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2023 Best Value Trade School Associate Degree Schools in Maryland
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Prices
It's not easy to decide which trade school program to enroll in when you have so many options available. 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 assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Trade College Search has created its Best Value Trade School Associate Degree Schools in Maryland ranking. Our analysis looked at 12 schools in Maryland to see which associate degree programs offered the best value experiences for trade school 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.
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Top Value Trade Associate Degree Schools in Maryland
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our analysis found Baltimore City Community College to be the best value school for trade school students who want to pursue a associate degree in Maryland. This small public school is located in Baltimore, Maryland, and it awarded 385 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Baltimore City Community College are $7,394 a year.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at Baltimore City Community College. During the 2020-2021 year, about 100% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Baltimore City Community College not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #1 on our Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in Maryland list.
Out of the 12 schools in Maryland that were part of this year’s value ranking, Chesapeake College landed the # 2 spot on the list. Chesapeake College is located in Wye Mills, Maryland and has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 212 associate degrees to qualified students.
Chesapeake College undergraduate students pay an average of $8,504 in tuition and fees each year.
Chesapeake College 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 76% 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 Prince George’s Community College. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Associate Degree Schools in Maryland list. Located in Largo, Maryland, the fairly large public school handed out 1,354 associate degree awards in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at PGCC are $8,642 per year. Associate Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $13,531 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at PGCC. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 83% took at least some of their classes online.
PGCC also took the #4 spot in our Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in Maryland rankings.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Hagerstown Community College. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Associate Degree Schools in Maryland list. Located in Hagerstown, Maryland, the small public school awarded 599 diplomas to qualifed associate degree students in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at HCC are $8,190 per year. On average, associate degree students take out $14,414 in loans while pursuing their degree.
HCC 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 2020-2021 about 81% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Community College of Baltimore County is a great place for trade school students working on their associate degree who want the most bang for their educational buck. CCBC is located in Baltimore, Maryland and has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 1,813 associate degrees to qualified students.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at CCBC are $10,062 a year. On average, associate degree students take out $16,045 in loans while pursuing their degree.
CCBC 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 68% took at least some of their classes online.
CCBC not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #5 on our Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in Maryland list.
Wor-Wic Community College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree trade school programs. Located in Salisbury, Maryland, the small public school handed out 291 associate degree awards in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Wor-Wic Community College are $8,280 per year. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $9,988 in student loans.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Wor-Wic Community College does offer online classes for certain majors. In fact, around 61% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
Howard Community 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 #7 on the list. This medium-sized public school is located in Columbia, Maryland, and it awarded 1,273 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at HCC are $9,459 a year. On average, associate degree students take out $16,875 in loans while pursuing their degree.
HCC does offer online classes for certain degree levels. In 2020-2021 about 60% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
HCC also took the #2 spot in our Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in Maryland rankings.
College of Southern Maryland landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree trade school programs. College of Southern Maryland is a small public school located in La Plata, Maryland that handed out 910 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at CSM are $9,240 a year. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $11,500 in student loans.
Some students may be able to take online classes at CSM. During the 2020-2021 year, about 91% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Frederick Community College landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree trade school programs. Frederick Community College is a public institution located in Frederick, Maryland. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 806 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
Frederick Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $9,844 in tuition and fees each year. On average, associate degree students take out $9,315 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Frederick Community College. In 2020-2021 about 58% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Anne Arundel Community College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Associate Degree Schools in Maryland list. Located in Arnold, Maryland, the fairly large public school awarded 1,570 diplomas to qualifed associate degree students in 2021-2022.
AACC undergraduate students pay an average of $13,760 in tuition and fees each year. Associate Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $13,044 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 AACC does offer online classes for certain majors. In fact, around 82% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, AACC is ranked #3 for overall quality in Maryland.
Allegany College of Maryland ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Associate Degree Schools in Maryland list. Located in Cumberland, Maryland, the small public school awarded 468 diplomas to qualifed associate degree students in 2021-2022.
Allegany College of Maryland undergraduate students pay an average of $11,060 in tuition and fees each year. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $17,028 in student loans.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Allegany College of Maryland. In fact, around 50% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
Montgomery College landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree trade school programs. Located in Rockville, Maryland, the fairly large public school awarded 2,778 diplomas to qualifed associate degree students in 2021-2022.
Montgomery College undergraduate students pay an average of $14,061 in tuition and fees each year. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $12,263 in student loans.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at Montgomery College. In 2020-2021 about 32% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Best Value Trade Associate Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 12 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.