Best Online Community Colleges of 2025

Community colleges are easy to get into and offer affordable pathways to earning an associate degree, making them a great place to begin your higher education journey.

With an associate degree, you can transfer to a four-year college or pursue a career in your desired field.

Another great thing about community colleges is that many offer plenty of opportunities to learn online, giving you time to manage your other priorities. Explore our ranking of the best online community colleges of the year.

Some of the most important factors to consider before you apply to an online community college are tuition rates, program length, and accreditation status. Learn about these factors below.

The average cost of tuition for an associate degree is $3,323 for online programs and $3,422 for on-campus programs, according to National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) data from 2019-2020.

With financial aid, the average tuition rates for associate degree programs drop to $1,869 for online programs and $1,965 for on-campus programs.

Community colleges typically expect students to earn 60 credits over two years to get their associate degrees, whether online or on campus.

For example, online associate degrees at Ivy Tech Community College require 60 credits over two years. Some community colleges, like Lorain County Community College, offer accelerated programs that let you complete your associate program in 15 months.

College accreditation ensures that your community college is legitimate and will provide a quality education. It also allows you to access financial aid and transfer credits to four-year institutions.

Enroll in a community college accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC), or the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).

You can verify your desired schools’ accreditation statuses by visiting the above organizations’ databases on their websites or the United States Department of Education’s database of accredited institutions. Alternatively, you can also contact these schools or search their websites to learn about their accreditation.

An associate degree, particularly one from an online community college, can benefit students who are balancing work or family responsibilities. Compared to traditional degrees, online community colleges typically offer affordable, flexible programs for busy adults.

You can find the return on investment (ROI) of your associate degree by comparing the cost of your degree against how much you expect to earn once you graduate.

Associate degrees typically cost around $3,300 for online programs, according to the NCES. Meanwhile, the average starting annual salary for those with associate degrees in the class of 2023 was $51,108, according to the National Association for Colleges and Employers (NACE).

One of the potential benefits of enrolling in community college online is that you can explore different schools across the nation. This may lead to opportunities you hadn’t considered, enabling you to embark on a new adventure.

However, if you do want to attend school closer to home, each state has many community colleges with online offerings.

Browse online community college and trade school programs across the United States: