2023 Best Value Associate Degree Schools in South Carolina
Identifying High-Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school or bootcamp to be a better alternative for you.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Associate Degree Schools in South Carolina ranking. This report analyzed 17 schools in South Carolina to see which ones offered the best value associate degree programs for 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.
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Top Value Associate Degree Schools in South Carolina
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our 2023 rankings named Trident Technical College the best value school in South Carolina for students working on their associate degree. Trident Technical College is a public institution located in Charleston, South Carolina. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 1,346 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Trident Technical College are $8,690 a year. On average, associate degree students take out $26,670 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Online courses are available at Trident Technical 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 89% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Trident Technical College not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #1 on our Best Associate Degree Schools in South Carolina list.
The excellent associate degree programs at Greenville Technical College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best value schools in South Carolina. Greenville, South Carolina is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associate degrees to 1,277 students in 2020-2021.
GTC undergraduate students pay an average of $9,410 in tuition and fees each year. On average, associate degree students take out $23,618 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Online courses are available at GTC, 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, 93% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
GTC also took the #3 spot in our Best Associate Degree Schools in South Carolina rankings.
A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Florence-Darlington Technical College is a great place for students working on their associate degree who want the most bang for their educational buck. This small public school is located in Florence, South Carolina, and it awarded 383 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Florence-Darlington Technical College are $6,742 a year.
One thing to take note of is that Florence-Darlington Technical College does offer online classes in some areas. In 2019-2020 about 79% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
The excellent associate degree programs at Horry-Georgetown Technical College helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best value schools in South Carolina. This medium-sized public school is located in Conway, South Carolina, and it awarded 1,008 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Horry-Georgetown Technical College are $8,593 a year. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $22,793 in student loans.
Horry-Georgetown Technical College does offer online classes for certain degree levels. In 2019-2020 about 63% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Orangeburg Calhoun Technical College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Associate Degree Schools in South Carolina list. Located in Orangeburg, South Carolina, the small public school handed out 249 associate degree awards in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at OCtech are $7,490 a year. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $17,364 in student loans.
Some students may be able to take online classes at OCtech. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 84% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
York Technical College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Associate Degree Schools in South Carolina ranking. York Technical College is a public institution located in Rock Hill, South Carolina. The school has a small population, and it awarded 666 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
York Technical College undergraduate students pay an average of $10,354 in tuition and fees each year. Associate Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $14,975 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at York Technical College. In fact, around 94% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
With a ranking of #7, Aiken Technical College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for students working on their associate degree. This small public school is located in Graniteville, South Carolina, and it awarded 245 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Aiken Technical College are $6,880 per year. On average, associate degree students take out $19,031 in loans while pursuing their degree.
One thing to take note of is that Aiken Technical College does offer online classes in some areas. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 89% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Spartanburg Community College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree programs. Located in Spartanburg, South Carolina, the medium-sized public school awarded 595 diplomas to qualifed associate degree students in 2020-2021.
Spartanburg Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $9,822 in tuition and fees each year. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $12,880 in student loans.
Online courses are available at Spartanburg 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 52% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
With a ranking of #9, Midlands Technical College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for students working on their associate degree. MTC is located in West Columbia, South Carolina and has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,015 associate degrees to qualified students.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at MTC are $13,812 a year. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $19,503 in student loans.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since MTC does offer online classes for certain majors. In 2019-2020 about 88% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Tri-County Technical College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Associate Degree Schools in South Carolina list. Located in Pendleton, South Carolina, the medium-sized public school awarded 883 diplomas to qualifed associate degree students in 2020-2021.
TCTC undergraduate students pay an average of $10,304 in tuition and fees each year. Associate Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $14,135 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
One thing to take note of is that TCTC does offer online classes in some areas. During the 2019-2020 year, about 64% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Piedmont Technical College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Associate Degree Schools in South Carolina ranking. Piedmont Technical College is a small public school located in Greenwood, South Carolina that handed out 629 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Piedmont Technical College are $6,593 per year. Associate Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $22,261 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Online courses are available at Piedmont Technical College, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In fact, around 88% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Central Carolina Technical College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for students to get an associate degree. It came in at #12 on the list. Located in Sumter, South Carolina, the small public school awarded 335 diplomas to qualifed associate degree students in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Central Carolina are $9,016 per year. Associate Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $19,704 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Central Carolina 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 60% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
With a ranking of #13, Technical College of the Lowcountry did quite well on this year’s best value schools for students working on their associate degree. TCL is located in Beaufort, South Carolina and has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 190 associate degrees to qualified students.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at TCL are $11,020 a year. On average, associate degree students take out $16,491 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Online courses are available at TCL, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In 2019-2020 about 94% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
South University, Columbia landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree programs. South University, Columbia is a very small private for-profit school situated in Columbia, South Carolina. It awarded 39 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at South University, Columbia are $18,000 a year. On average, associate degree students take out $31,872 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at South University, Columbia. During the 2019-2020 year, about 51% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
South University, Columbia also made our Best Associate Degree Schools in South Carolina list, coming in at #2.
Bob Jones University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Associate Degree Schools in South Carolina list. Bob Jones University is a small private not-for-profit school located in Greenville, South Carolina that handed out 32 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Bob Jones University are $21,062 per year.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Bob Jones University does offer online classes for certain majors. In 2019-2020 about 18% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Bob Jones University also took the #5 spot in our Best Associate Degree Schools in South Carolina rankings.
With a ranking of #16, Limestone College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for students working on their associate degree. Limestone College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Gaffney, South Carolina. The school has a small population, and it awarded 33 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Limestone College are $26,300 per year. Associate Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $30,279 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Limestone College does offer online classes for certain majors. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 75% took at least some of their classes online.
Limestone College did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our Best Associate Degree Schools in South Carolina list.
With a ranking of #17, Miller-Motte College Charleston did quite well on this year’s best value schools for students working on their associate degree. MMC Charleston is a private for-profit institution located in Charleston, South Carolina. The school has a very small population, and it awarded 44 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at MMC Charleston are $0 per year. On average, associate degree students take out $33,291 in loans while pursuing their degree.
MMC Charleston does offer online classes for certain degree levels. In 2019-2020 about 23% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Best Value Associate Degree Schools in the Southeast Region
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 17 schools only.
References
- 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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