Find Trade Colleges
2023 Best Trade Schools
There are so many trade school programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Trade College Search has developed this Best Trade Schools ranking. Our analysis looked at 1,440 schools in the United States to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for trade school students.
View our full ranking methodology.
Featured schools near , edit
Top Trade Schools in the United States
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our 2023 rankings named Highlands College of Montana Tech the best school in the United States for trade school students working on their degree. Highlands College of Montana Tech is a public institution located in Butte, Montana. The school has a very small population, and it awarded 139 degrees in 2021-2022.
Full Highlands College of Montana Tech Report
Request Information
A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Columbia Southern University is a great place for trade school students. Located in Orange Beach, Alabama, the fairly large private for-profit school handed out 5,998 degrees in 2021-2022.
Full Columbia Southern University Report
Request Information
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Stephens College. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Trade Schools list. This very small private not-for-profit school is located in Columbia, Missouri, and it awarded 152 degrees in 2021-2022.
Request Information
Out of the 1,440 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Providence landed the # 4 spot on the list. University of Providence is a very small private not-for-profit school situated in Great Falls, Montana. It awarded 391 degrees in 2021-2022.
Read full report on University of Providence
Request Information
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Ottawa University - Online. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Trade Schools list. Ottawa University - Online is located in Ottawa, Kansas and has a very small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 95 degrees to qualified students.
Read full report on Ottawa University - Online
Request Information
With a ranking of #6, Waldorf University did quite well on this year’s best schools for trade school students working. Waldorf is a private for-profit institution located in Forest City, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 919 degrees in 2021-2022.
Request Information
Dakota State University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Trade Schools list. Located in Madison, South Dakota, the small public school awarded 583 diplomas to qualifed students in 2021-2022.
Request Information
Elizabethtown College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best trade school programs. Located in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 585 degrees in 2021-2022.
Full Elizabethtown College Report
Request Information
Miami University - Hamilton did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for trade school students. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in Hamilton, Ohio, the small public school handed out 524 degrees in 2021-2022.
Full Miami University - Hamilton Report
Request Information
With a ranking of #10, University of St Francis did quite well on this year’s best schools for trade school students working. University of Saint Francis is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Joliet, Illinois. It awarded 980 degrees in 2021-2022.
Request Information
Northwestern University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for trade school students. It came in at #11 on the list. Evanston, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out degrees to 9,725 students in 2021-2022.
Full Northwestern University Report
Request Information
University of Pennsylvania landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best trade school programs. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out degrees to 10,067 students in 2021-2022.
Full University of Pennsylvania Report
Request Information
Ottawa University - Kansas City ranked #13 on this year’s Best Trade Schools list. Located in Overland Park, Kansas, the very small private not-for-profit school handed out 185 degrees in 2021-2022.
Request Information
Trine University-Regional/Non-Traditional Campuses landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best trade school programs. Angola, Indiana is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out degrees to 405 students in 2021-2022.
Read full report on Trine University-Regional/Non-Traditional Campuses
Request Information
New Jersey Institute of Technology came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Trade Schools ranking. NJIT is a fairly large public school situated in Newark, New Jersey. It awarded 2,792 degrees in 2021-2022.
Full New Jersey Institute of Technology Report
Request Information
Clemson University landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best trade school programs. Clemson University is a large public school located in Clemson, South Carolina that handed out 7,469 degrees in 2021-2022.
Read full report on Clemson University
Request Information
Ottawa University - Phoenix ranked #17 on this year’s Best Trade Schools list. Ottawa University - Phoenix is located in Phoenix, Arizona and has a very small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 389 degrees to qualified students.
Request Information
Purdue University - Main Campus came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Trade Schools ranking. Purdue is located in West Lafayette, Indiana and has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 13,356 degrees to qualified students.
Request Information
Wagner College landed the #19 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best trade school programs. Staten Island, New York is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out degrees to 554 students in 2021-2022.
Read full report on Wagner College
Request Information
University of Wisconsin - Stout ranked #20 on this year’s Best Trade Schools list. University of Wisconsin - Stout is a medium-sized public school located in Menomonie, Wisconsin that handed out 1,737 degrees in 2021-2022.
Full University of Wisconsin - Stout Report
Request Information
With a ranking of #21, Excelsior University did quite well on this year’s best schools for trade school students working. Located in Albany, New York, the fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 4,461 degrees in 2021-2022.
Read full report on Excelsior University
Request Information
University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Flex did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for trade school students. It came in at #22 on the list. Milwaukee, Wisconsin is the setting for this very small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out degrees to 132 students in 2021-2022.
Read full report on University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Flex
Request Information
Washington State University landed the #24 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best trade school programs. Wazzu is a public institution located in Pullman, Washington. The school has a large population, and it awarded 9,043 degrees in 2021-2022.
Request Information
Texas A&M University - College Station ranked #25 on this year’s Best Trade Schools list. Texas A&M College Station is located in College Station, Texas and has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 20,117 degrees to qualified students.
Full Texas A&M University - College Station Report
Request InformationNarrow Schools by Region
Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
References
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- 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 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).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
TradeCollege.org provides higher-education, college and university, degree, program, career, salary, and other helpful information to students, faculty, institutions, and other internet audiences. Presented information and data are subject to change. Inclusion on this website does not imply or represent a direct relationship with the company, school, or brand. Information, though believed correct at time of publication, may not be correct, and no warranty is provided. Contact the schools to verify any information before relying on it. Financial aid may be available for those who qualify. TradeCollege.org is a for-profit site, and the displayed options may include sponsored or recommended results, not necessarily based on your preferences.
© TradeCollege.org – All Rights Reserved.