Top 20 Affordable Online Associate Degree Programs
There are many compelling reasons that people decide to get online associate’s degrees: it gives greater professional qualification, the online format is flexible, earning potential can increase. Another of the strongest reasons that people choose an online associate’s degree as the method to advance their careers is its high affordability. For a student whose goals include an increase of income, finding one of the least expensive programs in the country makes sense. The online format also means that students are not limited to schools that are geographically close to them.
Our list of the cheapest online associate degrees is derived from data supplied to collegenavigator.com. For schools with a minimum threshold of five online associate’s degrees offered, these are the most affordable:
- Coastal Pines Technical College
- Metropolitan Community College
- Arkansas Northeastern College
- Spokane Community College
- Amarillo College
- San Juan College
- Clovis Community College
- Spokane Falls Community College
- Peninsula College
- Mid-Plains Community College
- Highland Community College
- Seward County Community College
- Northwest Arkansas Community College
- Western Iowa Tech Community College
- Brigham Young University – Idaho
- Hutchinson Community College
- Northeast Community College
- Barton Community College
- Lake Region State College
- North Hennepin Community College
Reviewing the Cheapest Online Associate’s Degree Programs
20. North Hennepin Community College
Brooklyn Park, Minnesota
At North Hennepin Community College, students have the convenient option of starting their online classes anytime throughout the year, as the online courses start every month. The school offers over 60 programs, and 11 of these affordable online associate degree programs can be completed entirely online. These online program options include Liberal Arts, Accounting, Business Computer Systems, Entrepreneurship, and Marketing.
Tuition: $10,189
19. Lake Region State College
Devils Lake, North Dakota
The student body at Lake Region State College is composed of students from 15 countries and 34 states, making it a great option for an online associate’s degree program. The school offers 8 associate’s degrees online, 3 of which are in the area of Business Administration. Other highlighted programs are Law Enforcement, Fitness Training, and Speech Language Pathology. Additionally, there is over $300,000 available in scholarships.
Tuition: $9,410
18. Barton County Community College
Great Bend, Kansas
Barton County Community College offers an extensive online degree program. Online classes are offered in 4 time frames: 6 weeks, 8 weeks, 16 weeks, and a 4 week “intersession” in the Spring and Winter. Students can choose from any of 51 associate’s degrees, each offered entirely online. These affordable programs range from Economics to Wildlife Science. The newest available online associate’s degree programs are Military Studies, Pre Nursing, Business Administration, Mathematics, and Dietary Management.
Tuition: $8,510
17. Northeast Community College
Norfolk, Nebraska
Northeast Community College, in partnership with other Nebraska community colleges, offers an impressive 15 online associate’s degrees. Graduates of the school have a 99% job success rate. The affordable online associate’s degree program options include Agriculture, Behavioral Science, Social Science, and Criminal Justice. Students can also earn their associate’s degree in Education or Library Services, as well as an AAS in Business or Early Childhood Education, just to name a few.
Tuition: $8,457
16. Hutchinson Community College
Hutchinson, Kansas
Hutchinson Community College offers over 75 areas of study. Additionally, students have the option of 7 cheap associate’s degree programs that can be completed entirely online. Hutchinson Community College offers both an online Associate of Arts and an online Associate of Science degree in a variety of fields, including Health Information Management.
Tuition: $7,698
15. Brigham Young University – Idaho
Rexburg, Idaho
Brigham Young University – Idaho offers 6 different affordable associate’s online associate’s degrees. Students can receive their degree in Applied Business Management, Applied Health, Applied Technology, Family History Research, Marriage and Family Studies, or Professional Studies, all while studying 100% online. Each program consists of 60 credit hours, and each curriculum for the school’s associate’s degrees consists of 2 certificates, along with general and religious education courses.
Tuition: $7,555
14. Western Iowa Tech Community College
Sioux City, Iowa
At Western Iowa Tech, students can choose from more than 70 2-year technical degree programs, and 90% of the student body receives financial aid. The school offers 6 unique associate’s degrees entirely online. Online options include Accounting, Agriculture Agronomy, Agriculture Business, Human Resources Management, Technical Business Management, and Video Game Design.
Tuition: $7,514
13. Northwest Arkansas Community College
Bentonville, Arkansas
As the largest community college in Arkansas, Northwest Arkansas offers 55 degree programs and certificates. Students can enroll in their online classes, and have the option to complete 5 different associate’s degree programs completely online. Students can also take advantage of the many scholarships available. Online program options include an AAS degree in Environmental and Regulatory Science, an AAS in Business Management, and an AAS in Health Information Management.
Tuition: $7,146
12. Seward County Community College
Liberal, Kansas
Seward County Community College is part of Edukan, a cooperative of 6 western Kansas community colleges, and the school offers 5 affordable online associate’s degrees. Each online associate’s degree program consists of 64 credits. SCCC offers online degrees in Liberal Arts, General Studies, Biology, Business Administration, and Chemistry.
Tuition: $6,982
11. Highland Community College
Highland, Kansas
Highland Community College offers an extensive online program and an accessible website for online learning, making it a great option for a cheap online associate’s degree. In addition to offering many individual classes, they have 8 associate’s degree programs that can be completed online. Some of the unique programs they offer are an AAS in Medical Coding and an AAS in Personal Fitness Training.
Tuition: $6,864
10. Mid-Plains Community College
McCook, Nebraska
Mid-Plains Community College is a two year college with 7 campuses that allows students to complete some associate degree programs entirely online. Mid-Plains accepts transfer credits, making it an affordable and quick way to earn an online degree. Their online degree programs include associate’s degrees in Criminal Justice, Library Technician Assistant, and Business Administration.
Tuition: $6,812
9. Peninsula College
Port Angeles, Washington
Peninsula College is a technical school that offers 16 affordable online associate’s degree programs. Many of these technical associate degrees are designed to transfer easily to a bachelor’s program, if desired. There are multiple online associate degree options in the field of Administrative Office Systems, as well as in Business and in Multimedia Communications. Additionally, the school offers unique affordable online degree programs in fields such as Homeland Security and Hospitality and Ecotourism.
Tuition: $6,402
8. Spokane Falls Community College
Spokane, Washington
Spokane Falls Community College is part of the Community Colleges of Spokane, and offers 7 different online associate degree options. As part of the network, students are prepared for easy transfer. The affordable online associate’s programs include a variety of transfer programs, as well as degrees in Business Management, Early Child Education, Education Paraeducator, and Library and Information Services.
Tuition: $6,017
7. Clovis Community College
Clovis, New Mexico
At Clovis Community College, students wishing to earn an affordable associate’s degree online can choose between seven programs. The programs range from 60-71 required credits, and take either 4 or 5 semesters to complete. The available online associate degree options include Behavioral Science, Computer Information Systems, Early Childhood Education, and Legal Assistant Studies.
Tuition: $5,996
6. San Juan College
Farmington, New Mexico
San Juan College is a public community college that offers hundreds of degree and certificate programs. They offer 3 online AA degrees and 6 online AAS degrees. Students wishing to complete their degree online can choose between a wide variety of program options, including Veterinary Technology, Psychology, Occupational Safety, Informational Technology, and Liberal Arts.
Tuition: $5,796
5. Amarillo College
Amarillo, Texas
At Amarillo College, students can take advantage of the school’s distance learning through telecourses, interactive videos, or online classes. There are 8 affordable associate’s degree programs that can be completed 100% online. Students can earn their online associate’s degree in one of the following areas of study: Business Administration, Business Management, Criminal Justice, Secondary Education, General Studies, Education, Mortuary Science, or Radiation Therapy.
Tuition: $5,670
4. Spokane Community College
Spokane, Washington
Spokane Community College serves its student population of over 28,000 by offering more than 120 different programs. There are 11 affordable online associate’s degree program options, and the curriculum for each consists of a minimum of 90 credits. Students can choose from 7 different online Business and Office Professional associate’s degrees, 3 Healthcare degree programs, as well as an associate’s degree in Software Development.
Tuition: $5,124
3. Arkansas Northeastern College
Blytheville, Arkansas
Arkansas Northeastern College is the most affordable college in Arkansas, and offers 8 associate’s degree programs that can be completed entirely online. Many sources of financial aid are available for prospective students. The online associate’s degree programs include General Studies, Criminal Justice, Business, Criminology, and a choice of 3 education associate’s degrees.
Tuition: $5,012
2. Metropolitan Community College
Omaha, Nebraska
At Metropolitan Community College, students can choose from 18 different online associate’s degrees. There are cheap online options for AAS, AA, and AS degrees, and the programs range from Information Technology, which offers 7 different degree programs, to Criminal Justice, which offers 4 degrees. Other online options include Computer Science, Health Information Management, and Creative Writing.
Tuition: $4,863
1. Coastal Pines Technical College
Waycross, Georgia
Coastal Pines Technical College is an affordable two-year college that offers 7 different associate of art degrees that can be completed entirely online. The required credit hours for these programs range from 60 to 73, and the curriculum combines general education courses with specific occupational and technical courses. The online degree programs offered at Coastal Pines are Accounting, Business Technology, Criminal Justice, Early Childhood Education, General Business, General Studies, and Marketing Management. Coastal Pines Technical lands the number one spot among our cheapest online associate’s degree options.
Tuition: $2,933
Resources related to Cheap Online Associate’s Degree Programs:
