2023 Most Popular Associate Degree Trade Schools in Colorado
When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for trade school students. 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 help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Trade College Search has developed this Most Popular Associate Degree Trade Schools in Colorado ranking. This report analyzed 29 schools in Colorado to see which ones were the most popular associate degree programs for trade school students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from each school on the list.
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Most Popular Trade Associate Degree Schools in Colorado
Learn more about these popular schools below:
Our analysis found Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts - Boulder to be the most popular school for trade school students who want to pursue a associate degree in Colorado. Located in Boulder, Colorado, the medium-sized private for-profit school handed out 770 associate degree awards in 2021-2022.
On average, associate degree students take out $15,323 in loans while pursuing their degree. Of those students who received their degree, 62% were women.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Escoffier - Boulder. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 96% took at least some of their classes online.
Read full report on Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts - Boulder
A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Pueblo Community College is a great place for trade school students working on their associate degree. Located in Pueblo, Colorado, the medium-sized public school awarded 660 diplomas to qualifed associate degree students in 2021-2022.
In-state students pay an average of $4,626 in tuition and fees if they attend Pueblo Community College full time. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $16,275. On average, associate degree students take out $14,253 in loans while pursuing their degree. Of those students who received their degree, 70% were women.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Pueblo Community College. In 2020-2021 about 33% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
You’ll be in good company if you attend Pikes Peak Community College. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Most Popular Associate Degree Trade Schools in Colorado list. Colorado Springs, Colorado is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associate degrees to 1,611 students in 2021-2022.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at PPCC is $4,065. Out-of-state students pay an average of $15,714. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $12,660 in student loans. Of those students who received their degree, 63% were women.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since PPCC does offer online classes for certain majors. During the 2020-2021 year, about 51% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Pima Medical Institute - Denver. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Popular Associate Degree Trade Schools in Colorado list. PMI Denver is located in Denver, Colorado and has a very small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 137 associate degrees to qualified students.
Associate Degree recipients from PMI Denver accumulate an average of $23,562 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. Around 80% of those degree recipients were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at PMI Denver. During the 2020-2021 year, about 3% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology ranked #6 on this year’s Most Popular Associate Degree Trade Schools in Colorado list. Located in Broomfield, Colorado, the very small private for-profit school awarded 137 diplomas to qualifed associate degree students in 2021-2022.
On average, associate degree students take out $18,235 in loans while pursuing their degree. Around 11% of those degree recipients were women.
With a ranking of #7, Concorde Career College - Aurora did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for trade school students working on their associate degree. Located in Aurora, Colorado, the very small private for-profit school handed out 159 associate degree awards in 2021-2022.
Associate Degree recipients from Concorde Career College - Aurora accumulate an average of $21,979 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. Of those students who received their degree, 81% were women.
Concorde Career College - Aurora is one of the schools on our list that is primarily online. Each undergraduate student at the school took at least one class online.
Intellitec College - Colorado Springs ranked #8 on this year’s Most Popular Associate Degree Trade Schools in Colorado list. Colorado Springs, Colorado is the setting for this very small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out associate degrees to 72 students in 2021-2022.
Associate Degree recipients from Intellitec College - Colorado Springs accumulate an average of $16,618 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. Around 8% of those degree recipients were women.
Aims Community College landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular associate degree trade school programs. Greeley, Colorado is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associate degrees to 686 students in 2021-2022.
Students from Colorado who attend Aims Community College full time pay an average of $2,954 in tuition and fees. Out-of-state students pay an average of $10,850. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $10,156 in student loans. Around 60% of those degree recipients were women.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Aims Community College. In fact, around 44% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
Arapahoe Community College ranked #10 on this year’s Most Popular Associate Degree Trade Schools in Colorado list. Arapahoe Community College is a public institution located in Littleton, Colorado. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 754 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at Arapahoe Community College is $4,080. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $15,502. On average, associate degree students take out $15,611 in loans while pursuing their degree. Around 59% of those degree recipients were women.
Arapahoe Community 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.
Front Range Community College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Associate Degree Trade Schools in Colorado ranking. FRCC is a public institution located in Westminster, Colorado. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 1,906 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
Students from Colorado who attend FRCC full time pay an average of $4,126 in tuition and fees. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $15,776. Associate Degree recipients from FRCC accumulate an average of $18,200 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. Of those students who received their degree, 63% were women.
FRCC 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, 33% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #12, Community College of Denver did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for trade school students working on their associate degree. CCD is a public institution located in Denver, Colorado. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 728 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
Students from Colorado who attend CCD full time pay an average of $4,586 in tuition and fees. Out-of-state students pay an average of $16,235. Associate Degree recipients from CCD accumulate an average of $14,939 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. Of those students who received their degree, 66% were women.
CCD 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 59% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Red Rocks Community College came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Associate Degree Trade Schools in Colorado ranking. Lakewood, Colorado is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associate degrees to 593 students in 2021-2022.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at Red Rocks Community College is $4,471. Out-of-state students pay an average of $16,135. Associate Degree recipients from Red Rocks Community College accumulate an average of $14,553 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. Of those students who received their degree, 57% were women.
Red Rocks Community 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 51% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Colorado Mesa University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for trade school students to get an associate degree. It came in at #14 on the list. Colorado Mesa is a medium-sized public school situated in Grand Junction, Colorado. It awarded 220 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
Students from Colorado who attend Colorado Mesa full time pay an average of $9,297 in tuition and fees. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $23,019. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $21,002 in student loans. Around 50% of those degree recipients were women.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Colorado Mesa. In 2020-2021 about 43% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Colorado School of Trades landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular associate degree trade school programs. Located in Lakewood, Colorado, the very small private for-profit school handed out 94 associate degree awards in 2021-2022.
On average, associate degree students take out $16,452 in loans while pursuing their degree.
With a ranking of #16, Intellitec College - Grand Junction did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for trade school students working on their associate degree. Intellitec College - Grand Junction is a private for-profit institution located in Grand Junction, Colorado. The school has a small population, and it awarded 77 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $18,919 in student loans. Of those students who received their degree, 26% were women.
Lincoln College of Technology - Denver came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Associate Degree Trade Schools in Colorado ranking. Lincoln Tech - Denver is located in Denver, Colorado and has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 36 associate degrees to qualified students.
By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $14,448 in student loans. Of those students who received their degree, 8% were women.
Northeastern Junior College came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Associate Degree Trade Schools in Colorado ranking. Located in Sterling, Colorado, the small public school awarded 215 diplomas to qualifed associate degree students in 2021-2022.
Students from Colorado who attend NJC full time pay an average of $5,345 in tuition and fees. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $7,691. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $14,090 in student loans. Of those students who received their degree, 54% were women.
NJC does offer online classes for certain degree levels. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 30% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
Morgan Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for trade school students to get an associate degree. It came in at #19 on the list. Morgan Community College is a small public school located in Fort Morgan, Colorado that handed out 134 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
Full-time students from Colorado pay an average of $3,930 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend Morgan Community College. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $15,579. On average, associate degree students take out $9,552 in loans while pursuing their degree. Of those students who received their degree, 72% were women.
Online courses are available at Morgan Community College, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 51% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
Community College of Aurora did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for trade school students to get an associate degree. It came in at #20 on the list. CCA is a medium-sized public school situated in Aurora, Colorado. It awarded 620 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
Students from Colorado who attend CCA full time pay an average of $4,030 in tuition and fees. Out-of-state students pay an average of $15,832. On average, associate degree students take out $17,334 in loans while pursuing their degree. Of those students who received their degree, 65% were women.
CCA does offer online classes for certain degree levels. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 22% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #21, Colorado Northwestern Community College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for trade school students working on their associate degree. CNCC is a small public school situated in Rangely, Colorado. It awarded 137 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
Full-time students from Colorado pay an average of $4,236 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend CNCC. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $6,740. On average, associate degree students take out $12,923 in loans while pursuing their degree. Around 73% of those degree recipients were women.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since CNCC does offer online classes for certain majors. In fact, around 25% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
Trinidad State Junior College landed the #22 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular associate degree trade school programs. Trinidad, Colorado is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associate degrees to 241 students in 2021-2022.
Full-time students from Colorado pay an average of $5,240 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend Trinidad State Junior College. Out-of-state students pay an average of $8,360. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $12,954 in student loans. Around 63% of those degree recipients were women.
Online courses are available at Trinidad State Junior College, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 15% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #23, Colorado Mountain College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for trade school students working on their associate degree. Colorado Mountain College is a medium-sized public school situated in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. It awarded 484 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
In-state students pay an average of $4,980 in tuition and fees if they attend Colorado Mountain College full time. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $11,820. Associate Degree recipients from Colorado Mountain College accumulate an average of $10,854 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. Of those students who received their degree, 62% were women.
One thing to take note of is that Colorado Mountain College does offer online classes in some areas. In 2020-2021 about 27% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Colorado Christian University ranked #24 on this year’s Most Popular Associate Degree Trade Schools in Colorado list. CCU is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Lakewood, Colorado. It awarded 210 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
If you don’t receive financial aid, you can expect a bill for $26,846 to cover tuition and fees at CCU. The school does not offer an in-state discount. On average, associate degree students take out $29,911 in loans while pursuing their degree. Around 68% of those degree recipients were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at CCU. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 49% took at least some of their classes online.
IBMC College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for trade school students to get an associate degree. It came in at #25 on the list. IBMC is a private for-profit institution located in Fort Collins, Colorado. The school has a very small population, and it awarded 7 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees at IBMC is $14,960. In-state students do not receive a discount, however you may be able to reduce your price if you receive financial aid. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $23,848 in student loans. Of those students who received their degree, 100% were women.
Most Popular Trade School Associate Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 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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