College students often do not have enough disposable income to pay full price for a museum ticket. Many charge upwards of twenty dollars to enter and that price can climb even higher if students want to enter special exhibits or presentations.  Some, like the Phoenix Art Museum, offer free admission for First Friday among other special days, but more often than not those days are packed with visitors.

The Musical Instrument Museum is the most expensive of the museums that were visited, with a $20 adult general admission ticket and no student discount. Their new featured exhibit, The Electric Guitar, costs another $7 with a general admission ticket and $10 on its own. The cost of the museum is not accessible for many, but it’s unique mission and collection of instruments makes it worth the splurge for college students who are interested in music and its global history.

The Arizona Science Center, located in Downtown Phoenix, charges 18 dollars for general admission. They do not offer a student discount, but with a membership to the museum, people can get into the main exhibits for free. For featured exhibitions, adult tickets are $4.95, and entrance into the planetarium is an extra $9.

The Phoenix Art Museum, other than First Friday admission, charges $23 for an adult general admission ticket, and $18 with their student discount. The museum offers various presentations and workshops that range from being free to $10 admission. The Art Museum is one of the more accessible museums for college students, as it is a short walk from ASU’s downtown campus and offers several free admission days throughout the year.

The Arizona Natural History Museum provides admission to the Mesa Grande Cultural Park in addition to the museum. The museum offers a $12 adult general admission ticket and an $8 student ticket. The Cultural Park, on the other hand, is a $5 adult ticket with no discount offered. They do not have any exhibits that they charge an extra cost to visit, which makes it a great option for college students.

The Heard Museum is also in Downtown Phoenix, and arguably has the best student discount of the museums discussed. Adult general admission is $18, but with a student ID admission only costs $7.50. For students who are interested in American Indian culture, this is a great place to learn more about its history at a reasonable cost. They also participate in Frist Friday with free admission to the public. Their events, such as yoga classes, average about $10 without a museum membership.

Museums are a great place for college students to get hands-on experience into the topics that they are studying. However, many students do not see them as a viable option on a budget. For many museums in Phoenix, the offered student discounts and free admission days mean that young people do not have to miss out on the culture and history of their community.