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Best Value Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science Basic Certificate Schools in California

2023 Best Value Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science Basic Certificate Schools in California

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

19 Colleges
$1,348 Avg Tuition & Fees*

Finding the Best Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science Basic Certificate School for You

In 2021-2022, 1,447 degrees and certificates were awarded to clinical/medical laboratory science students who went to a California college or university. This makes it the #14 most popular major in the state.

Today's trade school students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Trade College Search has created its Best Value Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science Basic Certificate Schools in California ranking. This report analyzed 19 schools in California to see which ones offered the best value basic certificate programs for clinical laboratory science 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. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.

Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

Top 10 Best Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science Basic Certificate Schools

#1

Cuesta College

San Luis Obispo, CA

Our analysis found Cuesta College to be the best value school for clinical/medical laboratory science students who want to pursue a basic certificate in California. Located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cuesta College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

Cuesta College undergraduate students pay an average of $1,340 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Cuesta College also made our Best Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science Basic Certificate Trade Schools in California list, coming in at #5.

Full Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science at Cuesta College Report

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#2

Cabrillo College

Aptos, CA

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Cabrillo College is a great value for clinical/medical laboratory science students working on their basic certificate. Cabrillo College is a moderately-sized public school located in the midsize suburb of Aptos.

Cabrillo College undergraduate students pay an average of $1,262 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Cabrillo College also claimed a spot on our Best Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science Basic Certificate Trade Schools in California list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.

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#3

Bakersfield College

Bakersfield, CA

Out of the 19 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Bakersfield College landed the # 3 spot on the list. Bakersfield College is a very large public school located in the large city of Bakersfield.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Bakersfield College are $1,430 per year.

Read full report on Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science at Bakersfield College

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#4

Rio Hondo College

Whittier, CA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Rio Hondo College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science Basic Certificate Schools in California list. RHCCD is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Whittier.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at RHCCD are $1,388 a year.

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#5

Saddleback College

Mission Viejo, CA

The excellent basic certificate programs at Saddleback College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best value clinical/medical laboratory science schools in California. Located in the suburb of Mission Viejo, Saddleback College is a public school with a large student population.

Saddleback College undergraduate students pay an average of $1,334 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science at Saddleback College Report

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#6

Grossmont College

El Cajon, CA

Grossmont College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value basic certificate clinical/medical laboratory science programs. Grossmont College is a large public school located in the suburb of El Cajon.

Grossmont College undergraduate students pay an average of $1,332 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

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Pima Medical Institute - San Marcos came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science Basic Certificate Schools in California ranking. PMI San Marcos is a small private for-profit school located in the large suburb of San Marcos.

Full Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science at Pima Medical Institute - San Marcos Report

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Institute for Business and Technology ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science Basic Certificate Schools in California list. Located in the midsize city of Santa Clara, Institute for Business and Technology is a private for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

Full Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science at Institute for Business and Technology Report

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#7

Glendale Career College

Glendale, CA

Glendale Career College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for clinical/medical laboratory science students to get a basic certificate. It came in at #7 on the list. Glendale Career College is a small private for-profit school located in the city of Glendale.

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#7

National Career Education

Citrus Heights, CA

With a ranking of #7, National Career Education did quite well on this year’s best value schools for clinical/medical laboratory science students working on their basic certificate. National Career Education is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the large suburb of Citrus Heights.

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Best Value Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Value Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 519
Oregon 110
Nevada 464
Alaska 26
Hawaii 11

Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science is one of 11 different types of trade school programs to choose from.

Clinical Laboratory Science Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Phlebotomy Technician/Phlebotomist 8,296
Laboratory Sciences & Medical Technology 3,966
Laboratory Technician 3,429
Sterile Processing Technology/Technician 1,193
Other Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science and Allied Professions 822
Blood Bank Technology Specialist 319
Histologic Technician 245
Renal/Dialysis Technologist/Technician 184
Histologic Technology/Histotechnologist 147
Cytotechnology/Cytotechnologist 101
Ophthalmic Laboratory Technology/Technician 72
Hematology Technology 66
Cytogenetics/Genetics/Clinical Genetics Technology/Technologist 44

Majors Similar to Clinical Laboratory Science

Related Major Annual Graduates
Health & Medical Administrative Services 88,600
Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants 85,339
Allied Health Professions 83,905
Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services 83,587
Health Sciences & Services 36,762

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 19 schools only.

  • 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 the rest 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).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Staff Sgt. Jerilyn Quintanilla.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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