2023 Best Value Trade School Associate Degree Schools in Wisconsin
Identifying High-Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which trade school program is right for you. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country.
The Best Value Trade School Associate Degree Schools in Wisconsin ranking is one of many tools that Trade College Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 16 schools in Wisconsin to see which ones offered the best value associate degree programs for trade school students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.
Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
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Top Value Trade Associate Degree Schools in Wisconsin
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our analysis found Northcentral Technical College to be the best value school for trade school students who want to pursue a associate degree in Wisconsin. Wausau, Wisconsin is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associate degrees to 478 students in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at North Central Technical College are $5,512 per year. Associate Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $9,408 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
One thing to take note of is that North Central Technical College does offer online classes in some areas. In 2020-2021 about 52% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southwest Wisconsin Technical College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Trade School Associate Degree Schools in Wisconsin list. Fennimore, Wisconsin is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associate degrees to 220 students in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Southwest Tech are $6,731 per year. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $10,841 in student loans.
Southwest Tech does offer online classes for certain degree levels. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 35% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
Southwest Tech also made our Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in Wisconsin list, coming in at #1.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Western Technical College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Trade School Associate Degree Schools in Wisconsin list. Western Technical College is a public institution located in La Crosse, Wisconsin. The school has a small population, and it awarded 624 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Western Technical College are $6,788 per year. On average, associate degree students take out $15,730 in loans while pursuing their degree.
One thing to take note of is that Western Technical College does offer online classes in some areas. During the 2020-2021 year, about 63% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Western Technical College also made our Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in Wisconsin list, coming in at #3.
A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Madison Area Technical College is a great place for trade school students working on their associate degree who want the most bang for their educational buck. Madison College is a public institution located in Madison, Wisconsin. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 1,366 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Madison College are $6,812 a year. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $17,344 in student loans.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Madison College does offer online classes for certain majors. In fact, around 67% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
Madison College not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #4 on our Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in Wisconsin list.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Chippewa Valley Technical College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Trade School Associate Degree Schools in Wisconsin list. CVTC is a public institution located in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 796 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at CVTC are $6,793 a year. On average, associate degree students take out $16,093 in loans while pursuing their degree.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at CVTC. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 47% took at least some of their classes online.
CVTC also took the #5 spot in our Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in Wisconsin rankings.
Waukesha County Technical College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree trade school programs. WCTC is located in Pewaukee, Wisconsin and has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 641 associate degrees to qualified students.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at WCTC are $6,722 a year. Associate Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $17,845 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
WCTC does offer online classes for certain degree levels. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 22% took at least some of their classes online.
With a ranking of #7, Moraine Park Technical College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for trade school students working on their associate degree. Located in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, the small public school awarded 450 diplomas to qualifed associate degree students in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Moraine Park Technical College are $6,793 a year. Associate Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $12,604 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
One thing to take note of is that Moraine Park Technical College does offer online classes in some areas. During the 2020-2021 year, about 42% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Fox Valley Technical College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Trade School Associate Degree Schools in Wisconsin ranking. This fairly large public school is located in Appleton, Wisconsin, and it awarded 1,009 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at FVTC are $6,977 a year. On average, associate degree students take out $11,433 in loans while pursuing their degree.
One thing to take note of is that FVTC does offer online classes in some areas. In fact, around 31% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
Northeast Wisconsin Technical College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Associate Degree Schools in Wisconsin list. Northeast Wisconsin Technical College is a fairly large public school located in Green Bay, Wisconsin that handed out 948 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at NWTC are $6,965 per year. On average, associate degree students take out $15,597 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Online courses are available at NWTC, 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 41% took at least some of their classes online.
Blackhawk Technical College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Trade School Associate Degree Schools in Wisconsin ranking. Blackhawk Technical College is a small public school located in Janesville, Wisconsin that handed out 221 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
BTC undergraduate students pay an average of $6,793 in tuition and fees each year. On average, associate degree students take out $12,545 in loans while pursuing their degree.
One thing to take note of is that BTC does offer online classes in some areas. In 2020-2021 about 45% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Lakeshore Technical College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Associate Degree Schools in Wisconsin list. LTC is a public institution located in Cleveland, Wisconsin. The school has a small population, and it awarded 270 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at LTC are $6,326 per year. Associate Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $9,782 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Some students may be able to take online classes at LTC. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 66% took at least some of their classes online.
With a ranking of #12, Gateway Technical College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for trade school students working on their associate degree. Gateway Technical College is located in Kenosha, Wisconsin and has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 654 associate degrees to qualified students.
Gateway Technical College undergraduate students pay an average of $6,917 in tuition and fees each year. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $15,800 in student loans.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Gateway Technical College. In 2020-2021 about 36% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
With a ranking of #13, Mid-State Technical College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for trade school students working on their associate degree. Mid-State is a small public school situated in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. It awarded 239 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Mid-State are $6,850 per year. On average, associate degree students take out $10,482 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Mid-State 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.
Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for trade school students to get an associate degree. It came in at #14 on the list. This small public school is located in Shell Lake, Wisconsin, and it awarded 340 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at WITC are $6,624 a year. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $11,381 in student loans.
WITC 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. In fact, around 73% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
Milwaukee Area Technical College came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Trade School Associate Degree Schools in Wisconsin ranking. MATC is a fairly large public school situated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It awarded 1,217 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at MATC are $7,018 a year. On average, associate degree students take out $16,866 in loans while pursuing their degree.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at MATC. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 60% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
Herzing University - Madison did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for trade school students to get an associate degree. It came in at #16 on the list. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Madison, Wisconsin, and it awarded 197 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Herzing University - Madison are $12,750 a year. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $23,896 in student loans.
Herzing University - Madison 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, 99% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
Herzing University - Madison did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in Wisconsin list.
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 16 schools only.
References
- 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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