Rio Salado College is a part of the Maricopa Community College System in Tempe, Arizona. The community college offers certificates and degrees. Some programs available include accounting, creative writing, general business, law enforcement, education and retail management. Classes are available on the weekend, nights, days and online.
Rio Salado College is a part of the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships. Seniors and juniors may enroll in classes at RSC while attending high school. In addition, qualified freshmen and sophomores are eligible. The dual enrollment is available in more than 50 local high schools in the Tempe area. Classes that the student passes and earns credit for are transferable to the university the student selects. To qualify for admission in the dual enrollment program, a student must have one of the following: a 93 or higher on the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT), a 930 or higher on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) or 22 or higher on the American College Test (ACT), finished reading placement test for classes other than English 101 or math, or met or exceed the reading section of the Arizona's Instrument to Measure Standards Test.
Rio Salado College has alliances with the military, other universities and the AARP of Arizona. The school also partners with Arizona public universities and private institutions in and out of state to obtain a bachelor's degree. An adviser can help with selecting the classes that will transfer to the desired university. In-state partners include Arizona State University, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Midwestern University. Out-of-state partners include Clark Atlanta University, Cleveland Chiropractic College, Rochester Institute of Technology and New Mexico State University.
In addition, the school has a military partnership in which soldiers can take classes online. Also, the AARP of Arizona and Rio Salado College have an alliance to help the increasing population of people 50 and older.