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Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region

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2023 Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

98 Colleges
$6,185 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$24,682 Avg Salary

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.

2023 Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region

Check out the liberal arts associate degree programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.

Top 15% Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools

#1

South Seattle College

Seattle, WA

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.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at South Seattle College

#1

Cascadia College

Bothell, WA

Our 2023 rankings named Cascadia College the best value school in the Far Western US Region for liberal arts general studies students working on their associate degree. Cascadia College is a small public school located in the large suburb of Bothell.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cascadia College are $4,768 per year. Liberal Arts majors at Cascadia College take out an average of $10,408 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read More…

#3

Highline College

Des Moines, WA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Highline College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Highline is a small public school located in the large suburb of Des Moines.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Highline are $4,813 a year. After completing their Associate Degree, liberal arts graduates from Highline carry an average student debtload of $10,738.

Highline also claimed a spot on our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.

Full Liberal Arts General Studies at Highline College Report

#4

Northwest Indian College

Bellingham, WA

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 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.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Northwest Indian College

#5

North Seattle College

Seattle, WA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend North Seattle College. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Located in the large city of Seattle, North Seattle is a public school 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.

Full Liberal Arts General Studies at North Seattle College Report

#6

Seattle Central College

Seattle, WA

Seattle Central 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 #6 on the list. Located in the city of Seattle, Seattle Central is a public college with a small student population.

Seattle Central undergraduate students pay an average of $4,670 in tuition and fees each 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 landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree liberal arts general studies programs. Located in the midsize city of Spokane, Spokane Community College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

Spokane 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 Community College carry an average student debtload of $16,996.

Full Liberal Arts General Studies at Spokane Community College Report

#8

Wenatchee Valley College

Wenatchee, WA

Wenatchee Valley College ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region list. WVC is a small public school located in the city of Wenatchee.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at WVC are $4,734 a year. After completing their Associate Degree, liberal arts graduates from WVC carry an average student debtload of $9,327.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Wenatchee Valley College

#9

Umpqua Community College

Roseburg, OR

Umpqua 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 #9 on the list. Umpqua Community College is a small public school located in the rural area of Roseburg.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Umpqua Community College are $5,945 per year. After completing their Associate Degree, liberal arts graduates from Umpqua Community College carry an average student debtload of $10,786.

Full Liberal Arts General Studies at Umpqua Community College Report

With a ranking of #10, Spokane Falls 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 midsize city of Spokane, Spokane Falls Community College is a public school 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.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Spokane Falls Community College

With a ranking of #11, Pierce College-Fort Steilacoom did quite well on this year’s best value schools for liberal arts general studies students working on their associate degree. Pierce College-Fort Steilacoom is a medium-sized public school located in the small city of Lakewood.

Pierce College-Fort Steilacoom undergraduate students pay an average of $5,247 in tuition and fees each 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.

Read More…

#12

Shoreline Community College

Shoreline, WA

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 large suburb of Shoreline, Shoreline Community College is a public college with a small student population.

Shoreline Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $7,013 in tuition and fees each 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.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Shoreline Community College

Southwestern Oregon Community College landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree liberal arts general studies programs. Located in the town of Coos Bay, SWOCC is a public school with a small student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SWOCC are $6,483 per year. While working on their Associate Degree, liberal arts majors at SWOCC accumulate an average of around $12,656 in student debt.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Southwestern Oregon Community College

#14

Yakima Valley College

Yakima, WA

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.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at YVC are $5,352 a year. After completing their Associate Degree, liberal arts graduates from YVC carry an average student debtload of $12,313.

Full Liberal Arts General Studies at Yakima Valley College Report

Additional Noteworthy Schools

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 schools 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

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.

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