2023 Best Value Teaching Associate Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Prices
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which teaching program is right for you. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school or bootcamp that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.
The Best Value Teaching Associate Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking is one of many tools that Teaching Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 13 schools in the Rocky Mountains Region to see which ones offered the best value associate degree programs for teaching students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.
For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
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Top Value Teaching Associate Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region of the U.S.
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our analysis found Brigham Young University - Idaho to be the best value school for teaching students who want to pursue a associate degree in the Rocky Mountains Region . BYU - I is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Rexburg, Idaho. It awarded 1 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
BYU - I undergraduate students pay an average of $4,416 in tuition and fees each year. On average, associate degree students take out $10,200 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at BYU - I. In fact, around 82% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
BYU - I also made our Best Teaching Associate Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region list, coming in at #4.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Front Range Community College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Teaching Associate Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region list. FRCC is a fairly large public school situated in Westminster, Colorado. It awarded 11 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at FRCC are $15,454 a year. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $23,281 in student loans.
FRCC does offer online classes for certain degree levels. In 2019-2020 about 38% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
FRCC also made our Best Teaching Associate Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region list, coming in at #1.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Utah Valley University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Teaching Associate Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region list. UVU is a large public school situated in Orem, Utah. It awarded 117 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UVU are $17,092 per year. Associate Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $14,381 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
One thing to take note of is that UVU does offer online classes in some areas. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 70% took at least some of their classes online.
UVU also took the #2 spot in our Best Teaching Associate Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region rankings.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Salt Lake Community College. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Teaching Associate Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region list. Salt Lake City, Utah is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associate degrees to 68 students in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Salt Lake Community College are $12,734 per year. On average, associate degree students take out $13,550 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Salt Lake Community College. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 48% took at least some of their classes online.
Out of the 13 schools in the Rocky Mountains Region that were part of this year’s value ranking, Weber State University landed the # 5 spot on the list. WSU is a public institution located in Ogden, Utah. The school has a large population, and it awarded 17 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at WSU are $16,644 per year. Associate Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $20,128 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Some students may be able to take online classes at WSU. During the 2019-2020 year, about 59% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
WSU also took the #3 spot in our Best Teaching Associate Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region rankings.
With a ranking of #6, The University of Montana - Western did quite well on this year’s best value schools for teaching students working on their associate degree. This small public school is located in Dillon, Montana, and it awarded 59 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Montana Western are $17,190 per year.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Montana Western does offer online classes for certain majors. In 2019-2020 about 74% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Montana Western is ranked #5 for overall quality in the Rocky Mountains Region .
Red Rocks Community College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Teaching Associate Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking. Lakewood, Colorado is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associate degrees to 6 students in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Red Rocks Community College are $15,811 per year. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $17,755 in student loans.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Red Rocks Community College does offer online classes for certain majors. In 2019-2020 about 75% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Dixie State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for teaching students to get an associate degree. It came in at #8 on the list. Dixie State College is a fairly large public school situated in Saint George, Utah. It awarded 9 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Dixie State College are $16,986 a year. On average, associate degree students take out $18,245 in loans while pursuing their degree.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at Dixie State College. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 47% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Pueblo Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for teaching students to get an associate degree. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in Pueblo, Colorado, the medium-sized public school awarded 11 diplomas to qualifed associate degree students in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Pueblo Community College are $15,958 a year. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $18,779 in student loans.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Pueblo Community College. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 35% took at least some of their classes online.
Lewis - Clark State College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Teaching Associate Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking. Lewis - Clark State College is a public institution located in Lewiston, Idaho. The school has a small population, and it awarded 3 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Lewis - Clark State College are $20,238 a year. Associate Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $19,675 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Lewis - Clark State College does have options available for those who want to take online classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 52% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Montana State University - Billings did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for teaching students to get an associate degree. It came in at #11 on the list. Located in Billings, Montana, the small public school handed out 1 associate degree awards in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Montana State University - Billings are $19,352 per year. Associate Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $20,000 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Montana State University - Billings does have options available for those who want to take online classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. In fact, around 63% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
With a ranking of #12, Community College of Denver did quite well on this year’s best value schools for teaching students working on their associate degree. This medium-sized public school is located in Denver, Colorado, and it awarded 2 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
CCD undergraduate students pay an average of $16,167 in tuition and fees each year. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $20,971 in student loans.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since CCD does offer online classes for certain majors. In fact, around 38% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
With a ranking of #13, Colorado Mesa University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for teaching students working on their associate degree. Colorado Mesa is located in Grand Junction, Colorado and has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 2 associate degrees to qualified students.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Colorado Mesa are $22,322 per year. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $23,242 in student loans.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Colorado Mesa. In fact, around 62% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 13 schools only.
References
- 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%.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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