Photo: Marine 69-71 · CC BY-SA 4.0Pima Medical Institute-East Valley is 8.6 miles from Apache Junction
No college sits inside Apache Junction’s boundary, but Pima Medical Institute-East Valley’s campus in Mesa, with 373 students on campus, is 8.6 miles from the center of town, and Chandler-Gilbert Community College is 16 miles away in Chandler. About 3% of Apache Junction’s residents are enrolled in college, below Arizona (6%).
From the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard, June 2026; IPEDS fall 2023 enrollment) and the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 2020–24. Straight-line distances from the center of Apache Junction. Colleges are described, not graded.
What stands out about college from Apache Junction
Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.
Colleges within 15 miles of Apache Junction
One private college within 8.6 miles. The nearest public four-year college, Mesa Community College, is 19.1 miles away.
Degree-granting colleges with 100 or more students on campus (fall 2023 enrollment, minus students who study only online). Admitted: share of applicants offered a place. Net price: the average a year after grants, for students on federal aid. Graduate: within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting.
What would your family pay?
The average a year after grants, for families on federal aid, at the colleges within 15 miles and the nearest public four-year college. Pick your family’s income.
Starts at $48–75k, where Apache Junction’s median household income ($60,975) falls.
The average a year after grants and scholarships, for first-time, full-time students on federal aid, from the College Scorecard. Your own price depends on your aid package; every college has a net price calculator. For community colleges the net price counts housing and food at full cost, so tuition is shown beside it. “—”: not reported for that income.
Do students finish, and does it pay?
Each dot is a college: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.
Graduation: first-time, full-time students within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 years (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting, for students who got federal aid. *Reported for all the campuses that file together: Pima Medical Institute-East Valley (13).
Questions about college near Apache Junction
Is Apache Junction a college town?
No. About 3 of every 100 Apache Junction residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), below Arizona (6). The nearest campus, Pima Medical Institute-East Valley, is 8.6 miles away in Mesa.
What colleges are near Apache Junction?
Within 15 miles: Pima Medical Institute-East Valley (8.6 miles, 373 students on campus).
What is the closest community college to Apache Junction, and what does it cost?
Chandler-Gilbert Community College in Chandler, 16 miles away. Tuition and fees are $2,358 a year for Arizona residents; the federal net price, $12,726, counts housing and food at full cost.
How much does Mesa Community College cost if we live in Arizona?
Tuition and fees are $2,358 a year in-state and $8,958 from out of state. After grants, families on federal aid paid an average of $10,838 (under $30,000 income) to $18,140 (over $110,000), housing and food included.
Neighbors talk college
Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.
Colleges: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023 enrollment). “On campus” is fall enrollment minus students who study only online. Distances are straight-line from the center of Apache Junction. Residents in college, age, rent and poverty (including poverty without college students, table B14006): U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–24. Colleges are described, not graded; the College town label marks towns where 15% or more of residents are enrolled. How TownRatings describes colleges →