Phoenix, the capital of Arizona, is the fifth-largest city in the United States and is known for extreme summer heat, with temperatures often climbing above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. But that does not stop students from coming to the Phoenix area to pursue higher education. And if you want to study in Phoenix, the good news is that you will not run short of options.
Phoenix has more than two dozen colleges and universities within the city, with additional options across the wider metropolitan area. That is why we have listed affordable universities in and around Phoenix for you below.
Affordable Schools in Phoenix for International Students
1. Arizona State University
With total annual enrollment of more than 194,000 students across campus and online programs, Arizona State University is one of the largest public research universities in the United States. The university has several locations across the Phoenix metropolitan area, including its Tempe, Downtown Phoenix, Polytechnic, and West Valley campuses.
ASU offers more than 400 undergraduate academic options and more than 450 graduate degree and certificate options. Its faculty includes Nobel laureates and Pulitzer Prize winners, and the university was ranked 173rd globally in the QS World University Rankings 2026.
ASU remains one of the most affordable options on this list for Arizona residents. Tuition is higher for nonresident and international students, but ASU offers scholarship opportunities, including merit-based options for some international students.
2. Grand Canyon University
Grand Canyon University is a private Christian university in Phoenix. It has grown from roughly 100 students and 16 faculty members at its founding in 1949 into one of the largest Christian universities in the country, with tens of thousands of campus students and more than 100,000 online students.
GCU’s main campus is on West Camelback Road in Phoenix. Through 10 colleges, it offers 370 degree programs, emphases, and certificates as of September 2025. Niche ranked GCU No. 1 for Best College Campuses in Arizona and No. 20 for Best College Campuses in America in its 2026 rankings.
GCU charges the same published traditional campus tuition regardless of whether a student is in state, out of state, or international. Many traditional students qualify for institutional scholarships, so students should compare both published tuition and their estimated net price. GCU reports a 78% acceptance rate for Fall 2022 first-time, full-time, degree-seeking students.
3. DeVry University
Founded in 1931, DeVry University is a private, for-profit university with online and hybrid programs. Its Phoenix location is now in the Deer Valley Office Park at 20430 N. 19th Ave., Suite 170, rather than on West Dunlap Avenue.
DeVry offers more than 140 undergraduate and graduate programs and specializations, including certificates, associate, bachelor’s, and master’s programs in areas such as business, technology, healthcare, cyber security, engineering technology, and information technology.
DeVry tuition is generally charged by the credit hour, and the same standard tuition rate applies to new undergraduate and graduate students regardless of state residency. Students should also budget for fees, books, living expenses, and other costs; DeVry’s estimated annual cost of attendance for a full-time standard-tuition undergraduate student is $42,212. Scholarships, grants, loans, employer benefits, and military rates may help reduce out-of-pocket costs for eligible students.
4. Arizona Christian University
What was once established as Southwestern Conservative Baptist Bible College in 1960 is now Arizona Christian University. It is a private, nonprofit Christian liberal arts university in Glendale, a Phoenix-area city. ACU moved from its original Phoenix campus to the former Thunderbird School of Global Management campus in Glendale in 2019.
ACU now has a Glendale campus and reported record enrollment of more than 1,600 students in 2025. The university lists 85+ academic programs, including bachelor’s, associate, select master’s, certificate, and post-baccalaureate options, with a 16:1 student-faculty ratio.
Tuition at ACU is higher than the public in-state option on this list, but its published campus undergraduate tuition remains comparable with several private institutions in the Phoenix area. Students should also budget for the university service fee, parking, housing, and meals, which bring the 2026–2027 estimated annual campus cost to $48,387. ACU offers scholarships, grants, loans, and other aid options for eligible students, and recent public admissions data places its acceptance rate in the low- to mid-70% range.
If you plan to study in Phoenix, Arizona, you will find a mix of public, private, nonprofit, for-profit, online, hybrid, and nearby metro-area options. The schools listed above are among the more affordable choices to compare, but the best fit will depend on your residency, program, delivery mode, scholarship eligibility, and total cost of attendance.
We hope this article on the cheapest universities in Phoenix was helpful. To know more information on studying abroad, specifically in the United States, check out the Study in the USA and the Available Programs for International Students.
