by our College Data Analytics TeamThere are lots of options to choose from today when trying to decide which school to attend. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Plains States Region ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard. Due to the amount of income-based financial aid available, many 'high-priced' schools are more affordable than you think.
In This Year's Value Report:
We analyzed 137 schools across the Plains States Region to determine which have the best value Associate Degree programs. Our ranking for the best value schools is based on objective factors. We steer clear of subjective measures since they don't give a clear picture when determining how one school compares to another. More specifically, the following explains what we consider and why.
When determining the value of a school in our Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Plains States Region ranking, we first look at its average net price of a student coming from a family that makes $30-$48k a year. The net price is defined as the sum of room and board, tuition, and fees minus any financial aid that the student receives. In addition, the overall quality of a school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how much it costs.
To make it into this list a school must offer a quality education like the schools in our Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considers factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
To learn more, visit our best value ranking methodology page.
You can scroll down to see the top schools for this ranking, but you may also want to view some of the other ranking methods listed below.
Know what field you want to major in? Make sure you check out our best value schools by major. In addition, you can select one of the links below to see the best value colleges for other degree levels.
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our 2024 rankings named Washington University in St Louis the best value (income $30-$48k) school in the Plains States Region for students working on their associate degree. WUSTL is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Saint Louis, Missouri.
Washington University in St Louis has the honor of being ranked #1 in Missouri for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $4,928.
Out of the 137 associate degree schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Metropolitan Community College landed the #2 spot on the list. MCC is a public institution located in Omaha, Nebraska.
Not only is Metropolitan Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #1 in Nebraska for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $3,753.
Out of the 137 associate degree schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, St Charles Community College landed the #3 spot on the list. SCC is a public institution located in Cottleville, Missouri.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, St Charles Community College is ranked #7 for quality in the state of Missouri. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $4,348.
The quality degree programs at Hennepin Technical College helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Plains States Region. This small public school is located in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota.
Not only is Hennepin Technical College a great value, but it is also ranked #2 in Minnesota for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $10,295.
Out of the 137 associate degree schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Ranken Technical College landed the #5 spot on the list. Ranken Technical College is a small private not-for-profit school located in Saint Louis, Missouri.
Ranken Technical College has the honor of being ranked #2 in Missouri for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $13,157.
Garden City Community College did quite well in the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #6. Garden City Community College is a small public school located in Garden City, Kansas.
Garden City Community College has the honor of being ranked #8 in Kansas for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $5,125.
Metropolitan Community College - Kansas City did quite well in the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #7. Metropolitan Community College - Kansas City is a fairly large public school located in Kansas City, Missouri.
Metropolitan Community College - Kansas City has the honor of being ranked #8 in Missouri for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $6,250.
Learn More About Value at Metropolitan Community College - Kansas City
Dakota College at Bottineau landed the #8 spot on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Plains States Region ranking. MSU-Bottineau is located in Bottineau, North Dakota and has a small student population. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Dakota College at Bottineau is ranked #5 for quality in the state of North Dakota. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $3,527.
Bismarck State College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Plains States Region list. This small public school is located in Bismarck, North Dakota.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Bismarck State College is ranked #1 for quality in the state of North Dakota. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $8,198.
St Cloud Technical and Community College did quite well in the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #10. St Cloud Technical and Community College is located in Saint Cloud, Minnesota and has a small student population. It is a public school.
St Cloud Technical and Community College has the honor of being ranked #10 in Minnesota for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $7,335.
Learn More About Value at St Cloud Technical and Community College
Des Moines Area Community College landed the #11 spot on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Plains States Region ranking. DMACC is a large public school situated in Ankeny, Iowa.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Des Moines Area Community College is ranked #1 for quality in the state of Iowa. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $8,682.
With a ranking of #12, Century College did quite well on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Plains States Region list. This medium-sized public school is located in White Bear Lake, Minnesota.
Century College has the honor of being ranked #8 in Minnesota for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $8,398.
Northwest Kansas Technical College landed the #13 spot on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Plains States Region ranking. NWKTC is a public institution located in Goodland, Kansas.
Not only is Northwest Kansas Technical College a great value, but it is also ranked #6 in Kansas for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $7,194.
Read full value report on Northwest Kansas Technical College
Dakota County Technical College landed the #14 spot on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Plains States Region ranking. DCTC is a small public school situated in Rosemount, Minnesota.
Dakota County Technical College has the honor of being ranked #6 in Minnesota for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $10,143.
Wichita State University Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Plains States Region ranking. WSU Tech is located in Wichita, Kansas and has a small student population. It is a public school.
Wichita State University Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology has the honor of being ranked #4 in Kansas for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $8,855.
Read full value report on Wichita State University Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology
Salina Area Technical College came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Plains States Region ranking. Salina Tech is a small public school situated in Salina, Kansas.
Salina Area Technical College has the honor of being ranked #7 in Kansas for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $7,525.
Normandale Community College ranked #17 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Plains States Region list. Bloomington, Minnesota is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Normandale Community College has the honor of being ranked #7 in Minnesota for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $9,811.
Lake Area Technical Institute did quite well in the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #18. Located in Watertown, South Dakota, the school is a small public institution.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Lake Area Technical Institute is ranked #2 for quality in the state of South Dakota. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $11,848.
North Dakota State College of Science landed the #19 spot on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Plains States Region ranking. This small public school is located in Wahpeton, North Dakota.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, North Dakota State College of Science is ranked #2 for quality in the state of North Dakota. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $8,045.
Learn More About Value at North Dakota State College of Science
Cowley County Community College did quite well in the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #20. This small public school is located in Arkansas City, Kansas.
Cowley County Community College has the honor of being ranked #15 in Kansas for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $5,297.
With a ranking of #21, Minnesota State Community and Technical College did quite well on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Plains States Region list. M State is a public institution located in Fergus Falls, Minnesota.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Minnesota State Community and Technical College is ranked #18 for quality in the state of Minnesota. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $7,809.
Learn More About Value at Minnesota State Community and Technical College
Missouri Southern State University did quite well in the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #22. Missouri Southern is located in Joplin, Missouri and has a small student population. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Missouri Southern State University is ranked #9 for quality in the state of Missouri. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $8,646.
Northeast Community College landed the #23 spot on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Plains States Region ranking. Northeast is located in Norfolk, Nebraska and has a medium-sized student population. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Northeast Community College is ranked #4 for quality in the state of Nebraska. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $6,940.
With a ranking of #24, Southeast Community College Area did quite well on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Plains States Region list. This medium-sized public school is located in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Not only is Southeast Community College Area a great value, but it is also ranked #3 in Nebraska for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $7,313.
Western Iowa Tech Community College ranked #25 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Plains States Region list. Western Iowa Tech Community College is a public institution located in Sioux City, Iowa.
Western Iowa Tech Community College has the honor of being ranked #8 in Iowa for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $6,706.
Learn More About Value at Western Iowa Tech Community College
View Best Value Associate Degree Schools (Income $30-$48k) Nationwide >
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These schools also performed well in our Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in the Plains States Region ranking:
| Rank | College | Location | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | Inver Hills Community College | Inver Grove Heights, MN | Value Report |
| 27 | Barton County Community College | Great Bend, KS | Value Report |
| 28 | North Hennepin Community College | Brooklyn Park, MN | Value Report |
| 28 | Mitchell Technical College | Mitchell, SD | Value Report |
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.