2023 Best Associate Degree Schools in Arizona
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. 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. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school or bootcamp that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Associate Degree Schools in Arizona ranking. Our analysis looked at 18 schools in Arizona to see which associate degree programs offered the best educational experiences for students. Factors related to overall quality of the school, post-graduation earnings, average student debt, and more accumulated were considered when coming up with this list.
View our full ranking methodology.
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Top Associate Degree Schools in Arizona
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our analysis found University of Phoenix - Arizona to be the best school for students who want to pursue a associate degree in Arizona.
On average, associate degree students take out $23,839 in loans while pursuing their degree.
UOPX - Arizona 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. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 100% took at least some of their classes online.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Rio Salado College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Associate Degree Schools in Arizona list.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at Rio Salado College is $2,070. Out-of-state students pay an average of $7,854. Associate Degree recipients from Rio Salado College accumulate an average of $15,498 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Rio Salado College 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. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 53% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Mesa Community College. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Schools in Arizona list.
Full-time students from Arizona pay an average of $2,070 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend Mesa Community College. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $7,854. On average, associate degree students take out $16,634 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Mesa Community College does offer online classes for certain degree levels. During the 2019-2020 year, about 71% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Out of the 18 schools in Arizona that were part of this year’s ranking, Chandler-Gilbert Community College landed the # 4 spot on the list.
Full-time students from Arizona pay an average of $2,070 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend Chandler-Gilbert Community College. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $7,854. On average, associate degree students take out $15,533 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Chandler-Gilbert Community College. During the 2019-2020 year, about 62% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Scottsdale Community College is a great place for students working on their associate degree.
Students from Arizona who attend Scottsdale Community College full time pay an average of $2,070 in tuition and fees. Out-of-state students pay an average of $7,854. Associate Degree recipients from Scottsdale Community College accumulate an average of $16,639 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Online courses are available at Scottsdale Community College, 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.
Phoenix College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Schools in Arizona list.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at Phoenix College is $2,070. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $7,854. On average, associate degree students take out $17,380 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Phoenix College does offer online classes for certain degree levels. During the 2019-2020 year, about 72% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Estrella Mountain Community College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Schools in Arizona ranking.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at Estrella Mountain Community College is $2,070. Out-of-state students pay an average of $7,854. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $24,315 in student loans.
Estrella Mountain Community College 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 85% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
With a ranking of #8, Northland Pioneer College did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working on their associate degree.
Students from Arizona who attend NPC full time pay an average of $2,428 in tuition and fees. Out-of-state students pay an average of $9,850. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $12,103 in student loans.
NPC 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. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 66% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
With a ranking of #9, Central Arizona College did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working on their associate degree.
On average, associate degree students take out $15,315 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Pinal County Community College. In 2019-2020 about 96% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Eastern Arizona College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students to get an associate degree. It came in at #10 on the list.
Associate Degree recipients from Eastern Arizona College accumulate an average of $9,270 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Online courses are available at Eastern Arizona College, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. During the 2019-2020 year, about 29% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Mohave Community College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Schools in Arizona ranking.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at MCC is $2,136. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $6,996. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $18,541 in student loans.
MCC is primarily an online school, so it is a great choice for returning adults and students who work full time.
GateWay Community College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Schools in Arizona ranking.
Students from Arizona who attend GateWay Community College full time pay an average of $2,070 in tuition and fees. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $7,854. On average, associate degree students take out $20,336 in loans while pursuing their degree.
GateWay Community College does offer online classes for certain degree levels. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 74% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Cochise County Community College District did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students to get an associate degree. It came in at #13 on the list.
By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $16,007 in student loans.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Cochise College. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 76% took at least some of their classes online.
Read full report on Cochise County Community College District
Yavapai College ranked #14 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Schools in Arizona list.
By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $18,796 in student loans.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Yavapai College does offer online classes for certain majors. In 2019-2020 about 74% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Pima Community College came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Schools in Arizona ranking.
In-state students pay an average of $2,250 in tuition and fees if they attend Pima County Community College District full time. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $7,566. Associate Degree recipients from Pima County Community College District accumulate an average of $15,202 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Pima County Community College District. In 2019-2020 about 52% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Arizona Western College came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Schools in Arizona ranking.
On average, associate degree students take out $8,308 in loans while pursuing their degree.
AWC 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 61% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Glendale Community College came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Schools in Arizona ranking.
Students from Arizona who attend Glendale Community College full time pay an average of $2,070 in tuition and fees. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $7,854. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $16,480 in student loans.
Online courses are available at Glendale Community College, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In 2019-2020 about 74% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
American InterContinental University - Online ranked #18 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Schools in Arizona list.
AIU Online does not offer a discount to in-state students, so the average tuition and fees for all undergraduates is $12,418. This amount may be reduced if you receive financial aid. On average, associate degree students take out $31,457 in loans while pursuing their degree.
AIU Online is one of the schools on our list that is primarily online. Each undergraduate student at the school took at least one class online.
Best Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 18 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.
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