2026 Best Natural Sciences Associate’s Degree Schools
Looking for the best Natural Sciences associate’s degree programs in the United States? Our ranking highlights 157 colleges by overall quality and student outcomes, using our 2026 methodology. Our scores reflect factors such as graduation rate, post-graduation earnings, cost, and admissions selectivity.
So you can compare your options, Course Advisor analyzed schools to compile this 2026 ranking, drawing primarily on U.S. Department of Education data (IPEDS and College Scorecard). View our full ranking methodology.
Top 25 Natural Sciences Associate’s Degree Schools in the United States
Here are the top-ranked schools:
Our analysis found University Of Alaska Fairbanks to be the best Natural Sciences school in the United States. Located in Fairbanks, AK, University Of Alaska Fairbanks is a public institution. University Of Alaska Fairbanks graduates 39% of students within six years. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $10,083, while out-of-state students pay about $25,892. Graduates carry a median of $23,439 in student loans. More on University Of Alaska Fairbanks
Out of the 157 schools in the United States in this year's ranking, Arkansas State University Newport landed the #2 spot. Located in Newport, AR, Arkansas State University Newport is a public institution. In-state tuition and fees run about $3,312, compared with $4,752 for out-of-state students. Arkansas State University Newport Natural Sciences students take on a median of $10,925 in debt. See the full Arkansas State University Newport profile
Boston College came in at #3 on this year's Natural Sciences ranking in the United States. More on Boston College
Out of the 157 schools in the United States in this year's ranking, University At Buffalo landed the #4 spot. More on University At Buffalo
Out of the 157 schools in the United States in this year's ranking, Kapiolani Community College landed the #5 spot. See the full Kapiolani Community College profile
Morgan State University ranked #6 on our 2026 list of the best Natural Sciences schools. See the full Morgan State University profile
Eckerd College came in at #7 in this year's ranking. Read the full report on Eckerd College
Lewis Clark State College did well this year, earning the #8 position. Read the full report on Lewis Clark State College
California State University Los Angeles ranked #9 on our 2026 list of the best Natural Sciences schools. See the full California State University Los Angeles profile
Concordia College At Moorhead ranked #10 on our 2026 list of the best Natural Sciences schools. See the full Concordia College At Moorhead profile
Missouri State University Springfield did well this year, earning the #11 position. More on Missouri State University Springfield
Rochester Community And Technical College came in at #12 in this year's ranking. More on Rochester Community And Technical College
Loyola Marymount University ranked #13 on our 2026 list of the best Natural Sciences schools. Get the full Loyola Marymount University report
Felician College
Felician College landed the #14 spot in the United States this year. See the full Felician College profile
Alverno College
Alverno College landed the #15 spot in the United States this year. Get the full Alverno College report
Ohio State University Main Campus placed #16 among Natural Sciences schools in the United States. Get the full Ohio State University Main Campus report
Harrisburg University Of Science And Technology came in at #17 in this year's ranking. Get the full Harrisburg University Of Science And Technology report
Rio Salado College ranked #18 on our 2026 list of the best Natural Sciences schools. Read more about Rio Salado College
Redlands Community College ranked #19 on our 2026 list of the best Natural Sciences schools. Read the full report on Redlands Community College
Christian Brothers University landed the #20 spot in the United States this year. Get the full Christian Brothers University report
Honolulu Community College landed the #21 spot in the United States this year. See the full Honolulu Community College profile
University Of Nebraska At Omaha ranked #22 on our 2026 list of the best Natural Sciences schools. Read more about University Of Nebraska At Omaha
Pepperdine University came in at #23 in this year's ranking. Read more about Pepperdine University
Wagner College
Wagner College ranked #24 on our 2026 list of the best Natural Sciences schools. Get the full Wagner College report
Paradise Valley Community College ranked #25 on our 2026 list of the best Natural Sciences schools. Read the full report on Paradise Valley Community College
Rest of the Top 50 Best Natural Sciences Associate’s Degree Schools in the United States
These schools also placed among the very best this year:
San Jose State University did well this year, earning the #26 position. Read more about San Jose State University
Colorado State University Pueblo came in at #27 in this year's ranking. See the full Colorado State University Pueblo profile
Inver Hills Community College landed the #28 spot in the United States this year. More on Inver Hills Community College
South Mountain Community College ranked #29 on our 2026 list of the best Natural Sciences schools. More on South Mountain Community College
Kauai Community College came in at #30 in this year's ranking. Get the full Kauai Community College report
Johns Hopkins University landed the #31 spot in the United States this year. See the full Johns Hopkins University profile
San Francisco State University came in at #32 in this year's ranking. Get the full San Francisco State University report
Henderson State University did well this year, earning the #33 position. Get the full Henderson State University report
University Of Massachusetts Amherst did well this year, earning the #34 position. Read the full report on University Of Massachusetts Amherst
Franciscan University Of Steubenville landed the #35 spot in the United States this year. Read the full report on Franciscan University Of Steubenville
Glendale Community College Glendale Az ranked #36 on our 2026 list of the best Natural Sciences schools. See the full Glendale Community College Glendale Az profile
Dominican University landed the #37 spot in the United States this year. Read more about Dominican University
Leeward Community College came in at #38 in this year's ranking. See the full Leeward Community College profile
Erie Community College landed the #39 spot in the United States this year. See the full Erie Community College profile
Excelsior College placed #40 among Natural Sciences schools in the United States. Read the full report on Excelsior College
Scottsdale Community College did well this year, earning the #41 position. Read more about Scottsdale Community College
New York University placed #42 among Natural Sciences schools in the United States. Read the full report on New York University
Lincoln University Missouri came in at #43 in this year's ranking. Read the full report on Lincoln University Missouri
Northwest State Community College landed the #44 spot in the United States this year. Read the full report on Northwest State Community College
University Of Arizona did well this year, earning the #45 position. Read more about University Of Arizona
Kansas State University landed the #46 spot in the United States this year. Get the full Kansas State University report
Colorado State University Fort Collins landed the #47 spot in the United States this year. See the full Colorado State University Fort Collins profile
Edgewood College
Edgewood College did well this year, earning the #48 position. See the full Edgewood College profile
Bayamon Central University did well this year, earning the #49 position. Read the full report on Bayamon Central University
Duke University
Duke University came in at #50 in this year's ranking. Read more about Duke University
Related Natural Sciences Rankings
Explore other degree levels:
- Best Natural Sciences Schools (All Levels)
- Best Natural Sciences Certificate Degree Schools
- Best Natural Sciences Undergraduate Certificate Degree Schools
- Best Natural Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools
- Best Natural Sciences Graduate Certificate Degree Schools
- Best Natural Sciences Master’s Degree Schools
- Best Natural Sciences Doctoral Degree Schools
Ranking Methodology & Notes
These rankings are produced by Course Advisor (DMS_RANKING_2023), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on a blend of student outcomes (graduation rate, post-graduation earnings), affordability, and admissions data drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: Dms College Quality · Scope: Nation. *Averages shown above reflect the top 157 ranked schools only.
References
- Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) — National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education (core institutional data).
- College Scorecard — U.S. Department of Education (graduate earnings and outcomes data).
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