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Arizona: school, college and career rules

Arizona requires 22 credits and a passing civics test for a diploma, gives in-state tuition after one year of domicile, and covers public university tuition for eligible low-income residents through the Arizona Promise Program.

Population7,623,818Rank 14 of 51 · Census, July 1, 2025
State testAASA, AzSCI and ACTArizona's Academic Standards Assessment (AASA), Arizona's science t...
State grantArizona Promise ProgramArizona Board of Regents (ABOR)
Checked22 Oct 2026Re-check by Apr 2027
Diploma requirements In-state tuition State boardsAll colleges in Arizona

Census
Annual Estimates of Resident Population Change for the United States, States, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and State Rankings: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2025 (NST-EST2025-POPCHG2020-2025, CSV)U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program (Vintage 2025)
Checked
21 Oct 2026

Linked from the State Population Totals 2020-2025 page (census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-state-total.html); population and rank copied from the POPESTIMATE2025 and NRANK_POPEST2025 columns.

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Every fact below is copied from Arizona's own pages or the agency named in its source chip.

High school diploma

Arizona Administrative Code R7-2-302 (State Board of Education). Districts and charter schools may require more.

A.A.C.
Arizona Administrative Code R7-2-302, Minimum Course of Study and Competency Requirements for Graduation from High School (Title 7, Chapter 2, Supp. 25-4, PDF)Arizona Secretary of State, Administrative Code (State Board of Education rule)
Checked
22 Oct 2026

Read through the Internet Archive capture of 10 July 2026 (apps.azsos.gov is behind a Cloudflare check that blocks scripted reads).

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SubjectState minimum
English (or English as a Second Language)4 credits
Social studies3 credits: American and Arizona history, world history/geography, ½ American government and ½ economics
Mathematics4 credits: Algebra I, geometry and Algebra II content, and a fourth credit with significant math content
Science3 credits
Arts or career and technical education1 credit
Additional courses set by the district or charter school7 credits

22 credits minimum.

State tests for the diploma

Students must also pass a civics test identical to the civics part of the U.S. naturalization test: from the graduating class of 2026, at least 70 correct answers out of 100 (60 through the class of 2025). Schools may give it from grade 7, and students may retake it until they pass.

A.A.C.
Arizona Administrative Code R7-2-302, Minimum Course of Study and Competency Requirements for Graduation from High School (Title 7, Chapter 2, Supp. 25-4, PDF)Arizona Secretary of State, Administrative Code (State Board of Education rule)
Checked
22 Oct 2026

Read through the Internet Archive capture of 10 July 2026 (apps.azsos.gov is behind a Cloudflare check that blocks scripted reads).

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State test: AASA, AzSCI and ACT

Arizona's Academic Standards Assessment (AASA), Arizona's science test (AzSCI), ACT Aspire and the ACT. State law (A.R.S. 15-741) tells the State Board to adopt a statewide assessment of reading, writing and mathematics in at least four grades; the Board may also test science and social studies.

A.R.S.
A.R.S. 15-741, Assessment of pupilsArizona State Legislature
Checked
22 Oct 2026
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TestSubjectsGrades
AASAEnglish language arts (including writing) and mathematicsGrades 3–8
AzSCIScienceGrades 5, 8 and 11
ACT AspireEnglish, math, reading, science and writingGrade 9
ACTEnglish, math, reading, science and writingGrade 11

Source:

ADE
2024-2025 Statewide Achievement Assessments (PDF)Arizona Department of Education
Checked
22 Oct 2026

Read through the Internet Archive capture of 22 March 2025; azed.gov is behind Cloudflare and its newer assessment pages could not be opened from India.

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What the scores are used for

  • The State Board uses the scores to evaluate schools, set intervention strategies for schools below the standard and review district results every year; students are not required to meet the science or social studies standards on the state test.
    A.R.S.
    A.R.S. 15-741, Assessment of pupilsArizona State Legislature
    Checked
    22 Oct 2026
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National tests (SAT, ACT, AP, NAEP) are on the Exams hub.

Public colleges and universities

The state's public university system(s) and community colleges, from their own pages.

Sources:

ABOR
Arizona Board of RegentsArizona Board of Regents
Checked
22 Oct 2026
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AZ Community Colleges
Arizona Community CollegesArizona Community Colleges
Checked
22 Oct 2026
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Every school in Arizona, public and private, with cost and completion: 126 colleges, community colleges and trade schools, with 10 city pages.

In-state tuition: the residency rule

Public colleges charge less to state residents. Who counts as a resident is set by state law or the college system, not by where you went to school alone.

  • A.R.S. 15-1802: you are not entitled to in-state status until you have been domiciled in Arizona for one year.
    A.R.S.
    A.R.S. 15-1802, In-state student statusArizona State Legislature
    Checked
    22 Oct 2026
    View source
  • Exceptions apply to a person domiciled in Arizona whose parent is domiciled in the state and can claim them as a tax dependent, to employees transferred to Arizona (and their spouses), to some school district employees and to spouses of residents.
    A.R.S.
    A.R.S. 15-1802, In-state student statusArizona State Legislature
    Checked
    22 Oct 2026
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The college's residency office makes the final decision. More on costs: What college costs.

State financial aid

Run by the Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR). Federal aid (Pell Grants, loans) starts with the FAFSA: FAFSA, grants and loans.

Arizona Promise Program

Guaranteed scholarship that covers remaining tuition and fees at Arizona's public universities after other aid, for Arizona residents who graduated from high school with at least a 2.5 GPA, receive a federal Pell Grant and enroll at an Arizona public university. File the FAFSA by April 1 of senior year for priority. Housing, meals, parking and books are not covered.

ABOR
Arizona Promise ProgramArizona Board of Regents
Checked
22 Oct 2026
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Licensing boards

Lawyers, doctors, CPAs and nurses need a Arizona license from a state board, even after passing a national exam. These are the boards that grant it.

LicenseArizona boardExam
Lawyer
How bar admission works		Arizona Supreme Court Committees on Examinations and Character and FitnessUniform Bar Exam (MBE, MEE and MPT). MPRE required (passing score 85). NextGen UBE from July 2027.
NCBE
Arizona: bar admission informationNational Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE)
Checked
22 Oct 2026

Bar admission agency, the NCBE exams the jurisdiction requires, MPRE passing score and NextGen UBE plans. NCBE advises checking the agency itself for the latest rules.

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Physician
How a medical license works		Arizona Medical Board
Arizona Board of Osteopathic Examiners in Medicine and Surgery		USMLE (M.D.) or COMLEX-USA (D.O.); Arizona has more than one board, as listed
FSMB
Contact a State Medical BoardFederation of State Medical Boards (FSMB)
Checked
22 Oct 2026

Directory of every state's medical (and separate osteopathic) board. fsmb.org answers automated reads with 403, so it was read from the Internet Archive capture of 14 Sep 2026; each board link was then opened on 22 Oct 2026, through the board's site or, where it blocks reads from India, its latest archive capture.

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CPA
How the CPA license works		Arizona State Board of AccountancyUniform CPA Examination
NASBA
State Boards of AccountancyNational Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA)
Checked
22 Oct 2026

Directory of the 55 boards of accountancy. nasba.org answers automated reads with 403, so it was read from the Internet Archive capture of 15 Oct 2026; board links that had moved were replaced with the board's current page, opened on 22 Oct 2026.

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Registered nurse
How the RN license works		Arizona State Board of NursingNCLEX-RN · Nurse Licensure Compact member since Jan. 19, 2018
NCSBN
Contact Arizona State Board of NursingNational Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN)
Checked
22 Oct 2026
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NCSBN / NLC
NLC states and implementation dates (NLC map, PDF)National Council of State Boards of Nursing (Nurse Licensure Compact)
Checked
7 Oct 2026
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Engineering, teaching, real estate, cosmetology and the trades have their own boards: all professional licenses · trades and apprenticeships.

State and city government jobs

Federal jobs are on USAJOBS; state and city governments hire through their own systems.

AZ State Jobs

State of Arizona

  1. Search and apply for State of Arizona jobs; the state lists more than 1,700 types of careers under one employer.
  2. The site lists the benefits, including paid holidays, leave, insurance and a pension.

Source:

azstatejobs.gov
AZ State JobsState of Arizona
Checked
22 Oct 2026
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Police, fire and other public-safety routes: Public Service & Safety hub.

Registered apprenticeship

Arizona has a State Apprenticeship Agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor.

Apprenticeship.gov
The Apprenticeship System: Office of Apprenticeship (OA) and recognized State Apprenticeship Agency (SAA) statesU.S. Department of Labor, Office of Apprenticeship
Checked
21 Oct 2026

California is listed under both OA and SAA.

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Source:

DES
Apprenticeship ProgramArizona Department of Economic Security
Checked
22 Oct 2026
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Sources

Where these facts come from

Official and primary sources only, each checked on the date shown. Rules on testing, aid, licensing and immigration change, so confirm a detail with its source before you rely on it.