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2023 Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in Pennsylvania
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. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Trade College Search has developed this Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. This report analyzed 55 schools in Pennsylvania to see which ones offered the best associate degree programs for trade school students.
View our full ranking methodology.
Top Trade Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
The excellent associate degree programs at Elizabethtown College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best trade school schools in Pennsylvania. Located in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 9 diplomas to qualifed associate degree students in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees at Etown is $35,700. 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 Etown accumulate an average of $18,702 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
One thing to take note of is that Etown does offer online classes in some areas. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 26% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in Pennsylvania list. This medium-sized public school is located in Indiana, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 27 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
In-state students pay an average of $11,320 in tuition and fees if they attend IUP full time. Out-of-state students pay an average of $18,927.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at IUP. In fact, around 51% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Thomas Jefferson University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in Pennsylvania list. This medium-sized private not-for-profit school is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 37 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
If you want to attend Thomas Jefferson University, expect to pay an average of $44,200 in tuition and fees. Of course, this could be reduced if you receive financial aid. Associate Degree recipients from Thomas Jefferson University accumulate an average of $24,705 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Thomas Jefferson University. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 68% took at least some of their classes online.
Widener University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for trade school students to get an associate degree. It came in at #6 on the list. This medium-sized private not-for-profit school is located in Chester, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 13 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
Widener does not offer a discount to in-state students, so the average tuition and fees for all undergraduates is $51,639. This amount may be reduced if you receive financial aid. On average, associate degree students take out $15,311 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Online courses are available at Widener, 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, 36% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
Gannon University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Gannon University is a small private not-for-profit school located in Erie, Pennsylvania that handed out 10 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
If you want to attend Gannon, expect to pay an average of $36,706 in tuition and fees. Of course, this could 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 2020-2021 about 22% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
University of Pittsburgh - Titusville did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for trade school students to get an associate degree. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in Titusville, Pennsylvania, the very small public school awarded 9 diplomas to qualifed associate degree students in 2021-2022.
Full-time students from Pennsylvania pay an average of $11,918 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend Pitt Titusville. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $22,210. On average, associate degree students take out $22,479 in loans while pursuing their degree.
University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for trade school students to get an associate degree. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the large public school handed out 19 associate degree awards in 2021-2022.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at Pitt is $21,080. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $37,320. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $19,903 in student loans.
Pitt does offer online classes for certain degree levels. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 19% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
Central Penn College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Central Penn College is a very small private for-profit school located in Summerdale, Pennsylvania that handed out 119 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
If you don’t receive financial aid, you can expect a bill for $19,404 to cover tuition and fees at Central Penn. The school does not offer an in-state discount. Associate Degree recipients from Central Penn accumulate an average of $15,442 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Central Penn 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 2020-2021 academic year, around 79% took at least some of their classes online.
Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for trade school students to get an associate degree. It came in at #12 on the list. Located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, the small public school handed out 412 associate degree awards in 2021-2022.
If you want to attend Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology, expect to pay an average of $8,450 in tuition and fees. Of course, this could 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 $8,889 in student loans.
Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology 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, 94% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
Harcum College came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania is the setting for this very small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out associate degrees to 363 students in 2021-2022.
Harcum College does not offer a discount to in-state students, so the average tuition and fees for all undergraduates is $28,240. This amount may be reduced if you receive financial aid. Associate Degree recipients from Harcum College accumulate an average of $20,109 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Harcum College does offer online classes for certain degree levels. In 2020-2021 about 64% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Pennsylvania College of Technology ranked #14 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in Pennsylvania list. Williamsport, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associate degrees to 711 students in 2021-2022.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at Penn College is $17,940. Out-of-state students pay an average of $25,680. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $20,551 in student loans.
Penn College does offer online classes for certain degree levels. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 47% took at least some of their classes online.
With a ranking of #15, Holy Family University did quite well on this year’s best schools for trade school students working on their associate degree. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out associate degrees to 12 students in 2021-2022.
If you want to attend Holy Family, expect to pay an average of $32,558 in tuition and fees. Of course, this could be reduced if you receive financial aid.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at Holy Family. In fact, around 76% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
Lehigh Carbon Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for trade school students to get an associate degree. It came in at #16 on the list. Located in Schnecksville, Pennsylvania, the medium-sized public school handed out 853 associate degree awards in 2021-2022.
Full-time students from Pennsylvania pay an average of $9,030 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend LCCC. Out-of-state students pay an average of $12,960. On average, associate degree students take out $12,247 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Online courses are available at LCCC, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 73% took at least some of their classes online.
Bucks County Community College came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. This medium-sized public school is located in Newtown, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 823 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
Full-time students from Pennsylvania pay an average of $9,184 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend Bucks County Community College. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $13,384. On average, associate degree students take out $13,561 in loans while pursuing their degree.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Bucks County Community College does offer online classes for certain majors. In 2020-2021 about 81% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Gwynedd Mercy University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Located in Gwynedd Valley, Pennsylvania, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 10 diplomas to qualifed associate degree students in 2021-2022.
Gwynedd - Mercy does not offer a discount to in-state students, so the average tuition and fees for all undergraduates is $37,791. This amount may be reduced if you receive financial aid.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Gwynedd - Mercy. In 2020-2021 about 27% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Mercyhurst University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Erie, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out associate degrees to 111 students in 2021-2022.
If you don’t receive financial aid, you can expect a bill for $43,460 to cover tuition and fees at Mercyhurst. The school does not offer an in-state discount. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $20,242 in student loans.
Online courses are available at Mercyhurst, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In fact, around 25% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
Triangle Tech - Dubois came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Falls Creek, Pennsylvania is the setting for this very small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out associate degrees to 59 students in 2021-2022.
If you want to attend Triangle Tech - Dubois, expect to pay an average of $18,449 in tuition and fees. Of course, this could 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 $14,027 in student loans.
Alvernia University ranked #22 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in Pennsylvania list. Alvernia is located in Reading, Pennsylvania and has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 89 associate degrees to qualified students.
If you want to attend Alvernia, expect to pay an average of $40,750 in tuition and fees. Of course, this could be reduced if you receive financial aid.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Alvernia does offer online classes for certain majors. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 33% took at least some of their classes online.
Montgomery County Community College ranked #23 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in Pennsylvania list. Blue Bell, Pennsylvania is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associate degrees to 1,253 students in 2021-2022.
Full-time students from Pennsylvania pay an average of $10,650 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend Montco. Out-of-state students pay an average of $15,390. On average, associate degree students take out $13,849 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Montco does offer online classes for certain degree levels. In 2020-2021 about 75% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Lincoln Technical Institute - Allentown came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Lincoln Technical Institute - Allentown is a very small private for-profit school located in Allentown, Pennsylvania that handed out 28 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $14,800 in student loans.
Pittsburgh Technical College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for trade school students to get an associate degree. It came in at #25 on the list. Pittsburgh Technical College is a small private not-for-profit school located in Oakdale, Pennsylvania that handed out 520 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
Pittsburgh Technical College does not offer a discount to in-state students, so the average tuition and fees for all undergraduates is $16,974. This amount may be reduced if you receive financial aid. On average, associate degree students take out $18,250 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Pittsburgh Technical College. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 32% took at least some of their classes online.
Best Trade Associate Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region
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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.
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