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Best Value Precision Metal Working Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region

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2023 Best Value Precision Metal Working Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

13 Colleges
$9,388 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$39,159 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Precision Metal Working Associate Degree School for You

In 2020-2021, 52,308 precision metal working students received a degree or certificate, making the major the #7 most popular in the country.

It's not easy to decide which trade school program to enroll in when you have so many options available. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Trade College Search has created the Best Value Precision Metal Working Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 13 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which associate degree programs offered the best value experiences for precision metal working students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. 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.

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

2023 Best Value Precision Metal Working Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region

The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for precision metal working majors pursuing a associate degree.

Top 10 Best Precision Metal Working Associate Degree Schools

Our 2023 rankings named Northcentral Technical College the best value school in the Great Lakes Region for precision metal working students working on their associate degree. North Central Technical College is a moderately-sized public school located in the small city of Wausau.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at North Central Technical College are $5,415 a year.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, North Central Technical College also is in the top 15% of our Best Precision Metal Working Associate Degree Trade Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking.

Full Precision Metal Working at Northcentral Technical College Report

Out of the 13 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Waukesha County Technical College landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the large suburb of Pewaukee, WCTC is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at WCTC are $6,603 per year.

WCTC also claimed a spot on our Best Precision Metal Working Associate Degree Trade Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.

Read More…

#3

Ivy Tech Community College

Indianapolis, IN

The excellent associate degree programs at Ivy Tech Community College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best value precision metal working schools in the Great Lakes Region . Ivy Tech Community College is a fairly large public school located in the city of Indianapolis.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Ivy Tech Community College are $8,927 per year. On average, precision metal working graduates from Ivy Tech Community College take out $11,765 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Ivy Tech Community College also claimed a spot on our Best Precision Metal Working Associate Degree Trade Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category.

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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Fox Valley Technical College is a great value for precision metal working students working on their associate degree. FVTC is a large public school located in the midsize suburb of Appleton.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at FVTC are $6,861 a year.

FVTC excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Precision Metal Working Associate Degree Trade Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.

Read full report on Precision Metal Working at Fox Valley Technical College

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Moraine Park Technical College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Precision Metal Working Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Moraine Park Technical College is a small public school located in the small city of Fond du Lac.

Moraine Park Technical College undergraduate students pay an average of $6,683 in tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Precision Metal Working at Moraine Park Technical College

#6

Delta College

University Center, MI

Delta College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Precision Metal Working Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the rural area of University Center, Delta College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Delta College are $7,100 a year.

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With a ranking of #7, Southwestern Illinois College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for precision metal working students working on their associate degree. SWIC is a medium-sized public school located in the suburb of Belleville.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SWIC are $5,940 per year. After completing their Associate Degree, precision metal working graduates from SWIC carry an average student debtload of $10,668.

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Milwaukee Area Technical College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Precision Metal Working Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. MATC is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Milwaukee.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at MATC are $6,908 a year. On average, precision metal working graduates from MATC take out $20,230 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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#9

Grand Rapids Community College

Grand Rapids, MI

Grand Rapids Community College landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree precision metal working programs. Located in the midsize city of Grand Rapids, Grand Rapids Community College is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Grand Rapids Community College are $11,589 a year. On average, precision metal working graduates from Grand Rapids Community College take out $17,236 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read More…

#10

Vincennes University

Vincennes, IN

Vincennes University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Precision Metal Working Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the town of Vincennes, Vincennes University is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Vincennes University undergraduate students pay an average of $15,253 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their Associate Degree, precision metal working majors at Vincennes University accumulate an average of around $13,666 in student debt. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $192.

Full Precision Metal Working at Vincennes University Report

Best Precision Metal Working Colleges by State

Explore the best precision metal working colleges for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.

State Degrees Awarded
Michigan 689
Indiana 1,142
Wisconsin 1,822
Ohio 1,572
Illinois 2,199

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 42,490
Machine Tool Technology/Machinist 3,285
Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) Machinist Technology/CNC Machinist 2,689
Machine Shop Technology/Assistant 1,921
Tool & Die Technology/Technician 584
Metal Fabricator 430
Ironworking/Ironworker 316
Other Precision Metal Working 314
Sheet Metal Technology/Sheetworking 279

Related Major Annual Graduates
Woodworking 423
Other Precision Production 68
Leatherworking & Upholstery 54
Precision Production Trades 39
Boilermaking 13

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 13 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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