Online associate degrees: cost, transfer and pay (2026)
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- Sixty credits cost $13,923 to $28,824 at one college
- Out-of-state rates can top a for-profit school’s one price
- AA and AS degrees are built to transfer; an AAS is not
- Associate degree holders earned $1,135 a week in 2025
- The field sets the pay; the best-paid have the smallest online share
- Pell and federal loans pay for associate programs
- FAQ
- Next step: price your program, then shrink the cost
An online associate degree takes at least 60 credits at Northern Virginia and SNHU, which cost $13,923 to $28,824 for 2026-27 at one Virginia community college depending on your state; an AA or AS is built to transfer to a bachelor’s and an AAS is not; and in 2025, associate degree holders earned a median $1,135 a week, against $966 with a high school diploma. Source · BLS Education pays, 2025
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Find my break-even yearAt Southern New Hampshire University’s online rate, 60 credits cost $21,240. Northern Virginia’s degrees take 60 to 72 credits, depending on the degree, and SNHU says most of its associate degrees take 60. The Associate of Arts (AA) and Associate of Science (AS) are designed to transfer; the Associate of Applied Science (AAS) is designed for a job.
If you have priced one class and found it would cost over $1,000 out of pocket, that is true at some schools. A 3-credit course at SNHU’s online rate is $1,062 before aid. At Northern Virginia’s resident rate it is $696.15.
Online, you take the courses at a distance instead of in a classroom. Schools report to the Department of Education, field by field, whether their credentials “may be fully completed via distance education,” and the College Scorecard publishes that flag; ask a school whether your program is one of them. Check that the school is accredited first, with our five-minute online school check.
The sections below show where the price comes from, what transfers and what each field pays. More guides on cost and pay are in our online degrees hub.
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Sixty credits cost $13,923 to $28,824 at one college
Example: list prices for 60 credits in 2026-27, before any aid. Sixty is the fewest credits an associate degree takes at Northern Virginia. Each row is the school’s published per-credit rate times 60. Source · NOVA tuition Source · SNHU online tuition
| School and rate | Per credit, 2026-27 | One 3-credit class | 60 credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Virginia Community College, Virginia resident | $232.05 | $696.15 | $13,923 |
| Southern New Hampshire University, online | $354 | $1,062.00 | $21,240 |
| Northern Virginia Community College, out of state | $480.40 | $1,441.20 | $28,824 |
Northern Virginia’s per-credit totals include a $22.50 course-materials fee that students can opt out of. SNHU’s rate is tuition, and SNHU adds a $100 fee when you apply to graduate.
The same credit at the same college costs about twice as much from another state. Your own state’s public college at the resident rate is the lowest price in this example. Some states go further and pay community college tuition for adults; our guide to free community college for adults compares four state programs and who qualifies.
Out-of-state rates can top a for-profit school’s one price
The College Scorecard lists each school’s yearly in-state and out-of-state tuition and fees. Source · College Scorecard data, Oct. 15, 2026 At the four public schools below, the out-of-state price is 1.5 to 3.5 times the in-state price. The two for-profit schools charge one price whatever your state.
| School | In-state | Out-of-state | Any award in 8 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Petersburg College (FL, public state college) | $2,682 | $9,286 | 37% |
| Lone Star College System (TX, public) | $3,330 | $9,390 | 21% |
| Northern Virginia Community College (public) | $6,062 | $12,656 | 31% |
| University of Maryland Global Campus (public) | $8,280 | $12,336 | 32% |
| American Public University System (for-profit) | $8,400 | $8,400 | 32% |
| University of Phoenix-Arizona (for-profit) | $9,552 | $9,552 | 36% |
The last column covers all students who entered in 2017-18 and counts any award within eight years. At each of these six schools, fewer than 4 in 10 had one. Before you enroll, ask a school what share of part-time adults like you finish.
The Scorecard gives one in-state and one out-of-state figure per school, and an online rate can differ. SNHU’s Scorecard figure is $18,410 for 2025-26, while its online rate comes to $10,620 for 30 credits in 2026-27. Check the school’s own tuition page for the program you want.
AA and AS degrees are built to transfer; an AAS is not
Northern Virginia’s catalog sets out the difference. Source · NOVA catalog The AA and AS are “designed for those who plan to transfer to a four-year, degree-granting institution.” The AAS prepares you “for employment in a technical field immediately following graduation” and is “not designed for transfer,” though “in some limited cases” it or some of its courses may transfer.
Two states’ written transfer promises show how these guarantees work: Source · CSU: Associate Degree for Transfer Source · Florida DOE: articulation
| State and degree | Guarantees | Does not guarantee |
|---|---|---|
| California: Associate Degree for Transfer (AA-T or AS-T) from a California community college, up to 60 semester units (90 quarter) | Priority admission to a California State University campus if you meet its minimum eligibility; once admitted to a similar major, a bachelor's within 60 more semester units if you stay enrolled in that major and need no repeated or extra courses | A particular campus or major |
| Florida: AA from one of the 28 Florida College System colleges | Admission to one of the 12 state universities, at least 60 credit hours toward the bachelor's, and the 36-hour general education block in full | A particular university or a limited-access program |
Both guarantees cover only degrees from that state’s own colleges: the California Community Colleges and the Florida College System. Northern Virginia’s catalog also warns its own students that “not all courses will transfer to all senior institutions.” Before you enroll, ask the bachelor’s program you want which of the associate degree’s courses it accepts.
Some schools also limit how old credits can be; see which credits still transfer years later.
Associate degree holders earned $1,135 a week in 2025
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) publishes median weekly pay by highest level of education from the Current Population Survey. It covers full-time wage and salary workers aged 25 and older.
Unemployment fell with each step up in 2025: 4.3% for high school graduates, 3.8% for some college with no degree, 3.0% for associate degree holders and 2.8% for bachelor’s holders.
The associate median is $169 a week above the high school median, about $8,788 a year. It is $73 a week above “some college, no degree,” about $3,796 a year. These are medians of different groups of workers, not the raise one person gets.
BLS, Bureau of Labor Statistics. The U.S. Department of Labor agency that publishes pay and job outlook figures for each occupation. says the 2025 figures are 11-month averages, because October 2025 data were not collected during the government shutdown, so they are “not strictly comparable” with other years.
The field sets the pay; the best-paid have the smallest online share
The College Scorecard reports what associate degree graduates in each field earned nationally, counting only graduates who had federal aid and were working, not enrolled. The table shows the median one year after finishing (2020-21 and 2021-22 graduates) and four years after (2017-18 and 2018-19 graduates), both measured in 2022 and 2023 in 2024 dollars. Source · Scorecard field of study documentation
“Not published” means the Scorecard withholds the figure to protect privacy. The last column shows the share of 2023-24 associate degrees in the field that came from schools reporting at least one credential in it can be finished fully online.
| Field | 1 year after | 4 years after | From schools with a fully online option |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registered nursing | $75,149 | $80,813 | 10% |
| Dental support services | $62,279 | $61,982 | 5% |
| Allied health diagnostic and treatment | $61,169 | Not published | 7% |
| IT administration and management | $46,417 | Not published | 49% |
| Legal support services | $41,377 | $44,669 | 39% |
| Business administration and management | $41,208 | Not published | 61% |
| Criminal justice and corrections | $40,997 | Not published | 47% |
| Medical assisting | $40,233 | Not published | 16% |
| Liberal arts and general studies | $34,134 | Not published | 59% |
| Health and medical administration | $33,452 | $37,073 | 81% |
| Psychology | $30,994 | $39,288 | 33% |
| Teacher education | $30,190 | $37,656 | 46% |
| Computer and information sciences | Not published | Not published | 58% |
| Business and commerce, general | Not published | Not published | 74% |
The three best-paid fields have the smallest shares from schools with a fully online option. The online-heavy fields, such as health administration and business, pay less a year out. A median describes past graduates who had federal aid; it is not a forecast of your pay.
BLS pay by job adds two examples. Paralegals and computer network support specialists both typically start with an associate degree; in May 2025 their median pay was $62,890 and $76,220. If you are weighing a shorter credential, compare the two in certificate or degree. For the payback formula, see is an online degree worth it.
An AS in business may count toward a bachelor’s in business administration, if the bachelor’s program accepts it.
Pell and federal loans pay for associate programs
Pell Grants go to undergraduates with financial need who have not earned a bachelor’s degree, and for 2026-27 Pell pays up to $7,395 a year. At that maximum, two full-time years would come to $14,790, more than the $13,923 resident price for 60 credits at Northern Virginia. One year’s maximum is more than the price of 10 three-credit classes at that rate. Your own award depends on your Student Aid Index and how many credits you take. Source · StudentAid.gov: Pell Grants
Pell has a lifetime limit of 12 terms of eligibility, and Pell you get for an associate degree counts toward it (how the lifetime limit is counted). If you used Pell before and stopped, the terms you have left decide how much of a bachelor’s it can still pay for after the associate degree.
For 2026-27, federal Direct Loans allow $5,500 in the first year and $6,500 in the second for a dependent student. An independent student can borrow $9,500 and $10,500. You file the FAFSA, Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The free federal form for grants, federal student loans and work-study. Most states and schools use it for their own aid too. every year you are in school.
FAQ
How long does an online associate degree take?
It takes as long as the degree’s credits take you, 60 or more. At 15 credits a term, that is four terms, or two years of fall and spring. At 6 credits a term it is ten terms.
Credits a school accepts in transfer come off the 60.
Can you get an online associate degree for free?
Some states pay community college tuition for adults who meet their age, residency and degree rules. Ask the state program whether online classes count. Federal Pell can also cover the whole price at a low-cost college, if your award is large enough.
What is the cheapest online associate degree?
In the prices above, the lowest was a public college at the resident rate. Start with your own state’s community colleges, and check whether they charge online students from out of state more.
Does an associate degree transfer to a bachelor’s?
An AA or AS is designed to. Florida guarantees an AA graduate of its public colleges admission to one of its 12 state universities. California guarantees transfer-degree graduates who meet CSU’s minimum eligibility priority admission to a CSU campus; neither promises a particular campus or major. An AAS is not designed to transfer, so ask the bachelor’s program which courses it would accept.
Next step: price your program, then shrink the cost
Price the program at the rate you would pay: your state’s resident rate, or the out-of-state or online rate if that is yours. Then run the aid check to see what Pell, state grants and federal loans could take off, before you give a name, email or phone number. Comparing schools comes after your result, and it is optional.
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Sources
Every figure in this guide comes from one of these pages. How we check sources
- BLS: Education pays, Table 5.1 (earnings and unemployment by educational attainment, 2025)
- BLS: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 national estimates
- College Scorecard data files, October 15, 2026 release
- College Scorecard data dictionary (cohort years)
- College Scorecard: Field of Study Data Documentation
- Northern Virginia Community College: Tuition and costs, fall 2026 to summer 2027
- Northern Virginia Community College catalog: Academic programs and requirements
- Southern New Hampshire University: Online tuition, 2026-27
- California State University: CCC Associate Degree for Transfer
- Florida Department of Education: College and university transfer (postsecondary articulation)
- Florida Statutes, section 1007.23 (statewide articulation agreement)
- StudentAid.gov: Federal Pell Grants
- Federal Student Aid: 2026-27 Pell Grant maximum and minimum award amounts
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