by our College Data Analytics TeamWith all of the options you have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take when you want to pursue a degree. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our Best Value Far Western US Region Schools for an Associate ranking - to help you make that decision.
In This Year's Value Report:
After analyzing 153 schools in the Far Western US Region , we came up with our list of those that offered the best value Associate Degree programs. Our ranking methodology focuses on different objective factors to make this determination of the best value schools. In the next few paragraphs, we'll talk a little about what we use in our analysis and why.
Our Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in the Far Western US Region ranking is determined by first looking at the combined costs of average tuition, fees, and room and board before any aid is applied. 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.
Find out more about our best value ranking methodology.
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 Clover Park Technical College the best value (no aid) school in the Far Western US Region for students working on their associate degree. CPTC is located in Lakewood, Washington and has a small student population. It is a public school.
Not only is Clover Park Technical College a great value, but it is also ranked #1 in Washington for overall quality. The average cost without aid for the school is $15,430 a year for undergraduates.
A rank of #2 on our Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in the Far Western US Region list means Honolulu Community College is a great place for students working on their degree. Located in Honolulu, Hawaii, the school is a small public institution.
Not only is Honolulu Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #1 in Hawaii for overall quality. The average cost without aid for the school is $24,414 a year for undergraduates.
A rank of #3 on our Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in the Far Western US Region list means Portland Community College is a great place for students working on their degree. Portland Community College is located in Portland, Oregon and has a large student population. It is a public school.
Portland Community College has the honor of being ranked #1 in Oregon for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $22,104 a year.
A rank of #4 on our Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in the Far Western US Region list means Golden West College is a great place for students working on their degree. This fairly large public school is located in Huntington Beach, California.
Golden West College has the honor of being ranked #2 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $25,807 a year.
The quality degree programs at Bellingham Technical College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in the Far Western US Region. This small public school is located in Bellingham, Washington.
Not only is Bellingham Technical College a great value, but it is also ranked #4 in Washington for overall quality. The average cost without aid for the school is $15,877 a year for undergraduates.
With a ranking of #6, The University of Arizona Global Campus did quite well on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in the Far Western US Region list. UAGC is a large private for-profit school situated in San Diego, California.
Not only is The University of Arizona Global Campus a great value, but it is also ranked #9 in California for overall quality. The average cost without aid for the school is $23,002 a year for undergraduates.
Read full value report on The University of Arizona Global Campus
College of Southern Nevada landed the #7 spot on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in the Far Western US Region ranking. This large public school is located in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Not only is College of Southern Nevada a great value, but it is also ranked #1 in Nevada for overall quality. The average cost without aid for the school is $22,238 a year for undergraduates.
Southwestern Oregon Community College did quite well in the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #8. SWOCC is a small public school situated in Coos Bay, Oregon.
Not only is Southwestern Oregon Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #6 in Oregon for overall quality. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $13,932 a year.
Learn More About Value at Southwestern Oregon Community College
Pasadena City College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in the Far Western US Region ranking. Pasadena City College is a public institution located in Pasadena, California.
Pasadena City College has the honor of being ranked #10 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost without aid for the school is $24,176 a year for undergraduates.
Highline College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in the Far Western US Region ranking. Highline is a small public school situated in Des Moines, Washington.
Highline College has the honor of being ranked #6 in Washington for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost without aid for the school is $15,233 a year for undergraduates.
Renton Technical College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in the Far Western US Region ranking. Renton Technical College is located in Renton, Washington and has a small student population. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Renton Technical College is ranked #5 for quality in the state of Washington. The average cost without aid for the school is $17,405 a year for undergraduates.
Lake Washington Institute of Technology came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in the Far Western US Region ranking. LWTech is a public institution located in Kirkland, Washington.
Lake Washington Institute of Technology has the honor of being ranked #3 in Washington for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $21,264 a year.
Read full value report on Lake Washington Institute of Technology
Bellevue College ranked #13 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in the Far Western US Region list. BC is a public institution located in Bellevue, Washington.
Not only is Bellevue College a great value, but it is also ranked #2 in Washington for overall quality. The average cost without aid for the school is $23,254 a year for undergraduates.
With a ranking of #14, Umpqua Community College did quite well on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in the Far Western US Region list. Located in Roseburg, Oregon, the school is a small public institution.
Umpqua Community College has the honor of being ranked #7 in Oregon for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost without aid for the school is $11,697 a year for undergraduates.
Coastline Community College landed the #15 spot on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in the Far Western US Region ranking. This medium-sized public school is located in Fountain Valley, California.
Coastline Community College has the honor of being ranked #13 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $24,767 a year.
Saddleback College ranked #16 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in the Far Western US Region list. This fairly large public school is located in Mission Viejo, California.
Saddleback College has the honor of being ranked #6 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost without aid for the school is $27,546 a year for undergraduates.
Mt. Hood Community College ranked #17 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in the Far Western US Region list. This medium-sized public school is located in Gresham, Oregon.
Not only is Mt. Hood Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #4 in Oregon for overall quality. The average cost without aid for the school is $19,581 a year for undergraduates.
West Valley College came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in the Far Western US Region ranking. West Valley College is a medium-sized public school located in Saratoga, California.
Not only is West Valley College a great value, but it is also ranked #21 in California for overall quality. The average cost without aid for the school is $23,993 a year for undergraduates.
With a ranking of #19, Seattle Central College did quite well on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in the Far Western US Region list. Seattle Central is located in Seattle, Washington and has a small student population. It is a public school.
Not only is Seattle Central College a great value, but it is also ranked #9 in Washington for overall quality. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $15,238 a year.
Santa Rosa Junior College landed the #20 spot on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in the Far Western US Region ranking. SRJC is a fairly large public school situated in Santa Rosa, California.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Santa Rosa Junior College is ranked #8 for quality in the state of California. The average cost without aid for the school is $27,546 a year for undergraduates.
Chaffey College ranked #21 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in the Far Western US Region list. Chaffey College is a fairly large public school situated in Rancho Cucamonga, California.
Not only is Chaffey College a great value, but it is also ranked #11 in California for overall quality. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $26,212 a year.
Orange Coast College came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in the Far Western US Region ranking. Costa Mesa, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Not only is Orange Coast College a great value, but it is also ranked #27 in California for overall quality. The average cost without aid for the school is $23,122 a year for undergraduates.
Fresno City College came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in the Far Western US Region ranking. This large public school is located in Fresno, California.
Fresno City College has the honor of being ranked #25 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $23,590 a year.
National University landed the #24 spot on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in the Far Western US Region ranking. This fairly large private not-for-profit school is located in La Jolla, California.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, National University is ranked #3 for quality in the state of California. The average cost without aid for the school is $30,573 a year for undergraduates.
With a ranking of #25, Shoreline Community College did quite well on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in the Far Western US Region list. Shoreline Community College is a small public school located in Shoreline, Washington.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Shoreline Community College is ranked #7 for quality in the state of Washington. The average cost without aid for the school is $17,763 a year for undergraduates.
View Best Value Associate Degree Schools (No Aid) Nationwide >
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These schools also performed well in our Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in the Far Western US Region ranking:
| Rank | College | Location | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | San Joaquin Delta College | Stockton, CA | Value Report |
| 27 | Los Angeles Harbor College | Wilmington, CA | Value Report |
| 28 | Los Angeles Valley College | Valley Glen, CA | Value Report |
| 29 | Cascadia College | Bothell, WA | Value Report |
| 30 | Columbia Basin College | Pasco, WA | Value Report |
| 31 | Foothill College | Los Altos Hills, CA | Value Report |
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.