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Best Value Teaching Associate Degree Schools in Texas

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2023 Best Value Teaching Associate Degree Schools in Texas

Identifying High-Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

8 Schools Ranked
$9,272 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$19,387 Avg Student Debt*

It's not easy to decide which teaching program to enroll in when you have so many options available. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools and bootcamps that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Teaching Degree Search has developed this Best Value Teaching Associate Degree Schools in Texas ranking. This report analyzed 8 schools in Texas 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.

When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

Top Value Teaching Associate Degree Schools in Texas

Learn more about these excellent schools below:

#1

El Centro College

Dallas, Texas
306 Total Awards
$6,000 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found El Centro College to be the best value school for teaching students who want to pursue a associate degree in Texas. Dallas, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associate degrees to 306 students in 2020-2021.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at El Centro College are $6,000 a year. Associate Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $18,961 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.

One thing to take note of is that El Centro College does offer online classes in some areas. During the 2019-2020 year, about 92% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, El Centro College is ranked #2 for overall quality in Texas.

Read full report on El Centro College

#2

Tarrant County College District

Fort Worth, Texas
127 Total Awards
$8,235 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 8 schools in Texas that were part of this year’s value ranking, Tarrant County College District landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in Fort Worth, Texas, the large public school awarded 127 diplomas to qualifed associate degree students in 2020-2021.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Tarrant County College are $8,235 per year. On average, associate degree students take out $17,198 in loans while pursuing their degree.

Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Tarrant County College. During the 2019-2020 year, about 97% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.

Read full report on Tarrant County College District

#3

South Texas College

McAllen, Texas
352 Total Awards
$7,920 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent associate degree programs at South Texas College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best value teaching schools in Texas. Located in McAllen, Texas, the large public school handed out 352 associate degree awards in 2020-2021.

South Texas College undergraduate students pay an average of $7,920 in tuition and fees each year. Associate Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $8,401 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.

If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since South Texas College does offer online classes for certain majors. During the 2019-2020 year, about 94% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.

South Texas College also took the #1 spot in our Best Teaching Associate Degree Schools in Texas rankings.

Read full report on South Texas College

#4

Amarillo College

Amarillo, Texas
13 Total Awards
$4,704 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Amarillo College is a great place for teaching students working on their associate degree who want the most bang for their educational buck. Amarillo, Texas is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associate degrees to 13 students in 2020-2021.

Amarillo College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,704 in tuition and fees each year. Associate Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $18,641 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.

Some students may be able to take online classes at Amarillo College. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 57% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.

Read full report on Amarillo College

#5

El Paso Community College

El Paso, Texas
202 Total Awards
$5,314 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 8 schools in Texas that were part of this year’s value ranking, El Paso Community College landed the # 5 spot on the list. El Paso, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associate degrees to 202 students in 2020-2021.

El Paso Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,314 in tuition and fees each year. Associate Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $10,989 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.

Online courses are available at El Paso Community College, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 97% took at least some of their classes online.

Full El Paso Community College Report

#6

Lone Star College System

The Woodlands, Texas
265 Total Awards
$6,168 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #6, Lone Star College System did quite well on this year’s best value schools for teaching students working on their associate degree. North Harris Montgomery is located in The Woodlands, Texas and has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 265 associate degrees to qualified students.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at North Harris Montgomery are $6,168 per year. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $15,481 in student loans.

If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since North Harris Montgomery does offer online classes for certain majors. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 72% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.

North Harris Montgomery also took the #4 spot in our Best Teaching Associate Degree Schools in Texas rankings.

Read full report on Lone Star College System

#7

Palo Alto College

San Antonio, Texas
98 Total Awards
$14,122 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #7, Palo Alto College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for teaching students working on their associate degree. San Antonio, Texas is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associate degrees to 98 students in 2020-2021.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Palo Alto College are $14,122 a year. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $15,496 in student loans.

Online courses are available at Palo Alto College, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In fact, around 58% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.

Palo Alto College also took the #5 spot in our Best Teaching Associate Degree Schools in Texas rankings.

Read full report on Palo Alto College

5 Total Awards
$17,404 Average Tuition & Fees

Southwestern Assemblies of God University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Teaching Associate Degree Schools in Texas ranking. Waxahachie, Texas is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out associate degrees to 5 students in 2020-2021.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Southwestern Assemblies of God University are $17,404 a year. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $29,477 in student loans.

If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Southwestern Assemblies of God University does offer online classes for certain majors. During the 2019-2020 year, about 67% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.

Southwestern Assemblies of God University not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #3 on our Best Teaching Associate Degree Schools in Texas list.

Read full report on Southwestern Assemblies of God University

Best Value Teaching Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region

View Best Value Teaching Associate Degree Schools Nationwide >

Notes and References

Footnotes

*These averages are for the top 8 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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