2022 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts in the Far Western US Region
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for an Associate in the Far Western US Region” ranking.
With 365,980 degrees handed out in 2019-2020, liberal arts is the 2nd most popular major in the United States.
Across the Far Western US region, there were 119,619 liberal arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the associate degree level specifically, there were 55,570 liberal arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $36,689 and $18,419 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for an Associate in the Far Western US Region” ranking looked at 109 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in liberal arts. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent liberal arts programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the liberal arts program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for an Associate in the Far Western US Region” list to help you make the college decision.
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Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for an Associate in the Far Western US Region
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for an Associate in the Far Western US Region.
Top 25 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts in the Far Western US Region
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Highline College. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for an Associate in the Far Western US Region list. Des Moines, Washington is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associates’s liberal studies degrees to 618 students in 2019-2020.
Highline did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Liberal Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $7,052 for Far Western US Region Associate Degree Liberal Studies students per year to attend Highline.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Pierce College-Fort Steilacoom. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for an Associate in the Far Western US Region. Lakewood, Washington is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associates’s liberal studies degrees to 1,310 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our far western us region associate degree liberal studies students list, Pierce College-Fort Steilacoom has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Pierce College-Fort Steilacoom is $8,926 for Far Western US Region Associate Degree Liberal Studies students.
Read more about Liberal Arts at Pierce College-Fort Steilacoom
Out of the 109 schools in the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for an Associate in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Bellevue College landed the #3 spot on the list. Bellevue College is a fairly large school located in Bellevue, Washington that handed out 1,350 associates’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at BC, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Bellevue College is $7,870 for Far Western US Region Associate Degree Liberal Studies students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Shoreline Community College. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for an Associate in the Far Western US Region list. Shoreline, Washington is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associates’s liberal studies degrees to 601 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our far western us region associate degree liberal studies students list, Shoreline Community College has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $7,221 for Far Western US Region Associate Degree Liberal Studies students per year to attend Shoreline Community College.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Cascadia College. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for an Associate in the Far Western US Region list. Bothell, Washington is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associates’s liberal studies degrees to 345 students in 2019-2020.
Cascadia College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Liberal Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Cascadia College is $8,921 for far western us region associate degree liberal studies students.
Pasadena City College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for an Associate in the Far Western US Region list. Located in Pasadena, California, this large public school awarded 1,615 degrees to qualified associates’s liberal studies students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our far western us region associate degree liberal studies students list, Pasadena City College has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $2,920 for Far Western US Region Associate Degree Liberal Studies students per year to attend Pasadena City College.
South Seattle College landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for an Associate in the Far Western US Region ranking. South Seattle is a medium-sized school located in Seattle, Washington that handed out 298 associates’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at South Seattle, the school also landed the #23 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for South Seattle College is $8,468 for Far Western US Region Associate Degree Liberal Studies students.
Seattle Central College ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for an Associate in the Far Western US Region list. Seattle Central is a medium-sized school located in Seattle, Washington that handed out 483 associates’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Seattle Central, the school also landed the #25 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Seattle Central College is $3,922 for Far Western US Region Associate Degree Liberal Studies students.
Los Angeles Pierce College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for an Associate in the Far Western US Region list. Located in Woodland Hills, California, this fairly large public school handed out 1,400 diplomas to qualified associates’s liberal studies students in 2019-2020.
Pierce College not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Liberal Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Los Angeles Pierce College is $9,875 for far western us region associate degree liberal studies students.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Columbia Basin College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for an Associate in the Far Western US Region ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Pasco, Washington, and it awarded 872 associates’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at CBC, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Columbia Basin College is $9,628 for Far Western US Region Associate Degree Liberal Studies students.
Portland Community College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for an Associate in the Far Western US Region ranking. Located in Portland, Oregon, this large public school handed out 1,473 diplomas to qualified associates’s liberal studies students in 2019-2020.
Portland Community College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Liberal Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $8,914 for Far Western US Region Associate Degree Liberal Studies students per year to attend Portland Community College.
Read full report on Liberal Arts at Portland Community College
College of Southern Nevada did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for an Associate in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #12. CSN is a public institution located in Las Vegas, Nevada. The school has a large population, and it awarded 563 associates’s degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our far western us region associate degree liberal studies students list, CSN has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend College of Southern Nevada is $5,806 for far western us region associate degree liberal studies students.
Wenatchee Valley College came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for an Associate in the Far Western US Region ranking. Located in Wenatchee, Washington, this small public school awarded 516 diplomas to qualified associates’s liberal studies students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend WVC is $6,342 for Far Western US Region Associate Degree Liberal Studies students.
North Seattle College ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for an Associate in the Far Western US Region list. North Seattle is a medium-sized public school situated in Seattle, Washington. It awarded 166 associates’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $5,552 for far western us region associate degree liberal studies students per year to attend North Seattle College.
Yakima Valley College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for an Associate in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #15. YVC is a small public school situated in Yakima, Washington. It awarded 502 associates’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend YVC is $8,079 for far western us region associate degree liberal studies students.
With a ranking of #16, Golden West College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for an Associate in the Far Western US Region list. Located in Huntington Beach, California, this fairly large public school handed out 1,672 diplomas to qualified associates’s liberal studies students in 2019-2020.
Golden West College also made our “Best Liberal Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #7. It costs about $2,862 for far western us region associate degree liberal studies students per year to attend Golden West College.
El Camino College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for an Associate in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #17. Torrance, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associates’s liberal studies degrees to 685 students in 2019-2020.
El Camino College also made our “Best Liberal Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #10. The estimated yearly cost for El Camino College is $9,434 for Far Western US Region Associate Degree Liberal Studies students.
The low student loan default rate of 1.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Santa Barbara City College came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for an Associate in the Far Western US Region ranking. This fairly large school is located in Santa Barbara, California, and it awarded 567 associates’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $7,556 for Far Western US Region Associate Degree Liberal Studies students per year to attend Santa Barbara City College.
Spokane Falls Community College landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for an Associate in the Far Western US Region ranking. Spokane Falls Community College is a small school located in Spokane, Washington that handed out 697 associates’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Spokane Falls Community College is $6,763 for Far Western US Region Associate Degree Liberal Studies students.
Tacoma Community College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for an Associate in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #20. This medium-sized school is located in Tacoma, Washington, and it awarded 558 associates’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $6,504 for Far Western US Region Associate Degree Liberal Studies students per year to attend Tacoma Community College.
Read full report on Liberal Arts at Tacoma Community College
Whatcom Community College came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for an Associate in the Far Western US Region ranking. Located in Bellingham, Washington, this small public school awarded 557 degrees to qualified associates’s liberal studies students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Whatcom Community College is $7,683 for Far Western US Region Associate Degree Liberal Studies students.
Big Bend Community College landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for an Associate in the Far Western US Region ranking. Big Bend Community College is a small school located in Moses Lake, Washington that handed out 327 associates’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $6,415 for Far Western US Region Associate Degree Liberal Studies students per year to attend Big Bend Community College.
Grossmont College came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for an Associate in the Far Western US Region ranking. Grossmont College is located in El Cajon, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 655 associates’s liberal studies degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Grossmont College, the school also landed the #22 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $2,897 for far western us region associate degree liberal studies students per year to attend Grossmont College.
With a ranking of #24, Los Angeles Harbor College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for an Associate in the Far Western US Region list. LAHC is a medium-sized public school situated in Wilmington, California. It awarded 720 associates’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at LAHC, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Los Angeles Harbor College is $9,334 for Far Western US Region Associate Degree Liberal Studies students.
With a ranking of #25, Everett Community College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for an Associate in the Far Western US Region list. Everett, Washington is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associates’s liberal studies degrees to 920 students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $7,601 for far western us region associate degree liberal studies students per year to attend Everett Community College.
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Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts in the Far Western US Region
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Notes and References
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
Footnotes
- *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
- Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.
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