2023 Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in South Carolina
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 Associate Degree Trade Schools in South Carolina ranking. Our analysis looked at 10 schools in South Carolina to see which associate degree programs offered the best educational experiences for trade school students.
View our full ranking methodology.
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Top Trade Associate Degree Schools in South Carolina
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our 2023 rankings named Trident Technical College the best school in South Carolina for trade school students working on their associate degree. Located in Charleston, South Carolina, the fairly large public school awarded 1,438 diplomas to qualifed associate degree students in 2021-2022.
Students from South Carolina who attend Trident Technical College full time pay an average of $5,059 in tuition and fees. Out-of-state students pay an average of $8,606. On average, associate degree students take out $19,444 in loans while pursuing their degree.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Trident Technical College does offer online classes for certain majors. In 2020-2021 about 75% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Spartanburg Community College. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in South Carolina list. Located in Spartanburg, South Carolina, the medium-sized public school handed out 617 associate degree awards in 2021-2022.
In-state students pay an average of $6,030 in tuition and fees if they attend Spartanburg Community College full time. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $9,822. On average, associate degree students take out $9,430 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Spartanburg Community College. In fact, around 57% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
Out of the 10 schools in South Carolina that were part of this year’s ranking, Greenville Technical College landed the # 3 spot on the list. GTC is a public institution located in Greenville, South Carolina. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 1,217 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at GTC is $5,882. Out-of-state students pay an average of $10,202. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $19,101 in student loans.
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, 82% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
The excellent associate degree programs at Orangeburg Calhoun Technical College helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best trade school schools in South Carolina. OCtech is located in Orangeburg, South Carolina and has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 258 associate degrees to qualified students.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at OCtech is $5,954. Out-of-state students pay an average of $7,970. On average, associate degree students take out $10,798 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Depending on your major, you 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 2020-2021.
The excellent associate degree programs at Florence-Darlington Technical College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best trade school schools in South Carolina. Florence-Darlington Technical College is a small public school located in Florence, South Carolina that handed out 315 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
In-state students pay an average of $4,900 in tuition and fees if they attend Florence-Darlington Technical College full time. Out-of-state students pay an average of $6,772.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Florence-Darlington Technical College does offer online classes for certain majors. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 65% took at least some of their classes online.
With a ranking of #6, Piedmont Technical College did quite well on this year’s best schools for trade school students working on their associate degree. Piedmont Technical College is a public institution located in Greenwood, South Carolina. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 631 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
Students from South Carolina who attend Piedmont Technical College full time pay an average of $5,315 in tuition and fees. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $6,593. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $18,799 in student loans.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Piedmont Technical College. In 2020-2021 about 68% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Midlands Technical College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in South Carolina ranking. West Columbia, South Carolina is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associate degrees to 888 students in 2021-2022.
Full-time students from South Carolina pay an average of $5,916 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend MTC. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $13,812. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $15,672 in student loans.
MTC does offer online classes for certain degree levels. In 2020-2021 about 76% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Tri-County Technical College ranked #8 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in South Carolina list. Pendleton, South Carolina is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associate degrees to 820 students in 2021-2022.
Students from South Carolina who attend TCTC full time pay an average of $5,936 in tuition and fees. Out-of-state students pay an average of $10,832. Associate Degree recipients from TCTC accumulate an average of $10,725 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at TCTC. In fact, around 46% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
Horry-Georgetown Technical College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in South Carolina ranking. Horry-Georgetown Technical College is a medium-sized public school situated in Conway, South Carolina. It awarded 925 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
In-state students pay an average of $5,356 in tuition and fees if they attend Horry-Georgetown Technical College full time. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $8,593. On average, associate degree students take out $18,838 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Online courses are available at Horry-Georgetown Technical 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, 72% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
York Technical College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in South Carolina list. Located in Rock Hill, South Carolina, the small public school awarded 673 diplomas to qualifed associate degree students in 2021-2022.
Students from South Carolina who attend York Technical College full time pay an average of $5,882 in tuition and fees. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $10,824. Associate Degree recipients from York Technical College accumulate an average of $10,385 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Online courses are available at York Technical College, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. During the 2020-2021 year, about 80% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Best Trade Associate Degree Schools in the Southeast Region
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 10 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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