by our College Data Analytics TeamWith all of the options you have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take when you want to pursue a degree. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region ranking is part of that endeavor. You may be surprised that some normally high-priced schools offer very generous financial aid packages to those who qualify.
In This Year's Value Report:
After analyzing 139 schools in the Plains States Region , we came up with our list of those that offered the best value Associate Degree programs. Our ranking methodology focuses on different objective factors to make this determination of the best value schools. We explain more about what we look at and why we do so below.
To calculate the value of a school in our Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region ranking, we first consider its average net price of students from families making $0-$30k a year. The net price is the sum of room and board, tuition, and fees minus any financial aid that that the student receives. In addition, the overall quality of a school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how much it costs.
To make it into this list a school must offer a quality education like the schools in our Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considers factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
We go into more detail on these factors on our best value ranking methodology page.
You can scroll down to see the top schools for this ranking, but you may also want to view some of the other ranking methods listed below.
Know what field you want to major in? Make sure you check out our best value schools by major. In addition, you can select one of the links below to see the best value colleges for other degree levels.
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Washington University in St Louis tops this year’s ranking as the best value (income $0-$30k) school for associate degrees in the Plains States Region for overall quality. WUSTL is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Saint Louis, Missouri.
Washington University in St Louis has the honor of being ranked #1 in Missouri for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $0-$30k per year is $3,263.
Out of the 139 associate degree schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Metropolitan Community College landed the #2 spot on the list. MCC is a public institution located in Omaha, Nebraska.
Not only is Metropolitan Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #1 in Nebraska for overall quality. Students from families who make $0-$30k a year pay an annual average net price of $3,820.
The quality degree programs at St Charles Community College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region. SCC is located in Cottleville, Missouri and has a medium-sized student population. It is a public school.
St Charles Community College has the honor of being ranked #7 in Missouri for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $0-$30k a year pay an annual average net price of $3,111.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Garden City Community College. It ranked #4 on our 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region list. Garden City Community College is located in Garden City, Kansas and has a small student population. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Garden City Community College is ranked #8 for quality in the state of Kansas. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $0-$30k per year is $4,161.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Hennepin Technical College. It ranked #5 on our 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region list. Hennepin Technical College is a small public school located in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Hennepin Technical College is ranked #2 for quality in the state of Minnesota. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $0-$30k per year is $9,641.
Ranken Technical College did quite well in the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #6. Ranken Technical College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Saint Louis, Missouri.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Ranken Technical College is ranked #2 for quality in the state of Missouri. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $0-$30k per year is $12,506.
With a ranking of #7, Metropolitan Community College - Kansas City did quite well on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region list. MCC is a public institution located in Kansas City, Missouri.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Metropolitan Community College - Kansas City is ranked #8 for quality in the state of Missouri. Students from families who make $0-$30k a year pay an annual average net price of $5,370.
Learn More About Value at Metropolitan Community College - Kansas City
With a ranking of #8, Bismarck State College did quite well on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region list. Located in Bismarck, North Dakota, the school is a small public institution.
Not only is Bismarck State College a great value, but it is also ranked #1 in North Dakota for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $0-$30k per year is $6,825.
St Cloud Technical and Community College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region list. St Cloud Technical and Community College is a small public school located in Saint Cloud, Minnesota.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, St Cloud Technical and Community College is ranked #10 for quality in the state of Minnesota. Students from families who make $0-$30k a year pay an annual average net price of $6,663.
Read full value report on St Cloud Technical and Community College
With a ranking of #10, Dakota County Technical College did quite well on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region list. This small public school is located in Rosemount, Minnesota.
Dakota County Technical College has the honor of being ranked #6 in Minnesota for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $0-$30k a year pay an annual average net price of $9,074.
Des Moines Area Community College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region list. DMACC is a public institution located in Ankeny, Iowa.
Des Moines Area Community College has the honor of being ranked #1 in Iowa for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $0-$30k a year pay an annual average net price of $8,582.
Century College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region ranking. Century College is a medium-sized public school situated in White Bear Lake, Minnesota.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Century College is ranked #8 for quality in the state of Minnesota. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $0-$30k per year is $8,416.
Salina Area Technical College did quite well in the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #13. Salina Tech is a small public school situated in Salina, Kansas.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Salina Area Technical College is ranked #7 for quality in the state of Kansas. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $0-$30k per year is $6,848.
Northeast Community College ranked #14 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region list. Northeast is a medium-sized public school situated in Norfolk, Nebraska.
Northeast Community College has the honor of being ranked #4 in Nebraska for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $0-$30k a year pay an annual average net price of $5,976.
Lake Area Technical Institute landed the #15 spot on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region ranking. This small public school is located in Watertown, South Dakota.
Not only is Lake Area Technical Institute a great value, but it is also ranked #2 in South Dakota for overall quality. Students from families who make $0-$30k a year pay an annual average net price of $10,854.
Independence Community College came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region ranking. Independence Community College is located in Independence, Kansas and has a small student population. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Independence Community College is ranked #21 for quality in the state of Kansas. Students from families who make $0-$30k a year pay an annual average net price of $3,403.
Wichita State University Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology landed the #17 spot on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region ranking. WSU Tech is a small public school situated in Wichita, Kansas.
Wichita State University Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology has the honor of being ranked #4 in Kansas for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $0-$30k a year pay an annual average net price of $8,699.
Read full value report on Wichita State University Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology
Southeast Community College Area came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region ranking. Lincoln, Nebraska is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Southeast Community College Area is ranked #3 for quality in the state of Nebraska. Students from families who make $0-$30k a year pay an annual average net price of $6,480.
Cowley County Community College ranked #19 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region list. Arkansas City, Kansas is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Cowley County Community College has the honor of being ranked #15 in Kansas for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $0-$30k a year pay an annual average net price of $4,931.
With a ranking of #20, Missouri Southern State University did quite well on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region list. Missouri Southern is located in Joplin, Missouri and has a small student population. It is a public school.
Not only is Missouri Southern State University a great value, but it is also ranked #9 in Missouri for overall quality. Students from families who make $0-$30k a year pay an annual average net price of $8,132.
Normandale Community College came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region ranking. Normandale Community College is a medium-sized public school located in Bloomington, Minnesota.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Normandale Community College is ranked #7 for quality in the state of Minnesota. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $0-$30k per year is $9,763.
Mitchell Technical College ranked #22 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region list. Mitchell Tech is a small public school situated in Mitchell, South Dakota.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Mitchell Technical College is ranked #3 for quality in the state of South Dakota. Students from families who make $0-$30k a year pay an annual average net price of $9,397.
Dakota College at Bottineau came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region ranking. MSU-Bottineau is a public institution located in Bottineau, North Dakota.
Dakota College at Bottineau has the honor of being ranked #5 in North Dakota for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $0-$30k a year pay an annual average net price of $5,726.
Saint Louis Community College ranked #24 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region list. Bridgeton, Missouri is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Saint Louis Community College is ranked #15 for quality in the state of Missouri. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $0-$30k per year is $5,261.
With a ranking of #25, Coffeyville Community College did quite well on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region list. Coffeyville Community College is a small public school situated in Coffeyville, Kansas.
Coffeyville Community College has the honor of being ranked #26 in Kansas for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $0-$30k a year pay an annual average net price of $2,728.
View Best Value Associate Degree Schools (Income $0-$30k) Nationwide >
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These schools also performed well in our Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region ranking:
| Rank | College | Location | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | Dodge City Community College | Dodge City, KS | Value Report |
| 27 | North Dakota State College of Science | Wahpeton, ND | Value Report |
| 28 | Northwest Kansas Technical College | Goodland, KS | Value Report |
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
