2023 Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree School for You
Liberal Arts General Studies is the most popular major in the United States with 142,446 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021.
When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 98 schools in the Far Western US Region to see which associate degree programs offered the best value experiences for liberal arts students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.
For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Top 15% Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools
Our 2023 rankings named South Seattle College the best value school in the Far Western US Region for liberal arts general studies students working on their associate degree. South Seattle is a small public school located in the city of Seattle.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at South Seattle are $4,831 a year. On average, liberal arts graduates from South Seattle take out $11,686 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
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Our analysis found Cascadia College to be the best value school for liberal arts general studies students who want to pursue a associate degree in the Far Western US Region . Cascadia College is a small public school located in the large suburb of Bothell.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Cascadia College are $4,768 a year. Liberal Arts majors at Cascadia College take out an average of $10,408 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
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The excellent associate degree programs at Highline College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best value liberal arts general studies schools in the Far Western US Region . Highline is a small public school located in the large suburb of Des Moines.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Highline are $4,813 per year. After completing their Associate Degree, liberal arts graduates from Highline carry an average student debtload of $10,738.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Highline also is in the top 15% of our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwest Indian College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Northwest Indian College is a fairly small public school located in the rural area of Bellingham.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Northwest Indian College are $4,374 per year. After completing their Associate Degree, liberal arts graduates from Northwest Indian College carry an average student debtload of $17,073.
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The excellent associate degree programs at North Seattle College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best value liberal arts general studies schools in the Far Western US Region . Located in the large city of Seattle, North Seattle is a public college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at North Seattle are $4,799 a year.
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With a ranking of #6, Seattle Central College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for liberal arts general studies students working on their associate degree. Located in the large city of Seattle, Seattle Central is a public college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Seattle Central are $4,670 a year. Liberal Arts majors at Seattle Central take out an average of $11,536 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
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Spokane Community College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Located in the medium-sized city of Spokane, Spokane Community College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Spokane Community College are $5,135 a year. After completing their Associate Degree, liberal arts graduates from Spokane Community College carry an average student debtload of $16,996.
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Wenatchee Valley College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for liberal arts general studies students to get a associate degree. It came in at #8 on the list. WVC is a small public school located in the city of Wenatchee.
WVC undergraduate students pay an average of $4,734 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their Associate Degree, liberal arts graduates from WVC carry an average student debtload of $9,327.
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With a ranking of #9, Umpqua Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for liberal arts general studies students working on their associate degree. Umpqua Community College is a small public school located in the rural area of Roseburg.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Umpqua Community College are $5,945 a year. After completing their Associate Degree, liberal arts graduates from Umpqua Community College carry an average student debtload of $10,786.
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Spokane Falls Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for liberal arts general studies students to get a associate degree. It came in at #10 on the list. Located in the medium-sized city of Spokane, Spokane Falls Community College is a public college with a small student population.
Spokane Falls Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,135 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their Associate Degree, liberal arts graduates from Spokane Falls Community College carry an average student debtload of $14,120.
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Pierce College-Fort Steilacoom ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Pierce College-Fort Steilacoom is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Lakewood.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Pierce College-Fort Steilacoom are $5,247 per year. While working on their Associate Degree, liberal arts majors at Pierce College-Fort Steilacoom accumulate an average of around $12,167 in student debt.
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With a ranking of #12, Shoreline Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for liberal arts general studies students working on their associate degree. Located in the suburb of Shoreline, Shoreline Community College is a public school with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Shoreline Community College are $7,013 per year. Liberal Arts majors at Shoreline Community College take out an average of $10,856 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Shoreline Community College also is in the top 20% of our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking.
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With a ranking of #13, Southwestern Oregon Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for liberal arts general studies students working on their associate degree. Located in the town of Coos Bay, SWOCC is a public school with a small student population.
SWOCC undergraduate students pay an average of $6,483 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their Associate Degree, liberal arts majors at SWOCC accumulate an average of around $12,656 in student debt.
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Yakima Valley College ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region list. YVC is a small public school located in the small city of Yakima.
YVC undergraduate students pay an average of $5,352 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their Associate Degree, liberal arts graduates from YVC carry an average student debtload of $12,313.
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Here are some additional great value schools for Liberal Arts General Studies students in the Far Western US Region seeking value that almost earned our Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 15 | Columbia Basin College | Pasco, WA |
| 16 | Lower Columbia College | Longview, WA |
| 17 | Big Bend Community College | Moses Lake, WA |
| 18 | Brandman University | Irvine, CA |
| 19 | Rogue Community College | Grants Pass, OR |
Best Liberal Arts General Studies Colleges by State
Explore the best liberal arts general studies colleges for a specific state in the Far Western US region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| California | 52,773 |
| Washington | 17,408 |
| Oregon | 8,599 |
| Nevada | 1,679 |
| Hawaii | 2,024 |
| Alaska | 417 |
More Liberal Arts General Studies Rankings in the Far Western US Region
Liberal Arts General Studies Related Majors for Liberal Arts
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- 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 the rest 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.