The Maricopa County College District stands to receive millions of dollars in state funding from the recently signed $17.6 billion Arizona budget.
Gov. Katie Hobbs signed on June 27 the fiscal year 2026 budget, which includes a significant financial investment in Arizona’s community college districts.
“Investments made in this year’s budget will allow Maricopa Community Colleges to expand on the life-changing opportunities our 10 colleges provide to more than 140,000 students, many of whom will go on to lead, innovate, and serve within our local communities," said Dr. Steven R. Gonzales, Chancellor of Maricopa Community Colleges, in a press release release.
The district has colleges in Glendale, Avondale, Mesa, Chandler-Gilbert, Tempe and Phoenix.
Here’s how the newly approved budget will impact Maricopa Community Colleges, as outlined by the release:
• MCC will receive $8.44 million in STEM formula funding. This year’s allocation reflects the full amount based on the system’s full-time student equivalency. In previous years, STEM funding has supported various programs, including advanced manufacturing, cybersecurity, and nursing, among others.
• $6 million for adult education, which supports adult students completing their High School Equivalency diploma, high school graduates looking to review basic academic skills and non-English speaking learners.
• $1.5 million to support dual-enrollment scholarship opportunities statewide. Maricopa Community Colleges enrolled more than 25,800 high school students in dual enrollment programs during the previous academic year.
• $1.5 million to support a fourth year of statewide funding for the Nursing Expansion Pilot Grant. Funding has enabled growth across the eight colleges that offer nursing programs, including classroom renovations and upgrades to supplies and lab equipment to ensure high-quality instruction. As the largest integrated health care education system in the state, Maricopa Community Colleges produces one-third of Arizona’s nurses.
• Approximately $2 million in first-time funding for the Community College Promise Scholarship, with $900,000 ongoing each year going forward.
• Roughly $9 million in additional funding for the Arizona Teachers Academy. This spring, the passage of House Bill 2765 expanded Arizona Teachers Academy scholarship access to community college bachelor’s of education students. Maricopa Community Colleges offers two education-focused bachelor’s degree programs at four colleges.
• $250,000 to establish a wrestling scholarship at Maricopa Community Colleges.
