2023 Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in California
It's not easy to decide which trade school program to enroll in when you have so many options available. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Trade College Search has created its Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in California ranking. Our analysis looked at 65 schools in California to see which basic certificate programs offered the best educational experiences for trade school students.
View our full ranking methodology.
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Top Trade Basic Certificate Schools in California
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our analysis found National University to be the best school for trade school students who want to pursue a basic certificate in California.
Some students may be able to take online classes at National University. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 70% took at least some of their classes online.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Santa Barbara City College. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in California list. This fairly large public school is located in Santa Barbara, California, and it awarded 119 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
Full-time students from California pay an average of $1,234 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend SBCC. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $9,322.
Some students may be able to take online classes at SBCC. In 2020-2021 about 80% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Merced College is a great place for trade school students working on their basic certificate. Located in Merced, California, the fairly large public school awarded 287 diplomas to qualifed basic certificate students in 2021-2022.
Students from California who attend Merced Community College District full time pay an average of $1,194 in tuition and fees. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $7,890.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Merced Community College District. During the 2020-2021 year, about 89% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
The excellent basic certificate programs at Crafton Hills College helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best trade school schools in California. This medium-sized public school is located in Yucaipa, California, and it awarded 216 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
In-state students pay an average of $1,182 in tuition and fees if they attend CHC full time. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $9,942.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since CHC does offer online classes for certain majors. During the 2020-2021 year, about 78% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Cuesta College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in California list. Cuesta College is located in San Luis Obispo, California and has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 805 basic certificates to qualified students.
In-state students pay an average of $1,340 in tuition and fees if they attend Cuesta College full time. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $9,348.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Cuesta College does offer online classes for certain majors. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 75% took at least some of their classes online.
Santa Rosa Junior College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for trade school students to get a basic certificate. It came in at #6 on the list. Santa Rosa, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out basic certificates to 2,534 students in 2021-2022.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at SRJC is $1,318. Out-of-state students pay an average of $9,310.
SRJC does have options available for those who want to take online classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 85% took at least some of their classes online.
Butte College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in California ranking. Butte College is located in Oroville, California and has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 777 basic certificates to qualified students.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at Butte College is $1,336. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $7,816.
One thing to take note of is that Butte College does offer online classes in some areas. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 81% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #8, Los Angeles City College did quite well on this year’s best schools for trade school students working on their basic certificate. Los Angeles City College is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 371 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
Full-time students from California pay an average of $1,238 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend Los Angeles City College. Out-of-state students pay an average of $9,870.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Los Angeles City College does offer online classes for certain majors. In 2020-2021 about 95% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Canada College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in California list. Canada College is a public institution located in Redwood City, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 75 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
Full-time students from California pay an average of $1,362 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend Canada College. Out-of-state students pay an average of $9,006.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Canada College. In fact, around 92% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
San Joaquin Delta College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in California ranking. Delta is located in Stockton, California and has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 278 basic certificates to qualified students.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Delta. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 98% took at least some of their classes online.
With a ranking of #11, Victor Valley College did quite well on this year’s best schools for trade school students working on their basic certificate. Victor Valley College is located in Victorville, California and has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 1,648 basic certificates to qualified students.
Full-time students from California pay an average of $1,425 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend Victor Valley College. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $10,125.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Victor Valley College does offer online classes for certain majors. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 49% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
Cabrillo College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in California ranking. Located in Aptos, California, the medium-sized public school handed out 383 basic certificate awards in 2021-2022.
Students from California who attend Cabrillo College full time pay an average of $1,262 in tuition and fees. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $8,630.
Cabrillo College does have options available for those who want to take online classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. During the 2020-2021 year, about 88% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
With a ranking of #13, University of Antelope Valley did quite well on this year’s best schools for trade school students working on their basic certificate. UAV is located in Lancaster, California and has a very small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 62 basic certificates to qualified students.
One thing to take note of is that UAV does offer online classes in some areas. During the 2020-2021 year, about 17% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Palomar College landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best basic certificate trade school programs. Located in San Marcos, California, the fairly large public school handed out 844 basic certificate awards in 2021-2022.
Full-time students from California pay an average of $1,348 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend Palomar College. Out-of-state students pay an average of $10,644.
One thing to take note of is that Palomar College does offer online classes in some areas. During the 2020-2021 year, about 88% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
College of the Sequoias landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best basic certificate trade school programs. College of the Sequoias is a public institution located in Visalia, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 773 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
In-state students pay an average of $1,394 in tuition and fees if they attend College of the Sequoias full time. Out-of-state students pay an average of $8,338.
College of the Sequoias does have options available for those who want to take online classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. In fact, around 75% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
Mt. San Antonio College came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in California ranking. Walnut, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out basic certificates to 1,409 students in 2021-2022.
In-state students pay an average of $1,352 in tuition and fees if they attend Mt. SAC full time. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $10,096.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at Mt. SAC. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 10% took at least some of their classes online.
West Hills College-Lemoore came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in California ranking. West Hills College-Lemoore is a small public school situated in Lemoore, California. It awarded 688 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
West Hills College-Lemoore does offer online classes for certain degree levels. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 76% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
College of the Canyons came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in California ranking. College of the Canyons is a fairly large public school situated in Santa Clarita, California. It awarded 579 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
Students from California who attend College of the Canyons full time pay an average of $1,162 in tuition and fees. Out-of-state students pay an average of $9,322.
College of the Canyons does offer online classes for certain degree levels. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 69% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #19, MTI College did quite well on this year’s best schools for trade school students working on their basic certificate. Located in Sacramento, California, the very small private for-profit school awarded 131 diplomas to qualifed basic certificate students in 2021-2022.
One thing to take note of is that MTI College does offer online classes in some areas. In 2020-2021 about 58% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Foothill College came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in California ranking. Foothill College is a fairly large public school located in Los Altos Hills, California that handed out 568 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
Students from California who attend Foothill College full time pay an average of $1,565 in tuition and fees. Out-of-state students pay an average of $11,510.
One thing to take note of is that Foothill College does offer online classes in some areas. During the 2020-2021 year, about 73% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Moorpark College ranked #21 on this year’s Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in California list. This fairly large public school is located in Moorpark, California, and it awarded 280 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
Students from California who attend Moorpark College full time pay an average of $1,394 in tuition and fees. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $8,146.
Online courses are available at Moorpark College, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 92% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
Ventura College landed the #22 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best basic certificate trade school programs. Located in Ventura, California, the fairly large public school handed out 519 basic certificate awards in 2021-2022.
Students from California who attend Ventura College full time pay an average of $1,394 in tuition and fees. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $8,146.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Ventura College. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 91% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
Cerritos College ranked #23 on this year’s Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in California list. Cerritos College is a fairly large public school situated in Norwalk, California. It awarded 2,393 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at Cerritos College is $1,364. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $10,324.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Cerritos College does offer online classes for certain majors. In 2020-2021 about 78% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Empire College came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in California ranking.
Yuba College came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in California ranking. Yuba College is located in Marysville, California and has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 545 basic certificates to qualified students.
Full-time students from California pay an average of $1,128 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend Yuba College. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $7,488.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Yuba College. During the 2020-2021 year, about 79% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Best Trade Basic Certificate Schools in the Far Western US Region
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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.
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