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2023 Best Value Precision Metal Working Basic Certificate Schools

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

149 Colleges
$5,541 Avg Tuition & Fees*

Finding the Best Precision Metal Working Basic Certificate School for You

In 2020-2021, 52,308 precision metal working students received their degrees and certificates, making the major the #7 most popular in the country.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for trade school students. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Trade College Search has created its Best Value Precision Metal Working Basic Certificate Schools ranking. This report analyzed 149 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best value basic certificate programs for precision metal working 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.

2023 Best Value Precision Metal Working Basic Certificate Schools in the United States

Check out the precision metal working basic certificate programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.

Top 15% Best Precision Metal Working Basic Certificate Schools

Our analysis found Coastal Pines Technical College to be the best value school for precision metal working students who want to pursue a basic certificate in the United States. Coastal Pines Technical College is a small public school located in the town of Waycross.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Coastal Pines Technical College are $4,906 per year.

Coastal Pines Technical College excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Precision Metal Working Basic Certificate Trade Schools list.

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The excellent basic certificate programs at Central Louisiana Technical Community College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best value precision metal working schools in the United States. Central Louisiana Technical Community College is a small public school located in the small city of Alexandria.

Central Louisiana Technical Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,098 in tuition and fees each year.

Full Precision Metal Working at Central Louisiana Technical Community College Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Northcentral Technical College. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Precision Metal Working Basic Certificate Schools list. Located in the small city of Wausau, North Central Technical College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at North Central Technical College are $5,415 per year.

North Central Technical College excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Precision Metal Working Basic Certificate Trade Schools list.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Anoka Technical College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Precision Metal Working Basic Certificate Schools list. Located in the large suburb of Anoka, Anoka Technical College is a public college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Anoka Technical College are $6,075 a year.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, Anoka Technical College also did well on our Best Precision Metal Working Basic Certificate Trade Schools list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Precision Metal Working Basic Certificate Schools list. Located in the rural area of Shell Lake, WITC is a public college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at WITC are $6,960 a year.

WITC excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Precision Metal Working Basic Certificate Trade Schools list.

Full Precision Metal Working at Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College Report

Chippewa Valley Technical College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for precision metal working students to get a basic certificate. It came in at #6 on the list. CVTC is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Eau Claire.

CVTC undergraduate students pay an average of $6,683 in tuition and fees each year.

CVTC excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Precision Metal Working Basic Certificate Trade Schools list.

Full Precision Metal Working at Chippewa Valley Technical College Report

#7

Hennepin Technical College

Brooklyn Park, MN

Hennepin Technical College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for precision metal working students to get a basic certificate. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the suburb of Brooklyn Park, Hennepin Technical College is a public college with a small student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Hennepin Technical College are $5,741 per year.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, Hennepin Technical College also did well on our Best Precision Metal Working Basic Certificate Trade Schools list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Full Precision Metal Working at Hennepin Technical College Report

Fox Valley Technical College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Precision Metal Working Basic Certificate Schools ranking. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Appleton, FVTC is a public college with a large student population.

FVTC undergraduate students pay an average of $6,861 in tuition and fees each year.

In addition to its great value ranking, FVTC is in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Precision Metal Working Basic Certificate Trade Schools list.

Read full report on Precision Metal Working at Fox Valley Technical College

#9

Hill College

Hillsboro, TX

Hill College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for precision metal working students to get a basic certificate. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the distant town of Hillsboro, Hill College is a public college with a small student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Hill College are $3,382 per year.

Full Precision Metal Working at Hill College Report

Northwest Louisiana Technical Community College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Precision Metal Working Basic Certificate Schools list. NLTCC is a fairly small public school located in the rural area of Minden.

NLTCC undergraduate students pay an average of $4,109 in tuition and fees each year.

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#11

South Central College

North Mankato, MN

South Central College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Precision Metal Working Basic Certificate Schools ranking. Located in the small suburb of North Mankato, South Central College is a public college with a small student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at South Central College are $5,966 per year.

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#12

Central Community College

Grand Island, NE

With a ranking of #12, Central Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for precision metal working students working on their basic certificate. Located in the small city of Grand Island, Central Community College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Central Community College are $4,590 a year.

Full Precision Metal Working at Central Community College Report

West Georgia Technical College ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Precision Metal Working Basic Certificate Schools list. Located in the rural area of Waco, West Georgia Technical College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

West Georgia Technical College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,452 in tuition and fees each year.

Full Precision Metal Working at West Georgia Technical College Report

With a ranking of #14, Georgia Northwestern Technical College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for precision metal working students working on their basic certificate. Located in the city of Rome, Georgia Northwestern Technical College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

Georgia Northwestern Technical College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,462 in tuition and fees each year.

Georgia Northwestern Technical College excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Precision Metal Working Basic Certificate Trade Schools list.

Full Precision Metal Working at Georgia Northwestern Technical College Report

South Louisiana Community College ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Precision Metal Working Basic Certificate Schools list. South Louisiana Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the medium-sized city of Lafayette.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at South Louisiana Community College are $4,205 a year.

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#16

Amarillo College

Amarillo, TX

With a ranking of #16, Amarillo College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for precision metal working students working on their basic certificate. Located in the midsize city of Amarillo, Amarillo College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Amarillo College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,704 in tuition and fees each year.

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Northeast Community College landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value basic certificate precision metal working programs. Located in the town of Norfolk, Northeast is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Northeast are $5,010 per year.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Northeast also is in the top 20% of our Best Precision Metal Working Basic Certificate Trade Schools ranking.

Read full report on Precision Metal Working at Northeast Community College

Gateway Technical College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for precision metal working students to get a basic certificate. It came in at #18 on the list. Located in the midsize suburb of Kenosha, Gateway Technical College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Gateway Technical College are $6,803 a year.

Gateway Technical College also claimed a spot on our Best Precision Metal Working Basic Certificate Trade Schools list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.

Read full report on Precision Metal Working at Gateway Technical College

#19

Hawkeye Community College

Waterloo, IA

Hawkeye Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for precision metal working students to get a basic certificate. It came in at #19 on the list. Hawkeye Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the small city of Waterloo.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Hawkeye Community College are $6,524 per year.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, Hawkeye Community College also did well on our Best Precision Metal Working Basic Certificate Trade Schools list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

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#20

Lone Star College System

The Woodlands, TX

Lone Star College System landed the #20 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value basic certificate precision metal working programs. Located in the medium-sized city of The Woodlands, North Harris Montgomery is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at North Harris Montgomery are $6,168 per year.

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Waukesha County Technical College came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Precision Metal Working Basic Certificate Schools ranking. WCTC is a medium-sized public school located in the large suburb of Pewaukee.

WCTC undergraduate students pay an average of $6,603 in tuition and fees each year.

WCTC also claimed a spot on our Best Precision Metal Working Basic Certificate Trade Schools list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.

Full Precision Metal Working at Waukesha County Technical College Report

#22

South Plains College

Levelland, TX

South Plains College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for precision metal working students to get a basic certificate. It came in at #22 on the list. South Plains College is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Levelland.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at South Plains College are $4,276 a year.

Read full report on Precision Metal Working at South Plains College

#22

Ridgewater College

Willmar, MN

Ridgewater College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for precision metal working students to get a basic certificate. It came in at #22 on the list. Located in the remote town of Willmar, Ridgewater College is a public school with a small student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Ridgewater College are $5,914 per year.

Full Precision Metal Working at Ridgewater College Report

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great value schools for Precision Metal Working students seeking value that almost earned our Best Value Precision Metal Working Basic Certificate Schools award.

Rank College Location
24 Moraine Park Technical College Fond du Lac, WI
25 North Georgia Technical College Clarkesville, GA
25 Lakeshore Technical College Cleveland, WI
27 Gwinnett Technical College Lawrenceville, GA
28 Saint Paul College Saint Paul, MN
29 Madison Area Technical College Madison, WI

Precision Metal Working by Region

View the Best Value Precision Metal Working Basic Certificate Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Great Lakes

One of 5 majors within the trade school area of study, precision metal working has other similar majors worth exploring.

Precision Metal Working Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Welding Technology/Welder 42,490
Machine Tool Technology/Machinist 3,285
Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) Machinist Technology/CNC Machinist 2,689
Machine Shop Technology/Assistant 1,921
Tool & Die Technology/Technician 584
Metal Fabricator 430
Ironworking/Ironworker 316
Other Precision Metal Working 314
Sheet Metal Technology/Sheetworking 279

Majors Similar to Precision Metal Working

Related Major Annual Graduates
Woodworking 423
Other Precision Production 68
Leatherworking & Upholstery 54
Precision Production Trades 39
Boilermaking 13

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 26 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).

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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