2023 Best Value Healthcare Associate Degree Schools in Colorado
Identifying High-Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
It's not easy to decide which healthcare 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, Healthcare Degree Search has developed this Best Value Healthcare Associate Degree Schools in Colorado ranking. This report analyzed 16 schools in Colorado to see which ones offered the best value associate degree programs for healthcare 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. 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.
For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
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Top Value Healthcare Associate Degree Schools in Colorado
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our 2023 rankings named Aims Community College the best value school in Colorado for healthcare students working on their associate degree. Located in Greeley, Colorado, the medium-sized public school handed out 88 associate degree awards in 2020-2021.
Aims Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $10,418 in tuition and fees each year. Associate Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $16,360 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Aims Community College. In fact, around 83% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Out of the 16 schools in Colorado that were part of this year’s value ranking, Colorado Northwestern Community College landed the # 2 spot on the list. CNCC is a small public school situated in Rangely, Colorado. It awarded 40 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CNCC are $6,596 per year. On average, associate degree students take out $17,852 in loans while pursuing their degree.
CNCC does offer online classes for certain degree levels. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 25% took at least some of their classes online.
In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, CNCC is ranked #2 for overall quality in Colorado.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Otero Junior College. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Healthcare Associate Degree Schools in Colorado list. Otero JC is a public institution located in La Junta, Colorado. The school has a small population, and it awarded 80 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Otero JC are $6,563 a year. Associate Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $30,299 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Otero JC 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 28% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Otero JC not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #3 on our Best Healthcare Associate Degree Schools in Colorado list.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Red Rocks Community College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Healthcare Associate Degree Schools in Colorado list. Lakewood, Colorado is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associate degrees to 63 students in 2020-2021.
Red Rocks Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $15,811 in tuition and fees each year. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $17,755 in student loans.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Red Rocks Community College. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 75% took at least some of their classes online.
Red Rocks Community College not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #1 on our Best Healthcare Associate Degree Schools in Colorado list.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Morgan Community College. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Healthcare Associate Degree Schools in Colorado list. Located in Fort Morgan, Colorado, the small public school awarded 46 diplomas to qualifed associate degree students in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Morgan Community College are $15,274 per year. On average, associate degree students take out $16,598 in loans while pursuing their degree.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at Morgan Community College. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 68% took at least some of their classes online.
Morgan Community College did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our Best Healthcare Associate Degree Schools in Colorado list.
Arapahoe Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for healthcare students to get an associate degree. It came in at #6 on the list. Arapahoe Community College is a public institution located in Littleton, Colorado. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 71 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Arapahoe Community College are $15,502 per year. Associate Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $22,064 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Arapahoe Community College. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 33% took at least some of their classes online.
Arapahoe Community College also made our Best Healthcare Associate Degree Schools in Colorado list, coming in at #4.
Community College of Aurora came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Healthcare Associate Degree Schools in Colorado ranking. CCA is a medium-sized public school situated in Aurora, Colorado. It awarded 15 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at CCA are $15,369 a year. Associate Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $17,698 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
CCA 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. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 25% took at least some of their classes online.
Pikes Peak Community College ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Healthcare Associate Degree Schools in Colorado list. PPCC is a public institution located in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 156 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at PPCC are $15,403 a year. Associate Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $15,176 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
PPCC 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 2019-2020 about 47% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Front Range Community College landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree healthcare programs. FRCC is a public institution located in Westminster, Colorado. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 174 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.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at FRCC. During the 2019-2020 year, about 38% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Trinidad State Junior College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Healthcare Associate Degree Schools in Colorado list. Trinidad, Colorado is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associate degrees to 48 students in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Trinidad State Junior College are $6,631 per year. Associate Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $20,101 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at Trinidad State Junior College. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 17% took at least some of their classes online.
Community College of Denver ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Healthcare Associate Degree Schools in Colorado list. CCD is located in Denver, Colorado and has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 84 associate degrees to qualified students.
CCD undergraduate students pay an average of $16,167 in tuition and fees each year. Associate Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $20,971 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Some students may be able to take online classes at CCD. During the 2019-2020 year, about 38% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Pueblo Community College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Healthcare Associate Degree Schools in Colorado ranking. This medium-sized public school is located in Pueblo, Colorado, and it awarded 295 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Pueblo Community College are $15,958 per year. On average, associate degree students take out $18,779 in loans while pursuing their degree.
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.
Colorado Mountain College ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Healthcare Associate Degree Schools in Colorado list. Colorado Mountain College is a medium-sized public school located in Glenwood Springs, Colorado that handed out 62 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Colorado Mountain College are $11,484 per year. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $16,827 in student loans.
Colorado Mountain 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. In 2019-2020 about 33% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Northeastern Junior College landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree healthcare programs. NJC is located in Sterling, Colorado and has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 27 associate degrees to qualified students.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at NJC are $7,544 a year. Associate Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $17,100 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 NJC does offer online classes for certain majors. In 2019-2020 about 20% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Colorado Mesa University landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree healthcare programs. Colorado Mesa is located in Grand Junction, Colorado and has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 22 associate degrees to qualified students.
Colorado Mesa undergraduate students pay an average of $22,322 in tuition and fees each year. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $23,242 in student loans.
Colorado Mesa 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 2019-2020 about 62% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
IBMC College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for healthcare students to get an associate degree. It came in at #16 on the list. IBMC is located in Fort Collins, Colorado and has a very small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 19 associate degrees to qualified students.
IBMC undergraduate students pay an average of $14,580 in tuition and fees each year. Associate Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $24,240 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Best Value Healthcare Associate Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 16 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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