Maricopa County Community Colleges see record enrollment growth, outpacing 4-year schools

The Maricopa County Community College District is reporting record growth in enrollment heading into the fall semester.

The numbers align with a nationwide trend of two-year institutions outpacing both public four-year and private nonprofit institutions.

MCCCD has seen 11 consecutive semesters of enrollment gains. Fall 2025 is already outpacing last year by 17.6%. That's a much larger upswing than the 4% increase from 2023 to 2024.

Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Lindsey Wilson said cost plays a big role in that, as the district offers the Valley’s most affordable bachelor’s degree.

“We’ve seen an incredible demand in those programs," Wilson said. "We now have 11 bachelor’s degrees and we have over 6,700 students enrolled in those programs in just the last two years.”

Maricopa did not offer those degrees until 2023 after a new state law allowed them to do so. MCCCD students save approximately 75% on tuition compared to the cost of attending a public in-state university.

"In many cases, they can complete an entire bachelor's degree with us for the cost of just one year at an in-state university," Wilson said. "On average, students will save up to $10,000 per year."

Community colleges also have higher acceptance rates than traditional four-year universities.

"We accept 100% of our students that apply," Wilson said. "So we’re open-access institutions and we’re also very workforce-aligned.”

The district works with community partners to see where job growth is going to be. They use that information to build curriculum that prepares students for future openings.