Mesa Community College
Public Community College in Mesa, AZ. Six-year graduation rate 16%. Median 10-year earnings $44,034.
Ten years after entry, the median Mesa Community College student earns $44,034 — a solidly middle-of-the-pack result for an undergraduate institution. Only 16% finish within six years, so roughly four in five students leave without the credential they enrolled for. Median debt at graduation is $7,473, a light load against those earnings.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ Debt-to-income ratio 0.17 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
- ! Graduation rate 16% — below national average
Academics
Completion is the problem here: 16% graduate within six years. A 21% transfer-out rate accounts for part of that gap: those students left for another institution rather than dropping out, and the graduation rate above counts them as non-completers here. At 18:1, class sizes land in the normal range for an undergraduate institution. As a public four-year university, the relevant comparison is other four-year schools rather than the national average across all institutions. The undergraduate body runs to 16,624, large enough that student experience varies widely by program.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 11,980 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
At $12,951 a year on average after grant aid, cost is low here relative to most undergraduate institutions. Net price varies modestly by income — $10,838 at $0–30k against $18,140 at $110k+ — so the average is a fair guide for most families. Grant aid is limited — 38% of students receive any. 10% borrow federally — a low rate, though it covers federal loans only.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 1,281 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $10,838 |
| $30–48k | $11,619 |
| $48–75k | $13,211 |
| $75–110k | $15,063 |
| $110k+ | $18,140 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 1,166 of these 11,980 students, totalling $4,103,585 — an average of $3,519 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Maricopa County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)