Arizona ESAs: The Ultimate College Coupon

Introduction: A New Way to Think About Paying for College

Families across Arizona are asking how they can afford college without taking on years of debt or relying entirely on scholarships. For many, the answer is sitting in plain sight but often overlooked. Arizona’s Empowerment Scholarship Account, better known as the ESA, offers a powerful tool that can reduce the cost of a college degree by thousands of dollars. With intentional planning, students who begin college-level work during high school can enter a university with nearly one year of college already completed.

This post will walk families through how the ESA can be used to fund dual enrollment courses while in high school, how those courses align with university degree requirements, and why dual enrollment is often more effective than traditional AP classes. This guide will show exactly how Arizona high school students can save time and money on an in-state, public college or university (Arizona State University, University of Arizona, Northern Arizona University, or Community College Districts) using ESA funds.

Understanding Arizona’s ESA Program and Who Can Use It

The Empowerment Scholarship Account is a program that provides families with public funding to support educational expenses outside the traditional public school system. These funds can be used for private school tuition, curriculum, tutoring, online programs, and most importantly for this guide, dual enrollment at a community college.

Families sometimes believe that dual enrollment is only available to students enrolled in specific public high schools. This is not accurate. In fact, Arizona’s community colleges have welcomed homeschool and school choice families for years. Whether a student is in a microschool, pod, homeschool environment, or private setting funded through ESA, they can begin dual enrollment as early as they are ready—often in ninth grade.

Using ESA funds, families can cover both the tuition and materials for community college courses. This includes general education courses, introductory major courses, and even some upper-division equivalents, depending on the program.

Why Dual Enrollment Often Offers More Value Than AP

Many parents and students are familiar with Advanced Placement, or AP courses. These courses are designed to mimic college-level rigor in a high school setting and culminate in a national exam. While AP classes can be helpful, they are often less effective for reducing the actual cost of college than direct dual enrollment with a local community college.

The main reason is that AP classes are evaluated differently by different universities. Even if a student earns a high score on the AP exam, universities may not accept it as equivalent to their own course. This is especially true for major requirements or courses in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics. Some of the most demanding AP courses in these areas are not accepted by engineering schools or pre-med programs because they prefer students to complete those foundational courses directly through a college.

In contrast, community college courses taken through dual enrollment are local and tied directly to Arizona’s public university system. A course like ENG 101 at Mesa Community College has a known and clearly established transfer value at ASU, UA, or NAU. This means the student earns the exact credit required by the university, and that credit applies to degree progress. There is no uncertainty, and no test is needed to validate it. Students simply complete the course and receive a college transcript.

In addition, AP courses were originally designed to show academic rigor for selective college admissions. While this is still true for students applying to out-of-state or highly selective universities, most Arizona families benefit more from the cost savings and transcript value of dual enrollment, particularly if their student plans to attend an in-state public college or university.

Hacking The College "Major Map"

To help illustrate how ESA-funded dual enrollment can reduce college costs, we will look at the major map for a Bachelor of Science in Political Science offered at Arizona State University. This degree's major map is a good example of the potential savings because it has a clear structure, includes a mix of general education and major courses, and allows for flexibility in electives.

The BS degree in Political Science at ASU requires a total of 120 credit hours. Of these, 45 credits must be upper-division courses, which means courses at the 300- or 400-level. These classes are not typically offered at community colleges, and in most circumstances MUST be taken when the student is enrolled at the university. We will ignore these upper-division courses for this example as those will have to be taken when the student matriculates to ASU/UA/NAU.

Beyond the upper-division credits, students must complete first-year composition, general education courses in social and behavioral sciences, humanities, mathematics, and science and society, as well as a set of major/department-specific courses. For our example, that would include Political science elective courses.

By understanding this structure, families can plan which courses a student should complete during high school using ESA funds. With strategic planning, a student can enter ASU with several credits already completed.

For a complete list of ASU major maps, visit this page.

Choosing College Classes with an ESA

Here are the core components of the degree, based on the official ASU major map for the 2025–2026 academic year. With a few exceptions, these core components are expected across most majors and degree programs. As a result, these are the courses Arizona ESA students should plan on taking while in high school to maximize their cost savings.

First-Year Composition

Students must complete:

• ENG 101 and ENG 102

  OR

• ENG 105 (combined advanced composition)

These are standard writing courses required for nearly every degree at ASU. They can be completed through most community colleges.

Mathematics

Students must complete a math course that satisfies the general studies math requirement. For Political Science, the ASU major map recommends:

• MAT 114: College Algebra

This course is offered widely through community colleges and is a good option for students who are confident in math but not specializing in a math-heavy major.

Communication

Students must take one course in communication studies. A common and widely accepted choice is:

• COM 100: Introduction to Human Communication

This course fulfills a general education requirement and is often recommended for early dual enrollment.

Social and Behavioral Sciences

Students can complete:

• PSY 101: Introduction to Psychology

• SOC 101: Introduction to Sociology

These courses are introductory in nature and offer a gentle introduction to college-level reading, writing, and discussion. They are also widely transferable and fulfill important general studies requirements.

Political Science Core

The major includes several specific political science courses that can be started early:

• POS 110: American Government and Politics

• POS 210: Political Ideologies

• POS 301: Empirical Political Inquiry

• POS 401: Political Statistics

POS 301 and POS 401 are higher-level courses and may require prerequisites or advisor approval. These are sometimes considered bottleneck courses because they are required for graduation and may have limited availability. Completing them early, while still in high school, can help a student avoid delays later.

Science and Society

The BS degree requires two Science and Society electives, with at least one at the upper-division level. These vary by student interest and advisor guidance but Science and Society courses

Related Area Electives

Students must complete twelve credit hours from related disciplines such as history, philosophy, economics, or international studies. Some of these electives can be satisfied during high school, especially if the student has a particular area of interest or future specialization.

A Sample ESA-Powered High School Plan

To help families visualize how this works, here is a sample four-year plan for a student beginning dual enrollment in ninth grade. Remember that college courses are a semester-long, making it feasible to take 2-3 courses throughout the school year.

Ninth Grade

• ENG 101: First-Year Composition I

• COM 100: Introduction to Human Communication

• PSY 101: Introduction to Psychology

Tenth Grade

• ENG 102: First-Year Composition II

• SOC 101: Introduction to Sociology

• POS 110: American Government and Politics

Eleventh Grade

• MAT 114: College Algebra

• POS 210: Political Ideologies

• Humanities elective from community college catalog

Twelfth Grade

• POS 301: Empirical Political Inquiry

• POS 401: Political Statistics

• General elective or Science and Society elective

By graduation, this student could complete 36 to 45 credits. That represents nearly one-third of a bachelor’s degree. At in-state tuition rates, this could reduce total university costs by more than ten thousand dollars. If the student graduates early or avoids a fifth year, the savings are even greater.

Tips for Making It Work Smoothly

Families who are planning to use ESA funds for dual enrollment should take several steps to make sure credits are accepted and applied correctly.

• Use Arizona’s Course Equivalency Guide to check how each community college course transfers to ASU, UA, or NAU.

• Meet with a community college advisor who is familiar with dual enrollment. Many campuses have staff who specialize in working with school choice families.

• Save all course materials, syllabi, and transcripts in case additional documentation is needed later.

• Track ESA budgets carefully to ensure that funds are spent on core academic needs first.

• Consider pacing. While it is possible to earn many credits in high school, not every student will be ready for a full college workload in ninth grade. Start with one course per semester if needed.

  
  

Conclusion: A Smarter Path to College Success

Arizona’s ESA program gives families the freedom to design a personalized education plan. For families who plan ahead, that plan can extend beyond high school and into college. By using ESA funds to pay for dual enrollment courses at community colleges, students can enter university with real credits that apply directly to their degree.

This approach does more than save money. It prepares students for academic success, builds confidence, and eliminates many of the barriers that delay graduation. With the right course selection and support, students can take ownership of their education and reduce the financial burden of college before they ever set foot on a university campus.

For families considering ASU, UA, or NAU, the opportunity is real and the path is clear. The ESA can be more than a school choice tool. It can be the ultimate college coupon.