There 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 in Connecticut ranking.
Our analysis looked at 7 schools in Connecticut to determine which ones have the best associate degree programs. To come up with this ranking of the best schools, we look at factors that are all objective measurements. We explain more about what we look at and why we do so below.
Better Early-Career Average Salaries
One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of associate graduates during the early years of their career. A associate degree holder from a school in Connecticut makes an average starting salary of $43,875, but the students who attended schools in the top 3 of our list make an average of $53,478.
Starting Salary ( 24258 to 73036 )
Student Loan Borrowing
Students may also take on a lot of debt while working on their associate so we factor that into our rankings as well.
When attending a school in Connecticut, associate degree students accumulate an average of $22,524 in student debt before graduation.
We consider this number in conjunction with average post-graduation earnings to gauge the difficulty associate recipients will have paying back their loans.
Additional Ranking Factors We Use
In addition to average post-graduation earnings and average student debt loads, we also look at a host of other factors to determining our Best Associate Degree Schools ranking.
These factors include things like the educational resources, the demand associated with the school, whether or not the school offers online classes, and the student body caliber - just to name a few.
Are you more interested in the top associate degree schools in your area? Try narrowing this list by location. In addition, we've put together a number of other college rankings that may help you in your search.
Our 2025 rankings named Sacred Heart University the best school in Connecticut in terms of overall quality for students working on their associate degree. Located in Fairfield, Connecticut, the fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 127 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
Graduates with a associate degree from Sacred Heart make an average of $79,921 per year during the early years of their career. Associate students carry an average student debt load of about $15,631 after getting their degree.
A rank of #2 on our Best Associate Degree in Connecticut list means Capital Community College is a great place for students working on their degree. Located in Hartford, Connecticut, the large public school handed out 259 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
Upon graduation, associate degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $48,648 during the early years of their career. Associate students leave the school with an average of $14,636 in student loans.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of New Haven. The school came in at #3 in Connecticut on this year’s best associate degree schools ranking. University of New Haven is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in West Haven, Connecticut. It awarded 43 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
Associate students leave the school with an average of $49,629 in student loans.
The excellent associate degree programs at Charter Oak State College helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools in Connecticut. Charter Oak State College is located in New Britain, Connecticut and has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 79 associate degrees to qualified graduate students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Hartford. It ranked #5 on our 2025 Best Associate Degree Schools in Connecticut list. UHart is located in West Hartford, Connecticut and has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 69 associate degrees to qualified graduate students.
Associate students leave the school with an average of $51,681 in student loans.
Post University landed the #6 spot on the 2025 Best Associate Degree Schools in Connecticut ranking. This large private for-profit school is located in Waterbury, Connecticut, and it awarded 556 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
Upon graduation, associate degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $31,866 during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #7, University of Bridgeport did quite well on the 2025 Best Associate Degree Schools in Connecticut list. Located in Bridgeport, Connecticut, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 42 diplomas to qualifed associate degree students in 2021-2022.
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%.
