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 has developed its Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) ranking as one thing you can use to help make this decision. 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:
Our analysis looked at 1,312 schools in the United States to determine which ones have 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 (With Aid) ranking, we first consider its average net price, which 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 good 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:
South Texas College tops this year’s ranking as the best value (with aid) school for associate degrees in the United States for overall quality. South Texas College is located in McAllen, Texas and has a large student population. It is a public school.
Not only is South Texas College a great value, but it is also ranked #9 in Texas for overall quality. For those students who receive financial aid, the yearly average net price of the school is around $1,515.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Regional Technical College. It ranked #2 on our 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) list. Southern Regional Technical College is a small public school located in Thomasville, Georgia.
Not only is Southern Regional Technical College a great value, but it is also ranked #12 in Georgia for overall quality.
Read full value report on Southern Regional Technical College
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Lee College. It ranked #3 on our 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) list. Lee College is located in Baytown, Texas and has a medium-sized student population. It is a public school.
Lee College has the honor of being ranked #1 in Texas for overall quality on top of being a good value. For those students who receive financial aid, the yearly average net price of the school is around $7,113.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Eastern Gateway Community College. It ranked #4 on our 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) list. Eastern Gateway Community College is a large public school located in Steubenville, Ohio.
Eastern Gateway Community College has the honor of being ranked #5 in Ohio for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average net price of the school for those who receive financial aid is about $2,270 a year.
The quality degree programs at Golden West College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid). Golden West College is a fairly large public school situated in Huntington Beach, California.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Golden West College is ranked #2 for quality in the state of California. The average net price of the school for those who receive financial aid is about $5,433 a year.
With a ranking of #6, did quite well on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) list.
With a ranking of #7, Central Georgia Technical College did quite well on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) list. Central Georgia Technical College is a medium-sized public school located in Warner Robins, Georgia.
Central Georgia Technical College has the honor of being ranked #2 in Georgia for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average net price of the school for those who receive financial aid is about $3,139 a year.
Fashion Institute of Technology came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) ranking. Fashion Institute of Technology is a medium-sized public school located in New York, New York.
Not only is Fashion Institute of Technology a great value, but it is also ranked #4 in New York for overall quality. For those students who receive financial aid, the yearly average net price of the school is around $8,637.
El Centro College landed the #9 spot on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) ranking. Dallas, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
El Centro College has the honor of being ranked #7 in Texas for overall quality on top of being a good value. For those students who receive financial aid, the yearly average net price of the school is around $4,803.
Hillsborough Community College did quite well in the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) ranking, coming in at #10. HCC is located in Tampa, Florida and has a fairly large student population. It is a public school.
Hillsborough Community College has the honor of being ranked #12 in Florida for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average net price of the school for those who receive financial aid is about $2,215 a year.
Cleveland Community College landed the #11 spot on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) ranking. Shelby, North Carolina is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Not only is Cleveland Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #6 in North Carolina for overall quality. The average net price of the school for those who receive financial aid is about $1,048 a year.
Central Texas College landed the #12 spot on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) ranking. Located in Killeen, Texas, the school is a medium-sized public institution.
Central Texas College has the honor of being ranked #3 in Texas for overall quality on top of being a good value. For those students who receive financial aid, the yearly average net price of the school is around $6,285.
Coastal Pines Technical College landed the #13 spot on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) ranking. This small public school is located in Waycross, Georgia.
Not only is Coastal Pines Technical College a great value, but it is also ranked #13 in Georgia for overall quality. The average net price of the school for those who receive financial aid is about $2,331 a year.
Florida State College at Jacksonville ranked #14 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) list. Jacksonville, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Not only is Florida State College at Jacksonville a great value, but it is also ranked #10 in Florida for overall quality. The average net price of the school for those who receive financial aid is about $3,062 a year.
Read full value report on Florida State College at Jacksonville
College of Lake County landed the #15 spot on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) ranking. College of Lake County is located in Grayslake, Illinois and has a fairly large student population. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, College of Lake County is ranked #1 for quality in the state of Illinois. For those students who receive financial aid, the yearly average net price of the school is around $5,486.
St Charles Community College landed the #16 spot on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) ranking. St Charles Community College is a medium-sized public school located in Cottleville, Missouri.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, St Charles Community College is ranked #7 for quality in the state of Missouri. For those students who receive financial aid, the yearly average net price of the school is around $2,364.
Central New Mexico Community College ranked #17 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) list. CNM is a fairly large public school situated in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Central New Mexico Community College is ranked #1 for quality in the state of New Mexico. The average net price of the school for those who receive financial aid is about $5,303 a year.
Learn More About Value at Central New Mexico Community College
Pima Community College ranked #18 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) list. Pima County Community College District is located in Tucson, Arizona and has a fairly large student population. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Pima Community College is ranked #7 for quality in the state of Arizona. For those students who receive financial aid, the yearly average net price of the school is around $3,223.
Trident Technical College came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) ranking. Trident Technical College is a public institution located in Charleston, South Carolina.
Trident Technical College has the honor of being ranked #1 in South Carolina for overall quality on top of being a good value. For those students who receive financial aid, the yearly average net price of the school is around $2,514.
Houston Community College ranked #20 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) list. Houston Community College is a public institution located in Houston, Texas.
Not only is Houston Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #5 in Texas for overall quality. The average net price of the school for those who receive financial aid is about $6,108 a year.
Southwestern College ranked #21 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) list. SWC Chula Vista is a fairly large public school situated in Chula Vista, California.
Not only is Southwestern College a great value, but it is also ranked #4 in California for overall quality. For those students who receive financial aid, the yearly average net price of the school is around $6,789.
Utah Valley University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) ranking. UVU is located in Orem, Utah and has a large student population. It is a public school.
Not only is Utah Valley University a great value, but it is also ranked #1 in Utah for overall quality. The average net price of the school for those who receive financial aid is about $9,210 a year.
Moraine Valley Community College came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) ranking. Located in Palos Hills, Illinois, the school is a fairly large public institution.
Moraine Valley Community College has the honor of being ranked #14 in Illinois for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average net price of the school for those who receive financial aid is about $1,831 a year.
Montgomery College came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) ranking. Montgomery College is a public institution located in Rockville, Maryland.
Montgomery College has the honor of being ranked #2 in Maryland for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average net price of the school for those who receive financial aid is about $7,560 a year.
Honolulu Community College landed the #25 spot on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) ranking. Honolulu CC is a small public school situated in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Honolulu Community College has the honor of being ranked #1 in Hawaii for overall quality on top of being a good value. For those students who receive financial aid, the yearly average net price of the school is around $7,713.
Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
To learn more about the schools below, just click on their names:
| Rank | College | Location | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 51 | Fayetteville Technical Community College | Fayetteville, NC | Value Report |
| 52 | Moreno Valley College | Moreno Valley, CA | Value Report |
| 53 | Tallahassee Community College | Tallahassee, FL | Value Report |
| 54 | College of DuPage | Glen Ellyn, IL | Value Report |
| 54 | Frederick Community College | Frederick, MD | Value Report |
| 56 | San Antonio College | San Antonio, TX | Value Report |
| 57 | University of Phoenix - Arizona | Phoenix, AZ | Value Report |
| 58 | McLennan Community College | Waco, TX | Value Report |
| 59 | City Colleges of Chicago - Wilbur Wright College | Chicago, IL | Value Report |
| 60 | Community College of Rhode Island | Warwick, RI | Value Report |
| 61 | Ventura College | Ventura, CA | Value Report |
| 62 | Del Mar College | Corpus Christi, TX | Value Report |
| 63 | Columbus Technical College | Columbus, GA | Value Report |
| 64 | Indian River State College | Fort Pierce, FL | Value Report |
| 65 | Chattahoochee Technical College | Marietta, GA | Value Report |
| Rank | College | Location | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 191 | Weber State University | Ogden, UT | Value Report |
| 192 | Cossatot Community College of the University of Arkansas | De Queen, AR | Value Report |
| 193 | Delgado Community College | New Orleans, LA | Value Report |
| 194 | Southside Virginia Community College | Alberta, VA | Value Report |
| 195 | Camden County College | Blackwood, NJ | Value Report |
| 196 | NorthWest Arkansas Community College | Bentonville, AR | Value Report |
| 197 | Mt. Hood Community College | Gresham, OR | Value Report |
All Majors and Fields of Study >
These schools also performed well in our Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) ranking:
| Rank | College | Location | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 198 | Germanna Community College | Locust Grove, VA | Value Report |
| 199 | Patrick Henry Community College | Martinsville, VA | Value Report |
| 200 | Black Hawk College | Moline, IL | Value Report |
| 201 | Eastern New Mexico University - Roswell Campus | Roswell, NM | Value Report |
| 202 | Bellevue College | Bellevue, WA | Value Report |
| 203 | Southwest Mississippi Community College | Summit, MS | Value Report |
| 203 | Northeast Alabama Community College | Rainsville, AL | Value Report |
| 205 | Kalamazoo Valley Community College | Kalamazoo, MI | Value Report |
| 205 | Rio Salado College | Tempe, AZ | Value Report |
| 207 | Garden City Community College | Garden City, KS | Value Report |
| 208 | Chattahoochee Valley Community College | Phenix City, AL | Value Report |
| 209 | Holmes Community College | Goodman, MS | Value Report |
| 210 | Hagerstown Community College | Hagerstown, MD | Value Report |
| 211 | Odessa College | Odessa, TX | Value Report |
| 212 | Northcentral Technical College | Wausau, WI | Value Report |
| Rank | College | Location | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 253 | Aiken Technical College | Graniteville, SC | Value Report |
| 254 | Bakersfield College | Bakersfield, CA | Value Report |
| 255 | Palm Beach State College | Lake Worth, FL | Value Report |
| 256 | New Mexico State University - Dona Ana | Las Cruces, NM | Value Report |
| 256 | Rockingham Community College | Wentworth, NC | Value Report |
| 258 | Arkansas Northeastern College | Blytheville, AR | Value Report |
| 259 | Los Angeles Southwest College | Los Angeles, CA | Value Report |
| 260 | Spokane Community College | Spokane, WA | Value Report |
| 261 | Central Carolina Community College | Sanford, NC | Value Report |
| 262 | Richmond Community College | Hamlet, NC | Value Report |
| 263 | South Louisiana Community College | Lafayette, LA | Value Report |
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
