by our College Data Analytics TeamThere are lots of options to choose from today when trying to decide which school to attend. At College Factual, we're committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in North Carolina ranking.
In This Year's Value Report:
Our analysis looked at 54 schools in North Carolina to determine which ones 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. 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 North Carolina 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 good 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 North Carolina State University the best value (no aid) school in North Carolina for students working on their associate degree. NC State is a public institution located in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Not only is North Carolina State University a great value, but it is also ranked #1 in North Carolina for overall quality. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $21,088 a year.
Out of the 54 associate degree schools in North Carolina that were part of this year’s ranking, Cleveland Community College landed the #2 spot on the list. Cleveland Community College is located in Shelby, North Carolina and has a small student population. It is a public school.
Not only is Cleveland Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #6 in North Carolina for overall quality. The average cost without aid for the school is $5,302 a year for undergraduates.
The quality degree programs at Johnston Community College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in North Carolina. Smithfield, North Carolina is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Johnston Community College has the honor of being ranked #4 in North Carolina 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 $6,448 a year.
A rank of #4 on our Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in North Carolina list means Wake Technical Community College is a great place for students working on their degree. Raleigh, North Carolina is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Wake Technical Community College has the honor of being ranked #3 in North Carolina 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 $12,768 a year.
The quality degree programs at Pitt Community College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in North Carolina. This medium-sized public school is located in Winterville, North Carolina.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Pitt Community College is ranked #13 for quality in the state of North Carolina. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $8,784 a year.
Forsyth Technical Community College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in North Carolina list. Winston-Salem, North Carolina is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Not only is Forsyth Technical Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #10 in North Carolina for overall quality. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $9,260 a year.
Central Piedmont Community College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in North Carolina list. Central Piedmont Community College is a fairly large public school located in Charlotte, North Carolina.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Central Piedmont Community College is ranked #5 for quality in the state of North Carolina. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $11,497 a year.
Learn More About Value at Central Piedmont Community College
With a ranking of #8, Beaufort County Community College did quite well on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in North Carolina list. Washington, North Carolina is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Beaufort County Community College has the honor of being ranked #7 in North Carolina for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost without aid for the school is $11,399 a year for undergraduates.
Lenoir Community College landed the #9 spot on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in North Carolina ranking. Lenoir Community College is located in Kinston, North Carolina and has a small student population. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Lenoir Community College is ranked #15 for quality in the state of North Carolina. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $8,932 a year.
Fayetteville Technical Community College did quite well in the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in North Carolina ranking, coming in at #10. This medium-sized public school is located in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
Not only is Fayetteville Technical Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #12 in North Carolina for overall quality. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $9,843 a year.
Learn More About Value at Fayetteville Technical Community College
Gaston College did quite well in the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in North Carolina ranking, coming in at #11. Gaston College is located in Dallas, North Carolina and has a small student population. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Gaston College is ranked #14 for quality in the state of North Carolina. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $10,042 a year.
Guilford Technical Community College did quite well in the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in North Carolina ranking, coming in at #12. Located in Jamestown, North Carolina, the school is a medium-sized public institution.
Not only is Guilford Technical Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #11 in North Carolina for overall quality. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $11,478 a year.
Learn More About Value at Guilford Technical Community College
With a ranking of #13, Alamance Community College did quite well on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in North Carolina list. This small public school is located in Graham, North Carolina.
Not only is Alamance Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #8 in North Carolina for overall quality. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $12,792 a year.
Durham Technical Community College landed the #14 spot on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in North Carolina ranking. Durham Technical Community College is a public institution located in Durham, North Carolina.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Durham Technical Community College is ranked #9 for quality in the state of North Carolina. The average cost without aid for the school is $13,100 a year for undergraduates.
Central Carolina Community College did quite well in the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in North Carolina ranking, coming in at #15. Central Carolina Community College is a small public school situated in Sanford, North Carolina.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Central Carolina Community College is ranked #21 for quality in the state of North Carolina. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $9,734 a year.
Wayne Community College did quite well in the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in North Carolina ranking, coming in at #16. Wayne Community College is a small public school located in Goldsboro, North Carolina.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Wayne Community College is ranked #18 for quality in the state of North Carolina. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $12,074 a year.
Rowan-Cabarrus Community College ranked #17 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in North Carolina list. Rowan-Cabarrus Community College is a medium-sized public school located in Salisbury, North Carolina.
Rowan-Cabarrus Community College has the honor of being ranked #20 in North Carolina for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost without aid for the school is $11,126 a year for undergraduates.
Stanly Community College came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in North Carolina ranking. Stanly Technical College is a public institution located in Albemarle, North Carolina.
Stanly Community College has the honor of being ranked #22 in North Carolina for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost without aid for the school is $10,586 a year for undergraduates.
Bladen Community College ranked #19 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in North Carolina list. BCC is located in Dublin, North Carolina and has a small student population. It is a public school.
Not only is Bladen Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #23 in North Carolina for overall quality. The average cost without aid for the school is $9,654 a year for undergraduates.
Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College ranked #20 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in North Carolina list. Asheville, North Carolina is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College is ranked #24 for quality in the state of North Carolina. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $9,508 a year.
Full Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College Value Report
Mitchell Community College came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in North Carolina ranking. Mitchell Community College is located in Statesville, North Carolina and has a small student population. It is a public school.
Not only is Mitchell Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #17 in North Carolina for overall quality. The average cost without aid for the school is $14,081 a year for undergraduates.
Rockingham Community College landed the #22 spot on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in North Carolina ranking. RCC is a small public school situated in Wentworth, North Carolina.
Not only is Rockingham Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #28 in North Carolina for overall quality. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $9,566 a year.
Richmond Community College did quite well in the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in North Carolina ranking, coming in at #23. Hamlet, North Carolina is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Richmond Community College has the honor of being ranked #31 in North Carolina for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost without aid for the school is $8,836 a year for undergraduates.
Edgecombe Community College ranked #23 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in North Carolina list. Tarboro, North Carolina is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Edgecombe Community College has the honor of being ranked #26 in North Carolina for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost without aid for the school is $10,224 a year for undergraduates.
With a ranking of #25, Cape Fear Community College did quite well on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in North Carolina list. This fairly large public school is located in Wilmington, North Carolina.
Not only is Cape Fear Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #27 in North Carolina for overall quality. The average cost without aid for the school is $10,342 a year for undergraduates.
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Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.