University of Arizona Global Campus: Cost, Outcomes (2026)
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- UAGC is public, accredited and run as part of the University of Arizona
- Ashford became UAGC in 2020, and the University of Arizona has owned it since 2023
- UAGC tuition is $460 a credit for undergraduate courses in 2026-27
- 21% of UAGC undergraduates earned an award within eight years
- A California court ruled against Ashford in 2022; ED approved a group loan discharge in January 2025
- Business degrees lead UAGC’s awards, with 1,735 bachelor’s in 2023-24
- Who UAGC fits, and the watch-outs
- Check your own aid before you apply to UAGC
The University of Arizona Global Campus (UAGC) had an average net price of $28,679 for 2024-25, and 21% of undergraduates who started in 2017-18 earned an award within eight years, according to College Scorecard’s October 2026 data. Its 2026-27 catalog charges $460 a credit for undergraduate courses and puts a full 120-credit bachelor’s at $64,950.
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Check my aidIf you are paying with your own money this time, the worry is losing it on a degree you do not finish. UAGC was Ashford University until December 1, 2020, and every completion figure here describes students who started before that date.
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UAGC is public, accredited and run as part of the University of Arizona
UAGC is a public university with no physical campus, operated as a business unit of the University of Arizona and overseen by the university’s president and the Arizona Board of Regents. Its programs, faculty and students are separate from the University of Arizona’s, and it is separately accredited.
| Fact | UAGC |
|---|---|
| Control | Public |
| Owner | University of Arizona (a business unit since June 30, 2023) |
| Accreditor | WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC), reaffirmed June 2025 |
| Headquarters | Chandler, AZ |
| Students studying fully online (fall 2024) | 100% |
| Degree-seeking undergraduates (fall 2024) | 20,152 |
| Graduate students (fall 2024) | 6,891 |
| Undergraduates 25 or older (fall 2023) | 86% |
| Admission | Open admission; admission rate Not published |
| Course length | 5 weeks undergraduate, 6 weeks master’s and doctoral |
| Federal school ID (UNITID) | 154022 |
The University of Arizona also runs Arizona Online, which is separate from UAGC: it awards the same degrees as the university’s on-campus programs and runs 7.5-week courses. UAGC has its own programs, faculty and admission rules (generally 18 or older with a high school diploma or equivalent).
Ashford became UAGC in 2020, and the University of Arizona has owned it since 2023
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Founded as Mount St. Clare College in Clinton, Iowa
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Bridgepoint Education buys the school and renames it Ashford University
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WSCUC first accredits the school
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Ashford becomes UAGC, an Arizona nonprofit corporation affiliated with the University of Arizona
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The University of Arizona acquires UAGC and runs it as a business unit
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WSCUC reaffirms UAGC's accreditation for six years
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The Education Department recognizes UAGC as a public institution owned by the University of Arizona
In a March 27, 2026 letter, the University of Arizona’s president said the Education Department “has resolved all legacy financial matters stemming from conduct prior to the UAGC acquisition.”
The same letter makes UAGC the university’s “primary vehicle for career education and workforce development.”
UAGC tuition is $460 a credit for undergraduate courses in 2026-27
These are UAGC’s per-credit rates and per-course fees. The catalog counts one course as 3 credits, and its undergraduate cost for one course, with books and the technology fee, is $1,620.
| Level | Tuition per credit | Technology fee, per course | Books and materials, per course (average) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Undergraduate, all courses | $460 | $115 | $125 |
| Master's at the lower rate (education, psychology, human services, public health and others) | $600 | $145 | $155 |
| Master's at the higher rate (MBA, accountancy, health care administration, criminal justice and others) | $740 | $145 | $155 |
| Doctor of Professional Studies in Organizational Leadership | $812 | $145 | $155 |
The catalog puts any of its 120-credit online bachelor’s programs at $64,950, an estimate “based on successful progression.” Failing or repeating a course adds tuition and fees.
UAGC accepts up to 90 transfer and prior-learning credits toward the 120. Our guide to finishing your degree after stopping out covers how a school decides which old credits count.
Scorecard lists $11,960 in tuition and fees for 2025-26. UAGC’s 2026-27 budget for a year of undergraduate study lists $11,040 in tuition and $920 in technology fees.
Net price is different. It is the full cost of attendance, food and housing included, minus grants, and UAGC’s 2026-27 budget for a year off campus is $39,810.
| Family income | Average net price, 2024-25 |
|---|---|
| $0 to $30,000 | $28,726 |
| $30,001 to $48,000 | $27,569 |
| $48,001 to $75,000 | $15,471 |
| $75,001 to $110,000 | Not published |
| $110,001 and up | $34,801 |
The overall average covers 299 full-time, first-time undergraduates with federal aid. In 2024-25 the two lowest income bands paid more, on average, than the $48,001 to $75,000 band.
21% of UAGC undergraduates earned an award within eight years
| Measure | UAGC |
|---|---|
| Undergraduates who earned an award within 8 years (started in 2017-18) | 21% |
| Graduated within 6 years (first-time, full-time, fall 2019 cohort) | 12% |
| First-time, full-time bachelor’s students who returned for a second year (started fall 2023) | 35% |
| Median earnings 6 years after starting (entered 2015-16 and 2016-17) | $37,569 |
| Median earnings 10 years after starting (entered 2011-12 and 2012-13) | $39,232 |
| Graduates’ median earnings 4 years after finishing (finished 2017-18 and 2018-19) | $56,883 |
| Graduates’ median federal loan debt (entered repayment in fiscal 2024 and 2025) | $29,813 |
| Undergraduates with a Pell Grant (2024-25) | 40% |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan (2024-25) | 35% |
The 8-year rate is the one to read. It counts degree-seeking undergraduates who started in 2017-18, part-time and transfer-in students included. The 6-year rate counts only students who started full-time with no earlier college.
Scorecard shows 0% of UAGC undergraduates as part-time in fall 2024. UAGC’s catalog classifies students who stay continuously enrolled in its non-term programs as full-time.
A California court ruled against Ashford in 2022; ED approved a group loan discharge in January 2025
On March 7, 2022, California’s Attorney General announced that the San Diego Superior Court had found that Ashford University and Zovio violated the law “by giving students false or misleading information about career outcomes, cost and financial aid, pace of degree programs, and transfer credits,” in the Attorney General’s summary of the decision.
The court imposed $22,375,782 in civil penalties, and the defendants did not challenge its finding of liability on appeal. The Attorney General announced on Feb. 20, 2024 that the Court of Appeal had affirmed the judgment; its opinion affirms it as modified, cutting the penalty by $933,453.
The opinion describes Zovio and Ashford University, LLC as “the former owners and operators of an online university.”
| Date | What the record says |
|---|---|
| March 7, 2022 | The California Attorney General announces the San Diego Superior Court's decision against Ashford and Zovio: more than $22.37 million in penalties. |
| August 30, 2023 | The Education Department (ED) approves more than 2,300 borrower defense claims from Ashford students, about $72 million. |
| February 20, 2024 | The Attorney General announces the Court of Appeal's decision: judgment affirmed as modified, reduced by $933,453. |
| January 15, 2025 | ED approves a group discharge: about 261,000 borrowers and about $4.5 billion in loans. |
The group discharge covers borrowers who enrolled at Ashford between March 1, 2009 and April 30, 2020: “100% discharges of their eligible federal student loans,” with no action needed. If you studied at Ashford in those years, Federal Student Aid says ED notifies affected borrowers by email.
ED based the discharge on its finding that Ashford made widespread misrepresentations about licensure, transfer credits, cost and financial aid, and the time a degree takes, among other things.
The court’s four topics work as a checklist for any online school today: your program’s total cost, which transfer credits apply, how long the courses take, and what the degree qualifies you for. Our five checks for whether an online school is legit start with accreditation.
Business degrees lead UAGC’s awards, with 1,735 bachelor’s in 2023-24
These are UAGC’s eight largest fields by awards in 2023-24, from Scorecard’s field-of-study file. Every credential is offered fully online.
| Field and credential | Awards, 2023-24 | Median earnings, 4 yrs after | Median federal debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business Administration and Management (bachelor's) | 1,735 | $71,782 | $28,125 |
| Business Administration and Management (master's) | 1,201 | $77,414 | $41,000 |
| Teacher Education (bachelor's) | 451 | $43,748 | $31,375 |
| Psychology (bachelor's) | 448 | $48,325 | $33,000 |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services (bachelor's) | 400 | $53,801 | $29,688 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections (bachelor's) | 338 | $60,144 | $28,185 |
| Human Resources Management (bachelor's) | 290 | $65,002 | $29,813 |
| Psychology (master's) | 247 | $50,601 | $41,000 |
Field names are shortened from the federal Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) categories Scorecard uses. Earnings cover graduates who finished in 2017-18 and 2018-19, in 2024 dollars; debt covers graduates who finished in 2022-23 and 2023-24.
Who UAGC fits, and the watch-outs
It fits if
- You have credits to bring. UAGC applies up to 90 transfer and prior-learning credits to a 120-credit bachelor’s.
- You want one course at a time. Undergraduate courses run 5 weeks, offered 50 weeks a year, and the catalog says students “typically take one course at a time.” Our guide to how accelerated online terms work shows the credits math.
- You serve or are a military spouse. The Liberty Grant cuts undergraduate tuition to $250 a credit for active duty, Guard and Reserve members, their spouses, and Defense Department and Coast Guard civilian employees using Tuition Assistance, with proof. 4,261 UAGC undergraduates received Tuition Assistance in 2023-24.
- You want to try before you owe. The UAGC Promise: “If you do not progress and participate in an academic activity during the fourth week of the first course of your degree program, there are no charges or debt incurred for you.”
Watch-outs
- 21% earned an award from the school within 8 years. That rate covers undergraduates who started in 2017-18, when the school was Ashford.
- Graduates’ median federal debt was $29,813. That covers graduates who entered repayment in fiscal 2024 and 2025.
- Lower incomes did not mean a lower net price. Families earning $0 to $30,000 paid an average $28,726 in 2024-25, against $15,471 for $48,001 to $75,000.
- North Carolina. UAGC’s enquiry form says: “We are currently not accepting new enrollments in the state of North Carolina.”
Check your own aid before you apply to UAGC
UAGC’s averages describe other students. The aid check applies the federal rules for the year you start (2026-27 or 2027-28) to your answers, takes about two minutes, and shows the result before any email.
For 2026-27, Pell pays up to $7,395 a year. It usually goes only to undergraduates who have not earned a bachelor’s degree, and UAGC’s financial aid office sets your actual offer.
On the same measures, College Scorecard’s October 2026 data puts Arizona State University’s online unit at a 41% eight-year rate for undergraduates who started in 2017-18 and $19,151 in median federal debt for graduates who entered repayment in fiscal 2024 and 2025, and Purdue University Global at 30% and $25,625.
Degree Sources may refer readers to schools through partners. School matching is optional, comes after your aid result, and is not an application or admission to UAGC or any school. The figures here come from federal data, UAGC’s own catalog and pages, and court and Education Department records, and this profile does not rank schools.
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Sources
Every figure in this guide comes from one of these pages. How we check sources
- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard: The University of Arizona Global Campus (UNITID 154022)
- College Scorecard data files, October 15, 2026 release
- College Scorecard data dictionary, October 15, 2026 release (cohort years)
- NCES College Navigator: The University of Arizona Global Campus (enrollment, distance education and retention, fall 2024; age, fall 2023; accreditation)
- UAGC 2026-2027 Academic Catalog (effective July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027)
- UAGC, Tuition, Financial Aid and Scholarship Options (program costs and the UAGC Promise)
- UAGC, Cost of Attendance 2026-2027
- UAGC, University of Arizona affiliation and accreditation FAQ
- UAGC, About UAGC (history)
- University of Arizona, Office of the President: Delivering on a Bright Future for Online Education at the U of A (March 27, 2026)
- WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC): The University of Arizona Global Campus
- California Attorney General: Ashford University Must Pay $22 Million in Penalties (March 7, 2022)
- California Court of Appeal, People v. Ashford University, LLC, No. D080671 (opinion, February 20, 2024)
- California Attorney General: Court of Appeal upholds $21 million penalty against Ashford University (February 20, 2024)
- Federal Student Aid, Borrower Defense Updates (Ashford University group discharge, January 15, 2025)
- Federal Student Aid, 2026-27 Federal Pell Grant maximum and minimum award amounts
- StudentAid.gov, Federal Pell Grants (undergraduates without a bachelor's degree)
Related Resources
Arizona State University Online: Cost and Outcomes (2026)
ASU Online: 43% of students finish within 8 years and graduates owe a median $19,500. Scorecard lists no tuition or net price for the online unit.
Purdue University Global Online: Cost and Outcomes (2026)
Purdue Global tuition was $10,101 in-state for 2024-25. 28% of students finish within 8 years, and graduates owe a median $26,078.
Is an online school legit? A five-minute check (2026)
A real online school is accredited by an agency the Education Department recognizes, has a College Scorecard record and takes federal aid. How to check each.