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Best Value Precision Metal Working Basic Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region

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

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

20 Colleges
$8,663 Avg Tuition & Fees*

Finding the Best Precision Metal Working Basic Certificate School for You

With 54,790 degrees and certificates handed out in 2021-2022, precision metal working is the #7 most popular major in the United States.

It's not easy to decide which trade school program to enroll in when you have so many options available. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses.

The Best Value Precision Metal Working Basic Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region ranking is one of many tools that Trade College Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 20 schools in the Plains States Region 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.

Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. 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.

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

Top 10 Best Precision Metal Working Basic Certificate Schools

Our analysis found Anoka Technical College to be the best value school for precision metal working students who want to pursue a basic certificate in the Plains States Region . Anoka Technical College is a small public school located in the large suburb of Anoka.

Anoka Technical College undergraduate students pay an average of $6,075 in tuition and fees each 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 in the Plains States Region list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

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#2

Hennepin Technical College

Brooklyn Park, MN

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Hennepin Technical College is a great value for precision metal working students working on their basic certificate. Hennepin Technical College is a small public school located in the suburb of Brooklyn Park.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Hennepin Technical College are $5,881 per year.

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#3

South Central College

North Mankato, MN

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend South Central College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Precision Metal Working Basic Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list. South Central College is a small public school located in the small suburb of North Mankato.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at South Central College are $6,146 a year.

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#4

Central Community College

Grand Island, NE

Out of the 20 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Central Community College landed the # 4 spot on the list. Central Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the small city of Grand Island.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Central Community College are $4,710 per year.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northeast Community College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Precision Metal Working Basic Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list. Northeast is a medium-sized public school located in the remote town of Norfolk.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Northeast are $5,130 a year.

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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 #6 on the list. Located in the small city of Waterloo, Hawkeye Community College is a public school with a small student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Hawkeye Community College are $6,583 per year.

In addition to its great value ranking, Hawkeye Community College is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Precision Metal Working Basic Certificate Trade Schools in the Plains States Region list.

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#7

Ridgewater College

Willmar, MN

With a ranking of #7, Ridgewater College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for precision metal working students working on their basic certificate. Ridgewater College is a small public school located in the town of Willmar.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Ridgewater College are $6,114 per year.

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#8

Saint Paul College

Saint Paul, MN

Saint Paul College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value basic certificate precision metal working programs. Saint Paul College is a medium-sized public school located in the large city of Saint Paul.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Saint Paul College are $6,318 a year.

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#9

Southeast Technical College

Sioux Falls, SD

Southeast Technical College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Precision Metal Working Basic Certificate Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the rural area of Sioux Falls, Southeast Tech is a public school with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Southeast Tech are $7,650 a year.

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With a ranking of #10, Minnesota State College Southeast did quite well on this year’s best value schools for precision metal working students working on their basic certificate. MSC Southeast is a small public school located in the town of Winona.

MSC Southeast undergraduate students pay an average of $7,490 in tuition and fees each year.

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Best Precision Metal Working Colleges by State

Explore the best precision metal working colleges for a specific state in the Plains States region.

State Degrees Awarded
Kansas 1,056
Missouri 604
Minnesota 948
South Dakota 106
Iowa 737
North Dakota 185
Nebraska 453

Precision Metal Working is one of 5 different types of trade school programs to choose from.

Precision Metal Working Concentrations

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

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 20 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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