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Best Value Precision Metal Working Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region

2023 Best Value Precision Metal Working Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

11 Colleges
$8,461 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$39,468 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Precision Metal Working Associate Degree School for You

With 54,790 degrees and certificates handed out in 2021-2022, precision metal working is the #7 most popular major in the United States.

There are so many trade school programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one 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.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Trade College Search has developed this Best Value Precision Metal Working Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. This report analyzed 11 schools in the Far Western US Region to see which ones offered the best value associate degree programs for precision metal working students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.

For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

Top 10 Best Precision Metal Working Associate Degree Schools

Our 2023 rankings named Bellingham Technical College the best value school in the Far Western US Region for precision metal working students working on their associate degree. Located in the city of Bellingham, Bellingham Vocational Technical Institute is a public college with a small student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Bellingham Vocational Technical Institute are $5,357 per year.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Spokane Community College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Precision Metal Working Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Spokane Community College is a medium-sized public school located in the medium-sized city of Spokane.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Spokane Community College are $5,278 a year.

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Out of the 11 schools in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Clover Park Technical College landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the city of Lakewood, CPTC is a public school with a small student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CPTC are $5,979 per year.

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#4

Lower Columbia College

Longview, WA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Lower Columbia College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Precision Metal Working Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region list. LCC is a small public school located in the small city of Longview.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at LCC are $5,514 per year.

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#5

Skagit Valley College

Mount Vernon, WA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Skagit Valley College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Precision Metal Working Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Located in the small city of Mount Vernon, Skagit Valley College is a public college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Skagit Valley College are $7,888 a year.

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Lake Washington Institute of Technology came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Precision Metal Working Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. LWTech is a small public school located in the large suburb of Kirkland.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at LWTech are $10,390 per year.

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Portland Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for precision metal working students to get a associate degree. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the large city of Portland, Portland Community College is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Portland Community College are $9,670 per year. While working on their Associate Degree, precision metal working majors at Portland Community College accumulate an average of around $26,380 in student debt.

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Everett Community College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Precision Metal Working Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Located in the city of Everett, Everett Community College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

Everett Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $9,831 in tuition and fees each year.

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#9

Clark College

Vancouver, WA

Clark College landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree precision metal working programs. Clark College is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Vancouver.

Clark College undergraduate students pay an average of $10,133 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their Associate Degree, precision metal working graduates from Clark College carry an average student debtload of $11,176.

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#10

Olympic College

Bremerton, WA

With a ranking of #10, Olympic College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for precision metal working students working on their associate degree. OC is a small public school located in the city of Bremerton.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at OC are $9,740 a year.

In addition to its great value ranking, OC is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Precision Metal Working Associate Degree Trade Schools in the Far Western US Region list.

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Best Precision Metal Working Colleges by State

Explore the best precision metal working colleges for a specific state in the Far Western US region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 1,172
California 2,491
Oregon 399
Nevada 336
Alaska 55
Hawaii 41

Precision Metal Working is one of 5 different types of trade school programs to choose from.

Precision Metal Working Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Welding Technology/Welder 46,029
Machine Tool Technology/Machinist 3,181
Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) Machinist Technology/CNC Machinist 2,275
Machine Shop Technology/Assistant 1,588
Tool & Die Technology/Technician 541
Metal Fabricator 413
Sheet Metal Technology/Sheetworking 319
Ironworking/Ironworker 226
Other Precision Metal Working 218

Majors Similar to Precision Metal Working

Related Major Annual Graduates
Woodworking 435
Other Precision Production 67
Leatherworking & Upholstery 46
Precision Production Trades 44
Boilermaking 29

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 11 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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