2023 Best Value Computer Science Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania
Identifying High-Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for computer science students. 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.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Computer Science Degree Search has created the Best Value Computer Science Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 20 schools in Pennsylvania to see which ones offered the best value associate degree programs for computer science 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 Computer Science Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our analysis found Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology to be the best value school for computer science students who want to pursue a associate degree in Pennsylvania. Located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, the small public school handed out 16 associate degree awards in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology are $8,450 per year. Associate Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $10,250 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
If you are interested in distance education, Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology is an excellent choice, since the school is online.
Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our Best Computer Science Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania list.
A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Harrisburg Area Community College is a great place for computer science students working on their associate degree who want the most bang for their educational buck. Harrisburg Area Community College is a fairly large public school located in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania that handed out 115 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at HACC are $9,818 per year. On average, associate degree students take out $22,678 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at HACC. During the 2019-2020 year, about 50% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Community College of Philadelphia. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Computer Science Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania list. This fairly large public school is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 153 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
Community College of Philadelphia undergraduate students pay an average of $12,744 in tuition and fees each year. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $18,375 in student loans.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Community College of Philadelphia. During the 2019-2020 year, about 100% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
The excellent associate degree programs at Strayer University - Pennsylvania helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best value computer science schools in Pennsylvania. Strayer University - Pennsylvania is a private for-profit institution located in Trevose, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 5 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Strayer University - Pennsylvania are $13,515 per year. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $30,752 in student loans.
Interested in an online degree? Then you definitely want to check out Strayer University - Pennsylvania. Every undergraduate student at the school took at least one class online.
Strayer University - Pennsylvania also took the #4 spot in our Best Computer Science Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania rankings.
Out of the 20 schools in Pennsylvania that were part of this year’s value ranking, DeVry University - Pennsylvania landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in Ft. Washington, Pennsylvania, the very small private for-profit school handed out 2 associate degree awards in 2020-2021.
DeVry University - Pennsylvania undergraduate students pay an average of $15,032 in tuition and fees each year. Associate Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $33,248 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
DeVry University - Pennsylvania does offer online classes for certain degree levels. In 2019-2020 about 99% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
DeVry University - Pennsylvania also took the #2 spot in our Best Computer Science Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania rankings.
Community College of Allegheny County did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for computer science students to get an associate degree. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the fairly large public school handed out 110 associate degree awards in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CCAC are $11,863 per year. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $19,313 in student loans.
CCAC does offer online classes for certain degree levels. During the 2019-2020 year, about 48% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
With a ranking of #7, Laurel Technical Institute did quite well on this year’s best value schools for computer science students working on their associate degree. LTI - Meadville is a private for-profit institution located in MEADVILLE, Pennsylvania. The school has a very small population, and it awarded 7 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
LTI - Meadville undergraduate students pay an average of $10,582 in tuition and fees each year. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $15,330 in student loans.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at LTI - Meadville. In fact, around 53% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
With a ranking of #8, Edinboro University of Pennsylvania did quite well on this year’s best value schools for computer science students working on their associate degree. This small public school is located in Edinboro, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 5 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Edinboro are $15,062 a year. Associate Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $20,315 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Edinboro. In 2019-2020 about 98% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Pennsylvania College of Technology ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Computer Science Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania list. Pennsylvania College of Technology is a small public school located in Williamsport, Pennsylvania that handed out 30 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Penn College are $25,170 per year. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $25,119 in student loans.
Online courses are available at Penn College, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. During the 2019-2020 year, about 48% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
South Hills School of Business & Technology ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Computer Science Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania list. South Hills School of Business & Technology is a very small private for-profit school situated in State College, Pennsylvania. It awarded 27 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at South Hills School of Business & Technology are $18,878 per year. Associate Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $21,114 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
South Hills School of Business & Technology did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our Best Computer Science Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania list.
With a ranking of #11, Pittsburgh Technical College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for computer science students working on their associate degree. Pittsburgh Technical College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Oakdale, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 85 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
Pittsburgh Technical College undergraduate students pay an average of $16,699 in tuition and fees each year. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $20,765 in student loans.
One thing to take note of is that Pittsburgh Technical College does offer online classes in some areas. During the 2019-2020 year, about 27% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Mansfield University of Pennsylvania did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for computer science students to get an associate degree. It came in at #12 on the list. This small public school is located in Mansfield, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 2 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Mansfield University are $13,248 a year.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Mansfield University. In fact, around 97% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Peirce College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for computer science students to get an associate degree. It came in at #13 on the list. Peirce College is a very small private not-for-profit school located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that handed out 7 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Peirce are $15,060 per year. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $39,567 in student loans.
If you are interested in distance education, Peirce is an excellent choice, since the school is online.
With a ranking of #14, Central Penn College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for computer science students working on their associate degree. Located in Summerdale, Pennsylvania, the very small private for-profit school handed out 5 associate degree awards in 2020-2021.
Central Penn undergraduate students pay an average of $18,714 in tuition and fees each year. On average, associate degree students take out $25,865 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Central Penn 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 85% took at least some of their classes online.
With a ranking of #15, Keystone College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for computer science students working on their associate degree. Keystone College is a private not-for-profit institution located in La Plume, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 1 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Keystone College are $17,300 per year.
Keystone 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 63% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
McCann School of Business & Technology came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Computer Science Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Located in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, the very small private for-profit school handed out 7 associate degree awards in 2020-2021.
McCann School of Business & Technology undergraduate students pay an average of $0 in tuition and fees each year. On average, associate degree students take out $31,152 in loans while pursuing their degree.
McCann School of Business & Technology 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 1% took at least some of their classes online.
Berks Technical Institute came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Computer Science Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Berks Technical Institute is a private for-profit institution located in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania. The school has a very small population, and it awarded 13 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
Berks Technical Institute undergraduate students pay an average of $0 in tuition and fees each year. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $31,892 in student loans.
YTI Career Institute-York ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Computer Science Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania list. YTI is a private for-profit institution located in York, Pennsylvania. The school has a very small population, and it awarded 29 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
YTI undergraduate students pay an average of $0 in tuition and fees each year. Associate Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $19,587 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Some students may be able to take online classes at YTI. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 82% 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, YTI is ranked #3 for overall quality in Pennsylvania.
Lincoln Technical Institute - Allentown ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Computer Science Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania list. Lincoln Tech - Allentown is located in Allentown, Pennsylvania and has a very small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 15 associate degrees to qualified students.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Lincoln Tech - Allentown are $0 a year. Associate Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $19,221 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
McCann School of Business & Technology did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for computer science students to get an associate degree. It came in at #16 on the list. McCann School of Business & Technology is a very small private for-profit school located in Allentown, Pennsylvania that handed out 10 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at McCann School of Business & Technology are $0 per year. On average, associate degree students take out $30,784 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Best Value Computer Science Associate Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 20 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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