by our College Data Analytics TeamThere are lots of options to choose from today when trying to decide which school to attend. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our Best Value Minnesota Schools for an Associate ranking - to help you make that decision.
In This Year's Value Report:
After analyzing 35 schools in Minnesota, we came up with our list of those that offered 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 Minnesota 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:
Hennepin Technical College tops this year’s ranking as the best value (no aid) school for associate degrees in Minnesota for overall quality. Hennepin Technical College is a public institution located in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota.
Hennepin Technical College has the honor of being ranked #2 in Minnesota for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost without aid for the school is $13,675 a year for undergraduates.
The quality degree programs at Dakota County Technical College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in Minnesota. This small public school is located in Rosemount, Minnesota.
Not only is Dakota County Technical College a great value, but it is also ranked #6 in Minnesota for overall quality. The average cost without aid for the school is $13,678 a year for undergraduates.
Out of the 35 associate degree schools in Minnesota that were part of this year’s ranking, Century College landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, the school is a medium-sized public institution.
Century College has the honor of being ranked #8 in Minnesota for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost without aid for the school is $13,049 a year for undergraduates.
A rank of #4 on our Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in Minnesota list means Normandale Community College is a great place for students working on their degree. Located in Bloomington, Minnesota, the school is a medium-sized public institution.
Not only is Normandale Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #7 in Minnesota for overall quality. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $14,049 a year.
A rank of #5 on our Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in Minnesota list means Alexandria Technical & Community College is a great place for students working on their degree. Alexandria, Minnesota is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Not only is Alexandria Technical & Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #13 in Minnesota for overall quality. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $11,372 a year.
Anoka Technical College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in Minnesota list. Anoka Technical College is a small public school located in Anoka, Minnesota.
Anoka Technical College has the honor of being ranked #11 in Minnesota 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 $13,851 a year.
St Cloud Technical and Community College landed the #7 spot on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in Minnesota ranking. St Cloud Technical and Community College is located in Saint Cloud, Minnesota and has a small student population. It is a public school.
Not only is St Cloud Technical and Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #10 in Minnesota for overall quality. The average cost without aid for the school is $14,274 a year for undergraduates.
Learn More About Value at St Cloud Technical and Community College
Rochester Community and Technical College landed the #8 spot on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in Minnesota ranking. Rochester Community and Technical College is a public institution located in Rochester, Minnesota.
Rochester Community and Technical College has the honor of being ranked #15 in Minnesota for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost without aid for the school is $12,572 a year for undergraduates.
Learn More About Value at Rochester Community and Technical College
North Hennepin Community College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in Minnesota ranking. North Hennepin Community College is a public institution located in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, North Hennepin Community College is ranked #17 for quality in the state of Minnesota. The average cost without aid for the school is $12,886 a year for undergraduates.
Minnesota State Community and Technical College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in Minnesota list. Minnesota State Community and Technical College is a medium-sized public school located in Fergus Falls, Minnesota.
Minnesota State Community and Technical College has the honor of being ranked #18 in Minnesota for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost without aid for the school is $12,586 a year for undergraduates.
Read full value report on Minnesota State Community and Technical College
Central Lakes College - Brainerd came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in Minnesota ranking. Central Lakes College is located in Brainerd, Minnesota and has a small student population. It is a public school.
Central Lakes College - Brainerd has the honor of being ranked #21 in Minnesota for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost without aid for the school is $11,624 a year for undergraduates.
With a ranking of #12, Ridgewater College did quite well on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in Minnesota list. Ridgewater College is a small public school located in Willmar, Minnesota.
Ridgewater College has the honor of being ranked #16 in Minnesota 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 $13,634 a year.
Inver Hills Community College ranked #13 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in Minnesota list. IHCC is located in Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota and has a small student population. It is a public school.
Inver Hills Community College has the honor of being ranked #20 in Minnesota for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost without aid for the school is $12,793 a year for undergraduates.
Saint Paul College landed the #14 spot on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in Minnesota ranking. Saint Paul College is a medium-sized public school situated in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
Saint Paul College has the honor of being ranked #12 in Minnesota for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost without aid for the school is $15,267 a year for undergraduates.
Rasmussen University - Minnesota came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in Minnesota ranking. Rasmussen University - Minnesota is a private for-profit institution located in St. Cloud, Minnesota.
Rasmussen University - Minnesota has the honor of being ranked #5 in Minnesota 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 $22,279 a year.
Lake Superior College landed the #16 spot on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in Minnesota ranking. Duluth, Minnesota is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Lake Superior College is ranked #23 for quality in the state of Minnesota. The average cost without aid for the school is $13,876 a year for undergraduates.
With a ranking of #17, Anoka-Ramsey Community College did quite well on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in Minnesota list. Coon Rapids, Minnesota is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Not only is Anoka-Ramsey Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #24 in Minnesota for overall quality. The average cost without aid for the school is $13,291 a year for undergraduates.
Minneapolis Community and Technical College ranked #18 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in Minnesota list. Minneapolis, Minnesota is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Not only is Minneapolis Community and Technical College a great value, but it is also ranked #19 in Minnesota for overall quality. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $18,111 a year.
Read full value report on Minneapolis Community and Technical College
Winona State University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in Minnesota ranking. Winona State is a public institution located in Winona, Minnesota.
Not only is Winona State University a great value, but it is also ranked #14 in Minnesota for overall quality. The average cost without aid for the school is $19,454 a year for undergraduates.
With a ranking of #20, Northland Community and Technical College did quite well on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in Minnesota list. Northland Community and Technical College is a small public school located in Thief River Falls, Minnesota.
Northland Community and Technical College has the honor of being ranked #26 in Minnesota for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost without aid for the school is $13,052 a year for undergraduates.
Learn More About Value at Northland Community and Technical College
South Central College ranked #21 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in Minnesota list. South Central College is a public institution located in North Mankato, Minnesota.
South Central College has the honor of being ranked #25 in Minnesota 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 $13,366 a year.
Minnesota West Community and Technical College did quite well in the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in Minnesota ranking, coming in at #22. This small public school is located in Granite Falls, Minnesota.
Minnesota West Community and Technical College has the honor of being ranked #27 in Minnesota 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 $12,786 a year.
Learn More About Value at Minnesota West Community and Technical College
Minnesota State University - Mankato did quite well in the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in Minnesota ranking, coming in at #23. Minnesota State Mankato is a public institution located in Mankato, Minnesota.
Minnesota State University - Mankato has the honor of being ranked #22 in Minnesota for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost without aid for the school is $19,344 a year for undergraduates.
Learn More About Value at Minnesota State University - Mankato
Northwest Technical College did quite well in the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in Minnesota ranking, coming in at #24. Bemidji, Minnesota is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Northwest Technical College has the honor of being ranked #28 in Minnesota for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost without aid for the school is $15,539 a year for undergraduates.
Minnesota State College Southeast ranked #25 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in Minnesota list. Located in Winona, Minnesota, the school is a small public institution.
Minnesota State College Southeast has the honor of being ranked #30 in Minnesota 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 $15,442 a year.
View Best Value Associate Degree Schools (No Aid) Nationwide >
All Majors and Fields of Study >
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.