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Best Value Precision Metal Working Basic Certificate Schools in the Southwest Region

2023 Best Value Precision Metal Working Basic Certificate Schools in the Southwest Region

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

25 Colleges
$6,285 Avg Tuition & Fees*

Finding the Best Precision Metal Working Basic Certificate School for You

In 2021-2022, 54,790 precision metal working students received a degree or certificate, 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 help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Trade College Search has developed this Best Value Precision Metal Working Basic Certificate Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 25 schools in the Southwest Region to see which basic certificate programs offered the best value experiences for precision metal working students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

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 Southwest Region

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 10 Best Precision Metal Working Basic Certificate Schools

#1

Hill College

Hillsboro, TX

Our analysis found Hill College to be the best value school for precision metal working students who want to pursue a basic certificate in the Southwest Region . Located in the 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 $4,462 per year.

Read More…

#2

Amarillo College

Amarillo, TX

The excellent basic certificate programs at Amarillo College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best value precision metal working schools in the Southwest Region . Located in the medium-sized city of Amarillo, Amarillo College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Amarillo College are $4,704 a year.

Read full report on Precision Metal Working at Amarillo College

#3

Lone Star College System

The Woodlands, TX

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Lone Star College System. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Precision Metal Working Basic Certificate Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in the medium-sized city of The Woodlands, North Harris Montgomery is a public school with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at North Harris Montgomery are $6,456 a year.

In addition to its great value ranking, North Harris Montgomery is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Precision Metal Working Basic Certificate Trade Schools in the Southwest Region list.

Full Precision Metal Working at Lone Star College System Report

#4

South Plains College

Levelland, TX

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend South Plains College. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Precision Metal Working Basic Certificate Schools in the Southwest Region list. South Plains College is a moderately-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 $4,857 a year.

Full Precision Metal Working at South Plains College Report

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means San Jacinto Community College is a great value for precision metal working students working on their basic certificate. San Jacinto College is a very large public school located in the suburb of Pasadena.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at San Jacinto College are $5,040 per year.

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#6

Laredo College

Laredo, TX

Laredo College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Precision Metal Working Basic Certificate Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in the city of Laredo, Laredo College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Laredo College are $5,748 per year.

Read full report on Precision Metal Working at Laredo College

#7

Del Mar College

Corpus Christi, TX

Del Mar College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Precision Metal Working Basic Certificate Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. DMC is a medium-sized public school located in the large city of Corpus Christi.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at DMC are $5,990 per year.

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With a ranking of #8, Austin Community College District did quite well on this year’s best value schools for precision metal working students working on their basic certificate. Austin Community College District is a very large public school located in the city of Austin.

Austin Community College District undergraduate students pay an average of $10,590 in tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Precision Metal Working at Austin Community College District

Southwest Texas Junior College landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value basic certificate precision metal working programs. Southwest Texas Junior College is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Uvalde.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Southwest Texas Junior College are $5,886 per year.

Full Precision Metal Working at Southwest Texas Junior College Report

Houston Community College landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value basic certificate precision metal working programs. Located in the city of Houston, Houston Community College is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Houston Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,460 in tuition and fees each year.

Full Precision Metal Working at Houston Community College Report

Best Precision Metal Working Colleges by State

Explore the best precision metal working schools for a specific state in the Southwest region.

State Degrees Awarded
Arizona 927
Texas 6,978
Oklahoma 1,721
New Mexico 235

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 46,029
Machine Tool Technology/Machinist 3,181
Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) Machinist Technology/CNC Machinist 2,275
Machine Shop Technology/Assistant 1,588
Tool & Die Technology/Technician 541
Metal Fabricator 413
Sheet Metal Technology/Sheetworking 319
Ironworking/Ironworker 226
Other Precision Metal Working 218

Majors Similar to Precision Metal Working

Related Major Annual Graduates
Woodworking 435
Other Precision Production 67
Leatherworking & Upholstery 46
Precision Production Trades 44
Boilermaking 29

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 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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