,069, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott
Top 2 colleges in Prescott, Arizona by 10-year ROI
Ranked by 10-year return on investment (highest first). Bachelor's-predominant institutions with enrollment ≥ 200 and a computed ROI in the EDsmart dataset.
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Rank 1, 10-Yr ROI, $218,012, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott
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Rank 2, 10-Yr ROI, $95,654, Prescott College
Prescott College
Most affordable college in Prescott, Arizona (net price)
Ranked by lowest average net price (most affordable first). Uses overall net price, or mid-income bracket net price for public schools when available. Enrollment ≥ 300.
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Rank 1, Net Price, $38,102, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott
Top college in Prescott, Arizona by first-year retention (full-time)
Ranked by first-year, full-time retention rate (highest first). Bachelor's-predominant four-year institutions with enrollment ≥ 500.
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Rank 1, First-Year Retention, 82.2%, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott
In-state tuition: Prescott, Arizona vs benchmarks
Sticker price
Prescott, Arizona median in-state tuition is $35,685, +526.0% vs the U.S. median.
Student debt: Prescott, Arizona vs benchmarks
Borrowing
Median debt at graduation in Prescott, Arizona is $20,000 (+48.1% vs U.S. median $13,500). Regional median: $12,048.
Median earnings (10 years out): Prescott, Arizona vs benchmarks
Payoff
Median earnings 10 years after entry for bachelor's-predominant campuses in Prescott, Arizona center around $69,664 (+17.3% vs U.S.).
Median institution-level 10-year earnings. Source: College Scorecard.
Employment outcome proxy: Prescott, Arizona vs benchmarks
Working & not enrolled
The share of the 8-year cohort reported as working and not enrolled—our Scorecard employment proxy—is 89.8% at the median Prescott, Arizona campus (-3.2 pp vs U.S.).
Percent of 8-year cohort working and not enrolled (not a formal placement rate).
Analysis & insights
EDsmart Data aggregates institution-level College Scorecard data for this profile. Highlights below compare local medians to U.S. and regional benchmarks.
Costs & borrowing
Prescott, Arizona median public in-state tuition is $35,685, about +526.0% vs the national median. Versus the Southwest region, tuition is +860.7%.
Median graduate debt is $20,000 (+48.1% above the U.S. median of $13,500). Low sticker prices do not always mean low borrowing—living costs, time-to-degree, and aid mix matter.
Earnings, employment & retention
Among bachelor's-predominant campuses with ≥200 students, median 10-year earnings in Prescott, Arizona are $69,664, about +17.3% vs the U.S. campus median ($59,401).
The median campus reports 89.8% of its 8-year cohort as working and not enrolled—our closest federal proxy to a placement rate. The U.S. campus median is 93.0% (-3.2 pp). Formal job-placement statistics are not published in Scorecard; treat this as a comparative outcome indicator, not a hire guarantee.
First-year, full-time retention at the median campus is 78.0% vs a U.S. median of 76.4%—a leading indicator for completion and time-to-degree.
Loan repayment indicators at the median campus: 2-yr default 4.0% (U.S. 5.0%); 3-yr repayment progress 69.3% (U.S. 73.8%). 3-yr default is omitted when most campuses report suppressed zeros.
Top employment-outcome campuses in this extract include Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott (94.7%)—useful anchors for local reporting on where graduates are most often working rather than still enrolled.
Completion & workforce context
Average institution-level completion rate across all sectors in Prescott, Arizona is 39.2% (national institution average about 49.3%).
Frequently Asked Questions
How many colleges are in Prescott?
This city profile covers 3 campuses in Prescott, Arizona with College Scorecard cost or outcomes data.
How much does college cost in Prescott?
Median in-state tuition in Prescott is $35,685 and median net price is $24,724. For Arizona overall, medians are $2,358 and $9,738; U.S. medians are $5,700 and $9,912.
What do graduates earn in Prescott?
Median 10-year earnings for campuses in Prescott is $69,664 vs $49,894 for Arizona and $59,401 nationally.
What is student debt like for Prescott colleges?
Median completer debt in Prescott is $20,000 vs $11,024 for Arizona and $13,500 nationally.
What are the best colleges in Prescott?
Top campuses on this page include Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott (graduation) and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott (10-yr earnings). See Top 10 lists for admission, affordability, and employment metrics.
Are there HBCUs, Hispanic-serving, tribal, or religious colleges in Prescott?
Among 3 College Scorecard campuses in Prescott, Arizona, none are flagged as HBCUs or tribal colleges in IPEDS, none report at least 25% Hispanic undergraduate enrollment, and none report a religious affiliation in IPEDS.
Sources & related
- Arizona college profile
- All college profiles
- National benchmarks
- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard
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