2026 Best Value Respiratory Care Therapy/Therapist Schools in Arizona

[Respiratory Care Therapy/Therapist](/majors/health-care-professions/allied-health-professions/respiratory-care-therapy-therapist/) is a field worth comparing on the balance of cost and outcomes. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong respiratory care therapy/therapist education at a price that pays off.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 5 schools to find the best return on investment for respiratory care therapy/therapist students.
What’s on this page:
2026 Best Value Respiratory Care Therapy/Therapist Schools in Arizona
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the respiratory care therapy/therapist degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Respiratory Care Therapy/Therapist Schools
For return on investment in respiratory care therapy/therapist, no school beat Pima Community College this year. Pima Community College is a very large public school located in the city of Tucson. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $2,442, compared with $7,758 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for respiratory care therapy/therapist graduates is $9,993. Soon after graduation, respiratory care therapy/therapist degree recipients from Pima Community College generally make around $47,906. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
Students looking for strong value in respiratory care therapy/therapist will find it at Cochise College, which ranked #2. Cochise College is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Sierra Vista. Students from in state pay about $2,280 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $6,120. Typical student debt for respiratory care therapy/therapist graduates is $12,013. Respiratory Care Therapy/therapist graduates of Cochise College earn a median of $40,712 early in their careers. Set against $12,013 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
Gateway Community College Phoenix came in at #3 on our 2026 list of the best value respiratory care therapy/therapist schools. Gateway Community College Phoenix is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Phoenix. Students from in state pay about $2,358 in tuition and fees, with out-of-state students paying around $8,959. Respiratory Care Therapy/therapist graduates carry a median of $15,313 in student loans. Early-career respiratory care therapy/therapist graduates make about $60,447. Set against $15,313 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
Students looking for strong value in respiratory care therapy/therapist will find it at Pima Medical Institute Mesa, which ranked #4. Set in the city of Mesa, Pima Medical Institute Mesa is a small private for-profit institution. Students borrow a median of $30,160 to complete the respiratory care therapy/therapist program here. Respiratory Care Therapy/therapist graduates of Pima Medical Institute Mesa earn a median of $62,420 early in their careers. Set against $30,160 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
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Notes and References
This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 5 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 2 ranked schools only.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
More about our data sources and methodologies.