2023 Best Value Trade School Associate Degree Schools in South Carolina
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Prices
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.
The Best Value Trade School Associate Degree Schools in South Carolina ranking is one of many tools that Trade College Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 10 schools in South Carolina 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.
This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. 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.
For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
Featured schools near , edit
Top Value Trade Associate Degree Schools in South Carolina
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our 2023 rankings named Trident Technical College the best value school in South Carolina for trade school students working on their associate degree. Located in Charleston, South Carolina, the fairly large public school handed out 1,438 associate degree awards in 2021-2022.
Trident Technical College undergraduate students pay an average of $8,606 in tuition and fees each year. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $19,444 in student loans.
One thing to take note of is that Trident Technical College does offer online classes in some areas. During the 2020-2021 year, about 75% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Trident Technical College did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in South Carolina list.
A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Greenville Technical College is a great place for trade school students working on their associate degree who want the most bang for their educational buck. Located in Greenville, South Carolina, the fairly large public school awarded 1,217 diplomas to qualifed associate degree students in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at GTC are $10,202 per year. On average, associate degree students take out $19,101 in loans while pursuing their degree.
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. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 82% took at least some of their classes online.
GTC also took the #3 spot in our Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in South Carolina rankings.
The excellent associate degree programs at Spartanburg Community College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best value trade school schools in South Carolina. Spartanburg Community College is a medium-sized public school situated in Spartanburg, South Carolina. It awarded 617 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Spartanburg Community College are $9,822 a year. Associate Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $9,430 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Spartanburg Community College. In 2020-2021 about 57% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Spartanburg Community College also made our Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in South Carolina list, coming in at #2.
Out of the 10 schools in South Carolina that were part of this year’s value ranking, Florence-Darlington Technical College landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in Florence, South Carolina, the small public school awarded 315 diplomas to qualifed associate degree students in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Florence-Darlington Technical College are $6,772 per year.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Florence-Darlington Technical College. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 65% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
Florence-Darlington Technical College did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in South Carolina list.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Orangeburg Calhoun Technical College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Trade School Associate Degree Schools in South Carolina list. 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.
OCtech undergraduate students pay an average of $7,970 in tuition and fees each year. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $10,798 in student loans.
One thing to take note of is that OCtech does offer online classes in some areas. In fact, around 84% 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, OCtech is ranked #4 for overall quality in South Carolina.
Piedmont 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 #6 on the list. This medium-sized public school is located in Greenwood, South Carolina, and it awarded 631 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
Piedmont Technical College undergraduate students pay an average of $6,593 in tuition and fees each year. On average, associate degree students take out $18,799 in loans while pursuing their degree.
One thing to take note of is that Piedmont Technical College does offer online classes in some areas. During the 2020-2021 year, about 68% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Midlands Technical College landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree trade school programs. Located in West Columbia, South Carolina, the medium-sized public school handed out 888 associate degree awards in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at MTC are $13,812 per year. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $15,672 in student loans.
Some students may be able to take online classes at MTC. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 76% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #8, Tri-County Technical College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for trade school students working on their associate degree. Tri-County Technical College is a medium-sized public school located in Pendleton, South Carolina that handed out 820 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at TCTC are $10,832 a year. Associate Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $10,725 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 TCTC does offer online classes for certain majors. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 46% took at least some of their classes online.
With a ranking of #9, Horry-Georgetown Technical College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for trade school students working on their associate degree. Horry-Georgetown Technical College is located in Conway, South Carolina and has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 925 associate degrees to qualified students.
Horry-Georgetown Technical College undergraduate students pay an average of $8,593 in tuition and fees each year. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $18,838 in student loans.
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. In fact, around 72% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
York 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 #10 on the list. York Technical College is a small public school located in Rock Hill, South Carolina that handed out 673 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at York Technical College are $10,824 per year. Associate Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $10,385 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
York Technical 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. In 2020-2021 about 80% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Best Value Trade Associate Degree Schools in the Southeast Region
View Best Value Trade Associate Degree Schools Nationwide >
More South Carolina Rankings
Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 10 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.
Featured Schools
![]() |
Southern New Hampshire University You have goals. Southern New Hampshire University can help you get there. Whether you need a bachelor's degree to get into a career or want a master's degree to move up in your current career, SNHU has an online program for you. Find your degree from over 200 online programs. Learn More > |