2023 Best Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania
It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Also there are many trade schools and bpptcamp that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. This report analyzed 61 schools in Pennsylvania to see which ones offered the best associate degree programs for students. The factors used to develop this ranking include those related to how in-demand the school us, the overall quality of the school, and post-graduation wages, and more.
View our full ranking methodology.
Featured schools near , edit
Top Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our 2023 rankings named Elizabethtown College the best school in Pennsylvania for students working on their associate degree.
The average tuition and fees at Etown is $34,600. In-state students do not receive a discount, however you may be able to reduce your price if you receive financial aid. On average, associate degree students take out $19,362 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Online courses are available at Etown, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 71% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Thomas Jefferson University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania list.
If you want to attend Thomas Jefferson University, expect to pay an average of $42,966 in tuition and fees. Of course, this could be reduced if you receive financial aid. On average, associate degree students take out $37,956 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Thomas Jefferson University does have options available for those who want to take online classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. In 2019-2020 about 96% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Out of the 61 schools in Pennsylvania that were part of this year’s ranking, Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus landed the # 3 spot on the list.
Full-time students from Pennsylvania pay an average of $13,144 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend IUP. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $18,897.
IUP does offer online classes for certain degree levels. In 2019-2020 about 59% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Read full report on Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus
Out of the 61 schools in Pennsylvania that were part of this year’s ranking, Edinboro University of Pennsylvania landed the # 4 spot on the list.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at Edinboro is $10,543. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $15,062. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $20,315 in student loans.
Edinboro does have options available for those who want to take online classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. During the 2019-2020 year, about 98% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
The excellent associate degree programs at Clarion University of Pennsylvania helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools in Pennsylvania.
Students from Pennsylvania who attend Clarion University full time pay an average of $11,173 in tuition and fees. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $16,052. On average, associate degree students take out $24,043 in loans while pursuing their degree.
One thing to take note of is that Clarion University does offer online classes in some areas. During the 2019-2020 year, about 79% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Harcum College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree programs.
On average, associate degree students take out $27,132 in loans while pursuing their degree.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at Harcum College. In fact, around 87% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
University of Scranton did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students to get an associate degree. It came in at #7 on the list.
The average tuition and fees at University of Scranton is $48,462. In-state students do not receive a discount, however you may be able to reduce your price if you receive financial aid.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at University of Scranton. In 2019-2020 about 95% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Widener University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree programs.
The average tuition and fees at Widener is $49,706. In-state students do not receive a discount, however you may be able to reduce your price if you receive financial aid. Associate Degree recipients from Widener accumulate an average of $20,552 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at Widener. In 2019-2020 about 99% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
University of Pittsburgh - Titusville came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania ranking.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at Pitt Titusville is $11,792. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $21,882. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $21,755 in student loans.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Pitt Titusville. In 2019-2020 about 91% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
With a ranking of #10, Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working on their associate degree.
The average tuition and fees at Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology is $8,450. In-state students do not receive a discount, however you may be able to reduce your price if you receive financial aid. Associate Degree recipients from Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology accumulate an average of $10,250 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology is primarily an online school, so it is a great choice for returning adults and students who work full time.
Gannon University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students to get an associate degree. It came in at #11 on the list.
Gannon does not offer a discount to in-state students, so the average tuition and fees for all undergraduates is $35,541. This amount may be reduced if you receive financial aid.
Online courses are available at Gannon, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In 2019-2020 about 48% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
California University of Pennsylvania landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree programs.
Students from Pennsylvania who attend Cal U full time pay an average of $11,108 in tuition and fees. Out-of-state students pay an average of $15,726. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $27,033 in student loans.
Cal U does have options available for those who want to take online classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. In 2019-2020 about 64% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Pennsylvania College of Technology landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree programs.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at Penn College is $17,610. Out-of-state students pay an average of $25,170. Associate Degree recipients from Penn College accumulate an average of $25,119 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Online courses are available at Penn College, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In fact, around 48% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
York College of Pennsylvania ranked #14 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania list.
If you want to attend YCP, expect to pay an average of $22,350 in tuition and fees. Of course, this could be reduced if you receive financial aid.
Online courses are available at YCP, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In 2019-2020 about 27% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Bucks County Community College came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania ranking.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at Bucks County Community College is $9,098. Out-of-state students pay an average of $13,298. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $14,131 in student loans.
One thing to take note of is that Bucks County Community College does offer online classes in some areas. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 57% took at least some of their classes online.
Montgomery County Community College came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania ranking.
Full-time students from Pennsylvania pay an average of $10,350 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend Montco. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $14,970. On average, associate degree students take out $16,836 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Montco does have options available for those who want to take online classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. In fact, around 91% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Central Penn College came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania ranking.
If you want to attend Central Penn, expect to pay an average of $18,714 in tuition and fees. Of course, this could be reduced if you receive financial aid. Associate Degree recipients from Central Penn accumulate an average of $25,865 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Central Penn does offer online classes for certain degree levels. During the 2019-2020 year, about 85% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Harrisburg Area Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students to get an associate degree. It came in at #18 on the list.
In-state students pay an average of $8,295 in tuition and fees if they attend HACC full time. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $9,818. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $22,678 in student loans.
HACC does offer online classes for certain degree levels. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 50% took at least some of their classes online.
La Roche University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania list.
La Roche does not offer a discount to in-state students, so the average tuition and fees for all undergraduates is $31,570. This amount may be reduced if you receive financial aid.
One thing to take note of is that La Roche does offer online classes in some areas. In 2019-2020 about 57% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Strayer University - Pennsylvania did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students to get an associate degree. It came in at #20 on the list.
The average tuition and fees at Strayer University - Pennsylvania is $13,515. In-state students do not receive a discount, however you may be able to reduce your price if you receive financial aid. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $30,752 in student loans.
Strayer University - Pennsylvania is primarily an online school, so it is a great choice for returning adults and students who work full time.
With a ranking of #21, Gwynedd Mercy University did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working on their associate degree.
The average tuition and fees at Gwynedd - Mercy is $37,092. In-state students do not receive a discount, however you may be able to reduce your price if you receive financial aid. Associate Degree recipients from Gwynedd - Mercy accumulate an average of $30,347 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
One thing to take note of is that Gwynedd - Mercy does offer online classes in some areas. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 86% took at least some of their classes online.
Lock Haven University landed the #22 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree programs.
In-state students pay an average of $10,878 in tuition and fees if they attend LHU full time. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $20,702. On average, associate degree students take out $29,113 in loans while pursuing their degree.
One thing to take note of is that LHU does offer online classes in some areas. In fact, around 97% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Triangle Tech - Dubois did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students to get an associate degree. It came in at #23 on the list.
Triangle Tech - Dubois does not offer a discount to in-state students, so the average tuition and fees for all undergraduates is $18,384. This amount may be reduced if you receive financial aid. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $14,774 in student loans.
Alvernia University landed the #24 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree programs.
If you don’t receive financial aid, you can expect a bill for $39,280 to cover tuition and fees at Alvernia. The school does not offer an in-state discount.
Alvernia does offer online classes for certain degree levels. In fact, around 30% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Immaculata University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students to get an associate degree. It came in at #25 on the list.
The average tuition and fees at Immaculata is $27,750. In-state students do not receive a discount, however you may be able to reduce your price if you receive financial aid.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Immaculata. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 79% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Best Associate Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region
View Best Associate Degree Schools Nationwide >
Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
References
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- 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 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).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
Featured Schools
Request Info
|
Southern New Hampshire University You have goals. Southern New Hampshire University can help you get there. Whether you need a bachelor's degree to get into a career or want a master's degree to move up in your current career, SNHU has an online program for you. Find your degree from over 200 online programs. Learn More > |
Course Advisor provides higher-education, college and university, degree, program, career, salary, and other helpful information to students, faculty, institutions, and other internet audiences. Presented information and data are subject to change. Inclusion on this website does not imply or represent a direct relationship with the company, school, or brand. Information, though believed correct at time of publication, may not be correct, and no warranty is provided. Contact the schools to verify any information before relying on it. Financial aid may be available for those who qualify. The displayed options may include sponsored or recommended results, not necessarily based on your preferences.
© Course Advisor – All Rights Reserved.