2023 Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in West Virginia
With all the trade school programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best 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 assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Trade College Search has created its Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in West Virginia ranking. Our analysis looked at 17 schools in West Virginia 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 West Virginia
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our 2023 rankings named University of Charleston the best school in West Virginia for trade school students working on their associate degree. Located in Charleston, West Virginia, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 153 associate degree awards in 2021-2022.
UC does not offer a discount to in-state students, so the average tuition and fees for all undergraduates is $21,500. This amount may be reduced if you receive financial aid. Associate Degree recipients from UC accumulate an average of $14,036 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
UC 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 2020-2021 year, about 81% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Pierpont Community and Technical College is a great place for trade school students working on their associate degree. This small public school is located in Fairmont, West Virginia, and it awarded 377 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
Students from West Virginia who attend Pierpont Community and Technical College full time pay an average of $5,086 in tuition and fees. Out-of-state students pay an average of $12,056. Associate Degree recipients from Pierpont Community and Technical College accumulate an average of $13,153 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Online courses are available at Pierpont Community and 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 75% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
The excellent associate degree programs at West Virginia Junior College - Morgantown helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best trade school schools in West Virginia. WVJC Morgantown is a very small private for-profit school situated in Morgantown, West Virginia. It awarded 291 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
WVJC Morgantown does not offer a discount to in-state students, so the average tuition and fees for all undergraduates is $14,102. This amount may 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 $10,989 in student loans.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since WVJC Morgantown does offer online classes for certain majors. In fact, around 81% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
Read full report on West Virginia Junior College - Morgantown
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend West Liberty University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in West Virginia list. West Liberty, West Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associate degrees to 28 students in 2021-2022.
By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $23,932 in student loans.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at West Liberty University. During the 2020-2021 year, about 40% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Blue Ridge Community and Technical College. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in West Virginia list. Blue Ridge Community and Technical College is a small public school situated in Martinsburg, West Virginia. It awarded 384 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
In-state students pay an average of $4,128 in tuition and fees if they attend Blue Ridge Community and Technical College full time. Out-of-state students pay an average of $7,464. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $16,189 in student loans.
Online courses are available at Blue Ridge Community and 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 37% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Blue Ridge Community and Technical College
Marshall University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in West Virginia ranking. This fairly large public school is located in Huntington, West Virginia, and it awarded 138 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
Full-time students from West Virginia pay an average of $8,604 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend Marshall University. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $19,658. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $25,306 in student loans.
Marshall University 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 2020-2021 year, about 50% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
With a ranking of #7, BridgeValley Community & Technical College did quite well on this year’s best schools for trade school students working on their associate degree. Located in South Charleston, West Virginia, the small public school awarded 339 diplomas to qualifed associate degree students in 2021-2022.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at BridgeValley Community & Technical College is $5,132. Out-of-state students pay an average of $11,598. On average, associate degree students take out $10,721 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at BridgeValley Community & Technical College. In fact, around 78% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #8, American Public University System did quite well on this year’s best schools for trade school students working on their associate degree. Charles Town, West Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out associate degrees to 3,322 students in 2021-2022.
American Military University does not offer a discount to in-state students, so the average tuition and fees for all undergraduates is $7,360. This amount may be reduced if you receive financial aid. On average, associate degree students take out $20,438 in loans while pursuing their degree.
American Military University is one of the schools on our list that is primarily online. Each undergraduate student at the school took at least one class online.
West Virginia Junior College - Charleston 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. WVJC Charleston is a private for-profit institution located in Cross Lanes, West Virginia. The school has a very small population, and it awarded 79 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
If you don’t receive financial aid, you can expect a bill for $14,529 to cover tuition and fees at WVJC Charleston. 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 $8,309 in student loans.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since WVJC Charleston does offer online classes for certain majors. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 43% took at least some of their classes online.
Mountwest Community and 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 #10 on the list. Located in Huntington, West Virginia, the small public school handed out 228 associate degree awards in 2021-2022.
On average, associate degree students take out $9,089 in loans while pursuing their degree.
MCTC does offer online classes for certain degree levels. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 57% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
Fairmont State University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in West Virginia ranking. Fairmont State is a public institution located in Fairmont, West Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 153 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
Full-time students from West Virginia pay an average of $8,008 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend Fairmont State. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $17,836. On average, associate degree students take out $21,623 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Fairmont State does offer online classes for certain degree levels. In 2020-2021 about 63% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
West Virginia University at Parkersburg ranked #12 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in West Virginia list. West Virginia University at Parkersburg is a small public school located in Parkersburg, West Virginia that handed out 342 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
In-state students pay an average of $4,132 in tuition and fees if they attend West Virginia University at Parkersburg full time. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $9,124. Associate Degree recipients from West Virginia University at Parkersburg accumulate an average of $13,965 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
West Virginia University at Parkersburg does offer online classes for certain degree levels. In fact, around 44% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
Bluefield State College landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree trade school programs. Bluefield State College is a small public school located in Bluefield, West Virginia that handed out 106 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
Students from West Virginia who attend Bluefield State College full time pay an average of $9,840 in tuition and fees. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $17,030. Associate Degree recipients from Bluefield State College accumulate an average of $16,651 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 Bluefield State College does offer online classes for certain majors. During the 2020-2021 year, about 87% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
West Virginia Northern Community College came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in West Virginia ranking. This small public school is located in Wheeling, West Virginia, and it awarded 222 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
Full-time students from West Virginia pay an average of $4,394 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend WVNCC. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $12,362. Associate Degree recipients from WVNCC accumulate an average of $11,405 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
WVNCC does offer online classes for certain degree levels. In 2020-2021 about 89% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Mountain State College ranked #15 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in West Virginia list. Located in Parkersburg, West Virginia, the very small private for-profit school awarded 9 diplomas to qualifed associate degree students in 2021-2022.
If you want to attend Mountain State College, expect to pay an average of $8,665 in tuition and fees. Of course, this could be reduced if you receive financial aid.
Mountain State College is one of the schools on our list that is primarily online. Each undergraduate student at the school took at least one class online.
Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree trade school programs. Southern is a small public school situated in Mount Gay, West Virginia. It awarded 306 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
In-state students pay an average of $4,359 in tuition and fees if they attend Southern full time. Out-of-state students pay an average of $6,879.
Southern does offer online classes for certain degree levels. During the 2020-2021 year, about 77% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
New River Community and Technical College landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree trade school programs. New River Community and Technical College is a small public school located in Beaver, West Virginia that handed out 172 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
On average, associate degree students take out $8,782 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Online courses are available at New River Community and Technical College, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In 2020-2021 about 85% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 17 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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