Community Organization and Advocacy at University of Phoenix-Arizona

The $50,765 in debt here stands out immediately—it's nearly double the national median for Community Organization and Advocacy programs and significantly higher than Arizona's state median of $39,049. With first-year earnings of $39,269, graduates face debt exceeding their annual income, a financial burden that will take years to resolve even with careful budgeting. This debt load ranks in the 5th percentile nationally, meaning 95% of similar programs leave students with less debt.

The earnings picture offers little compensation for this debt burden. At $39,269, graduates earn below both the national median ($41,991) and Arizona's state median ($41,214), landing in just the 40th percentile among Arizona programs. Arizona State University's Community Organization programs—available both in-person and online—demonstrate that stronger outcomes are possible in this state, with graduates earning nearly $4,000 more annually while typically carrying less debt.

For a field focused on community service and advocacy—work that's meaningful but rarely highly compensated—starting with debt that exceeds your entire first year's salary creates real hardship. Unless your child has compelling reasons to attend University of Phoenix specifically, the combination of below-average earnings and exceptionally high debt makes this program difficult to justify when Arizona State offers better outcomes in the same field at lower cost.