study in Tempe
A college town inside greater Phoenix, built around one of the largest universities in the United States — low costs, relentless sun, and a very large international intake.
Tempe is a university town that happens to sit inside a metropolitan area of five million people. Arizona State University is among the largest universities in the country by enrolment, with an unusually large international student body and a correspondingly well-developed support infrastructure — which makes it a soft landing for a first time abroad.
Costs are low by American standards: rents well below the coastal cities, and a compact, walkable and cyclable core around campus. Phoenix has grown into a semiconductor manufacturing centre, which has widened the engineering graduate market substantially.
The climate is the defining constraint. Summer temperatures above 40°C are routine and sustained; life moves indoors and air conditioning is a serious cost. Winters, in exchange, are close to perfect.
One very large public university across several campuses, plus community colleges that feed into it.
Arizona State University
Among the largest US universities; engineering, computer science, business, sustainability and journalism, with a very large international intake.University of Arizona
In Tucson, two hours south; astronomy, optical sciences, mining engineering and medicine.Maricopa Community Colleges
A large public college system with transfer routes into ASU at lower cost — verify SEVP certification for your specific college.Tempe is one of the cheapest options on this page. Rent, food and transport all run well below the coastal cities, and the compact campus area means many students walk or cycle. Arizona does levy a state income tax, but at a low flat rate. Air conditioning is the offsetting cost.
Against the other cities we cover in the United States, Tempe is one of the cheaper. That is our reading of this country’s own spread, not a published index.
The United States publishes no national student living-cost figure. The number your visa evidence must satisfy is the cost of attendance printed on your Form I-20.
The practical texture of the place — what a week actually looks like.
Climate
Extreme summer heat — above 40°C for extended periods — and mild, sunny winters. Cooling costs are a real line in the budget.
Getting around
A light-rail line links Tempe, Phoenix and Mesa, with buses beyond. The campus area is flat and cyclable outside the summer months.
Housing
Cheap and plentiful by US standards, with a lot of purpose-built student accommodation immediately around campus.
Working
20 hours a week on campus during term on an F-1. On a campus this large, on-campus jobs are more available than at most universities.
Community
A very large international student population with well-developed university support, plus a growing South Asian community across greater Phoenix.
Semiconductors
Major chip manufacturing investment in the Phoenix area has widened the engineering graduate market considerably.
OPT is 12 months, with a 24-month STEM extension, identically, in Arizona. The advantage here is cost, not immigration.
Tempe is the strongest low-cost option on this page for a student who wants a large university with strong international support. Be deliberate about two things: verify SEVP certification if you enter through a community college route, and take the summer heat seriously when budgeting — cooling is not optional here.
Tempe is one of 5 cities we cover in the United States. Tap any pin to compare — the city you pick moves your total cost more than almost any other choice you make.