| Rio Salado College | |
| Other Name: | RSC |
| Type: | Public community college |
| Affiliation: | Maricopa County Community College District |
| President: | Kate Smith |
| Students: | 52,881 (2016-17) |
| City: | Tempe |
| State: | Arizona |
| Country: | United States |
| Campus: | Urban |
| Free Label: | Branches |
| Free: | Avondale Luke Air Force Base Phoenix Queen Creek Surprise |
| Colors: | Blue, Sky Blue and Navy Blue |
| Athletics Nickname: | Rio Waves |
| Mascot: | Splash |
| Website: | www.riosalado.edu |
Rio Salado College is a public community college headquartered in Tempe, Arizona United States. It is part of the Maricopa County Community College District and accredited by The Higher Learning Commission. It offers associate degree and certificate programs in online, in-person, and hybrid formats.
Rio Salado College was founded on March 14, 1978[1] as one of 10 Maricopa Community Colleges. At the time, the college offered remote classrooms in 180 facilities throughout the Valley of the Sun.[2] Rio Salado College offered its first online classes in 1996 and by 2006 had converted a majority of its course offerings to an online format. The school is recognized as a leader in higher education innovation,[3] specializing in online education and distance learning.
Rio Salado College is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission.
The administrative headquarters of Rio Salado College are in Tempe, Arizona. Rio Salado relocated from its original location in Phoenix to Tempe in 1996. The Tempe location houses three main buildings: The Conference Center at Rio, the Tower at Rio, and the Rio at Hohokam administrative building.[4]
Rio Salado College is affiliated with 15 physical locations across Maricopa county including 11 RSC locations, two Communiversities, SPOT 127 Youth Media Center and the East Valley Veterans Education Center. Services and hours of operation vary by location. The college also provides educational services through its incarcerated re-entry program at ASPC-Lewis and ASPC-Perryville.[5] In addition to College Bridge Pathways programming[6] that includes: Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, Adults Achieving a College Education, High School Equivalency preparation, English Language Acquisition for Adults and STAR-Path Model options at Avondale, RSC Lifelong Learning Center, and RSC Thomas.
The Rio Salado College School of Dental Hygiene offers an accredited dental hygiene program. The school has been training students since 1998. It is a partnership between Rio Salado College, The Arizona Dental Association and Delta Dental Insurance. The School of Dental Hygiene moved from the West Valley to its current location at the Tempe HQ in 2012.[7]