2023 Best Value Trade School Associate Degree Schools in Arizona
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. 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 Arizona ranking. Our analysis looked at 17 schools in Arizona 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.
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 Arizona
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our analysis found Estrella Mountain Community College to be the best value school for trade school students who want to pursue a associate degree in Arizona. This medium-sized public school is located in Avondale, Arizona, and it awarded 1,208 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Estrella Mountain Community College are $7,854 a year. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $10,698 in student loans.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at Estrella Mountain Community College. In fact, around 68% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
Estrella Mountain Community College not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #2 on our Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in Arizona list.
A rank of #2 on this year’s list means GateWay Community College is a great place for trade school students working on their associate degree who want the most bang for their educational buck. GateWay Community College is a small public school located in Phoenix, Arizona that handed out 662 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at GateWay Community College are $7,854 a year. On average, associate degree students take out $9,353 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Some students may be able to take online classes at GateWay Community College. 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.
GateWay Community College also made our Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in Arizona list, coming in at #3.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Central Arizona College. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Associate Degree Schools in Arizona list. Located in Coolidge, Arizona, the small public school awarded 491 diplomas to qualifed associate degree students in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Pinal County Community College are $3,000 a year. Associate Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $12,534 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Pinal County Community College. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 84% took at least some of their classes online.
Pinal County Community College also made our Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in Arizona list, coming in at #1.
A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Phoenix College is a great place for trade school students working on their associate degree who want the most bang for their educational buck. Phoenix College is a medium-sized public school located in Phoenix, Arizona that handed out 1,033 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
Phoenix College undergraduate students pay an average of $7,854 in tuition and fees each year. Associate Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $10,866 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at Phoenix College. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 64% took at least some of their classes online.
Out of the 17 schools in Arizona that were part of this year’s value ranking, Mohave Community College landed the # 5 spot on the list. MCC is located in Kingman, Arizona and has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 387 associate degrees to qualified students.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at MCC are $6,996 a year. Associate Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $15,774 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
MCC 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 52% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
With a ranking of #6, Mesa Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for trade school students working on their associate degree. Mesa, Arizona is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associate degrees to 1,815 students in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Mesa Community College are $7,854 per year. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $10,538 in student loans.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at Mesa Community College. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 59% took at least some of their classes online.
With a ranking of #7, Eastern Arizona College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for trade school students working on their associate degree. Thatcher, Arizona is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associate degrees to 457 students in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Eastern Arizona College are $9,192 per year.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Eastern Arizona College. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 24% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
Chandler-Gilbert 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 #8 on the list. This fairly large public school is located in Chandler, Arizona, and it awarded 1,291 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Chandler-Gilbert Community College are $7,854 per year. Associate Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $8,445 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
One thing to take note of is that Chandler-Gilbert Community College does offer online classes in some areas. In 2020-2021 about 43% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Northland Pioneer 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 #9 on the list. Located in Holbrook, Arizona, the small public school handed out 171 associate degree awards in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at NPC are $9,851 a year.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since NPC does offer online classes for certain majors. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 52% took at least some of their classes online.
With a ranking of #10, Pima Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for trade school students working on their associate degree. Located in Tucson, Arizona, the fairly large public school awarded 1,807 diplomas to qualifed associate degree students in 2021-2022.
Pima County Community College District undergraduate students pay an average of $7,614 in tuition and fees each year. Associate Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $10,213 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
One thing to take note of is that Pima County Community College District does offer online classes in some areas. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 50% took at least some of their classes online.
Cochise County Community College District 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 #11 on the list. Cochise College is a small public school situated in Sierra Vista, Arizona. It awarded 1,483 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
Cochise College undergraduate students pay an average of $6,000 in tuition and fees each year. On average, associate degree students take out $10,758 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Cochise College. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 69% took at least some of their classes online.
Read full report on Cochise County Community College District
Glendale Community College landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree trade school programs. Glendale Community College is a fairly large public school located in Glendale, Arizona that handed out 1,568 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Glendale Community College are $7,854 a year. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $8,065 in student loans.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Glendale Community College. During the 2020-2021 year, about 59% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
With a ranking of #13, Yavapai College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for trade school students working on their associate degree. Located in Prescott, Arizona, the medium-sized public school handed out 689 associate degree awards in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Yavapai College are $9,340 a year. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $16,264 in student loans.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at Yavapai College. In fact, around 49% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
Arizona Western College landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree trade school programs. Arizona Western College is a medium-sized public school located in Yuma, Arizona that handed out 864 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at AWC are $9,570 a year.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at AWC. During the 2020-2021 year, about 71% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
University of Phoenix - Arizona landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree trade school programs. UOPX - Arizona is located in Phoenix, Arizona and has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 3,066 associate degrees to qualified students.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at UOPX - Arizona are $9,552 a year. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $21,782 in student loans.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at UOPX - Arizona. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 100% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
UOPX - Arizona also took the #4 spot in our Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in Arizona rankings.
With a ranking of #16, DeVry University - Arizona did quite well on this year’s best value schools for trade school students working on their associate degree. Phoenix, Arizona is the setting for this very small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out associate degrees to 7 students in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at DeVry University - Arizona are $15,032 a year. On average, associate degree students take out $27,154 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Online courses are available at DeVry University - Arizona, 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 99% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
DeVry University - Arizona did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in Arizona list.
American InterContinental University - Online 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 #17 on the list. AIU Online is a fairly large private for-profit school situated in Chandler, Arizona. It awarded 1,301 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at AIU Online are $12,422 per year. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $22,426 in student loans.
Since AIU Online is primarily an online school, it is an excellent choice for undergraduate students who need more flexibility than what is offered at some other schools.
Best Value Trade Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 17 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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