Mesa Community College Hosts Fall Preview Day

Hundreds of high school students visited the college's Southern and Dobson campus to explore programs and dual enrollment options.

Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Secondary Education

Mesa Community College Hosts Fall Preview Day

Mesa Community College hosted a Fall Preview Day for high school students on October 30 at its Southern and Dobson campus. More than 500 students walked through an interactive tabling event introducing 25 MCC programs and student resources.

Why it matters

The recruitment team sought new ways to bring high school students to the college after a redesign of the student affairs area. The event aimed to prompt students to choose dual enrollment and explore early college programming.

More than 500 students attended the tabling event, where 25 MCC programs and student resources were presented. Four classrooms also hosted hands-on experiences, but the event's effect on enrollment has not been reported.

The players

Mesa Community College

A public community college in Mesa, Arizona, offering transfer, career, and dual enrollment programs to valley students.

Mesa Public Schools

The public school district serving Mesa, whose high schools were among those invited to the preview event.

Tempe Union High School District

A Tempe-area school district whose high schools were invited to the Fall Preview Day event.

The details

Students walked through an interactive tabling event in the Navajo Room, with activities including CPR practice, a virtual escape room, and a podcast booth. Four classrooms hosted hands-on experiences, including crime scene investigation and fingerprinting with the Social Sciences department and activities in the Human Performance Lab.

October 30, 2026: Fall Preview Day held at the Southern and Dobson campus.

Season Trajectory

The event extends Arizona's dual enrollment push by directly recruiting high school students into early college programming at Mesa Community College. It reflects a broader effort by Valley community colleges to pull high school students onto campus before they choose a post-secondary path.

Families considering MCC can use dual enrollment and early college programming to earn college credit while still in high school. The college's cheaper tuition was a draw for at least one prospective student who attended.

The takeaway

High school students exploring college options can attend open events like Fall Preview Day to see programs firsthand and ask about dual enrollment before choosing a path.