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Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in Massachusetts

2023 Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in Massachusetts

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

17 Colleges
$7,130 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$24,682 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree School for You

In 2020-2021, liberal arts general studies students earned 3,382 degrees and certificates from a Massachusetts school, making the subject the 6th in the state.

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in Massachusetts ranking. This report analyzed 17 schools in Massachusetts to see which ones offered the best value associate degree programs for liberal arts students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. 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.

Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

Top 10 Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools

#1

Massachusetts Bay Community College

Wellesley Hills, MA

Our analysis found Massachusetts Bay Community College to be the best value school for liberal arts general studies students who want to pursue a associate degree in Massachusetts. MassBay Community College is a small public school located in the suburb of Wellesley Hills.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at MassBay Community College are $5,376 a year. Liberal Arts majors at MassBay Community College take out an average of $10,393 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

MassBay Community College also took the #2 spot in our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in Massachusetts rankings.

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#2

Cape Cod Community College

West Barnstable, MA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Cape Cod Community College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in Massachusetts list. Located in the city of West Barnstable, Cape Cod Community College is a public school with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Cape Cod Community College are $5,352 a year. Liberal Arts majors at Cape Cod Community College take out an average of $8,296 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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#3

Bristol Community College

Fall River, MA

Out of the 17 schools in Massachusetts that were part of this year’s ranking, Bristol Community College landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the suburb of Fall River, Bristol is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Bristol undergraduate students pay an average of $5,208 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, liberal arts graduates from Bristol take out $9,244 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means North Shore Community College is a great value for liberal arts general studies students working on their associate degree. North Shore Community College is a small public school located in the suburb of Danvers.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at North Shore Community College are $5,352 a year. While working on their Associate Degree, liberal arts majors at North Shore Community College accumulate an average of around $10,881 in student debt.

North Shore Community College also made our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in Massachusetts list, coming in at #5.

Full Liberal Arts General Studies at North Shore Community College Report

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Out of the 17 schools in Massachusetts that were part of this year’s ranking, Springfield Technical Community College landed the # 4 spot on the list. STCC is a small public school located in the city of Springfield.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at STCC are $5,520 per year. On average, liberal arts graduates from STCC take out $10,829 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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Middlesex 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 #6 on the list. Middlesex Community College is a medium-sized public school located in the large suburb of Bedford.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Middlesex Community College are $6,048 per year. While working on their Associate Degree, liberal arts majors at Middlesex Community College accumulate an average of around $10,419 in student debt.

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With a ranking of #7, Mount Wachusett 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 rural area of Gardner, MWCC is a public school with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at MWCC are $5,668 per year. After completing their Associate Degree, liberal arts graduates from MWCC carry an average student debtload of $11,871.

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Northern Essex 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 #8 on the list. Located in the large suburb of Haverhill, NECC is a public college with a small student population.

NECC undergraduate students pay an average of $5,544 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their Associate Degree, liberal arts majors at NECC accumulate an average of around $12,264 in student debt.

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Massasoit Community College landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree liberal arts general studies programs. Massasoit Community College is a medium-sized public school located in the suburb of Brockton.

Massasoit Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,160 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their Associate Degree, liberal arts majors at Massasoit Community College accumulate an average of around $10,234 in student debt.

Massasoit Community College also took the #4 spot in our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in Massachusetts rankings.

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#10

Greenfield Community College

Greenfield, MA

Greenfield Community College landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree liberal arts general studies programs. Located in the distant town of Greenfield, Greenfield Community College is a public college with a small student population.

Greenfield Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,642 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, liberal arts graduates from Greenfield Community College take out $9,196 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Colleges in the New England Region

Explore all the Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Colleges in the New England Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Connecticut 2,207
New Hampshire 2,654
Maine 630
Rhode Island 1,275
Vermont 305

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 17 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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