Find Trade Colleges
2023 Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in Michigan
It's not easy to decide which trade school program to enroll in when you have so many options available. 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 Basic Certificate Trade Schools in Michigan ranking. Our analysis looked at 24 schools in Michigan to see which basic certificate programs offered the best educational experiences for trade school students.
View our full ranking methodology.
Featured schools near , edit
Top Trade Basic Certificate Schools in Michigan
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our analysis found Grand Valley State University to be the best school for trade school students who want to pursue a basic certificate in Michigan. GVSU is located in Allendale, Michigan and has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 191 basic certificates to qualified students.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at GVSU. During the 2020-2021 year, about 46% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Out of the 24 schools in Michigan that were part of this year’s ranking, Ferris State University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in Big Rapids, Michigan, the fairly large public school awarded 271 diplomas to qualifed basic certificate students in 2021-2022.
Ferris does offer online classes for certain degree levels. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 48% took at least some of their classes online.
Out of the 24 schools in Michigan that were part of this year’s ranking, Lansing Community College landed the # 3 spot on the list. This medium-sized public school is located in Lansing, Michigan, and it awarded 500 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
In-state students pay an average of $7,340 in tuition and fees if they attend LCC full time. Out-of-state students pay an average of $10,760.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at LCC. In fact, around 90% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Oakland Community College is a great place for trade school students working on their basic certificate. Oakland Community College is a fairly large public school situated in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It awarded 235 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
If you don’t receive financial aid, you can expect a bill for $5,400 to cover tuition and fees at Oakland Community College. The school does not offer an in-state discount.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Oakland Community College does offer online classes for certain majors. In 2020-2021 about 41% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Washtenaw Community College is a great place for trade school students working on their basic certificate. Located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the fairly large public school handed out 709 basic certificate awards in 2021-2022.
Full-time students from Michigan pay an average of $4,416 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend Washtenaw Community College. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $6,096.
One thing to take note of is that Washtenaw Community College does offer online classes in some areas. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 86% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #6, Delta College did quite well on this year’s best schools for trade school students working on their basic certificate. Delta College is located in University Center, Michigan and has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 59 basic certificates to qualified students.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at Delta College is $6,980. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $7,250.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Delta College. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 66% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
Kellogg Community College landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best basic certificate trade school programs. This small public school is located in Battle Creek, Michigan, and it awarded 71 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
Students from Michigan who attend Kellogg Community College full time pay an average of $7,013 in tuition and fees. Out-of-state students pay an average of $9,038.
One thing to take note of is that Kellogg Community College does offer online classes in some areas. During the 2020-2021 year, about 72% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Madonna University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in Michigan list. Madonna is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Livonia, Michigan. It awarded 98 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
Online courses are available at Madonna, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In 2020-2021 about 73% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Baker College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in Michigan list. Baker College is a small private not-for-profit school located in Owosso, Michigan that handed out 4 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
If you don’t receive financial aid, you can expect a bill for $12,710 to cover tuition and fees at Baker College. The school does not offer an in-state discount.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at Baker College. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 71% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
Schoolcraft 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 #10 on the list. Schoolcraft College is a public institution located in Livonia, Michigan. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 155 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
Full-time students from Michigan pay an average of $5,650 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend Schoolcraft College. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $7,652.
One thing to take note of is that Schoolcraft College does offer online classes in some areas. In fact, around 54% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
Gogebic Community College landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best basic certificate trade school programs. Ironwood, Michigan is the setting for this very small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out basic certificates to 9 students in 2021-2022.
Full-time students from Michigan pay an average of $7,209 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend Gogebic Community College. Out-of-state students pay an average of $8,108.
Gogebic Community 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. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 61% took at least some of their classes online.
University of Michigan - Dearborn came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in Michigan ranking. Dearborn, Michigan is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out basic certificates to 42 students in 2021-2022.
In-state students pay an average of $14,320 in tuition and fees if they attend UM Dearborn full time. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $29,584.
UM Dearborn 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 77% took at least some of their classes online.
With a ranking of #13, Northern Michigan University did quite well on this year’s best schools for trade school students working on their basic certificate. Northern Michigan University is a medium-sized public school located in Marquette, Michigan that handed out 27 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at Northern Michigan University is $12,948. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $18,570.
One thing to take note of is that Northern Michigan University does offer online classes in some areas. In 2020-2021 about 39% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
With a ranking of #14, Monroe County Community College did quite well on this year’s best schools for trade school students working on their basic certificate. Monroe County Community College is a small public school located in Monroe, Michigan that handed out 37 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
Students from Michigan who attend Monroe County Community College full time pay an average of $7,213 in tuition and fees. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $7,940.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Monroe County Community College. In 2020-2021 about 71% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
North Central Michigan College ranked #15 on this year’s Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in Michigan list. Petoskey, Michigan is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out basic certificates to 13 students in 2021-2022.
Full-time students from Michigan pay an average of $7,770 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend NCMC. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $9,810.
NCMC does offer online classes for certain degree levels. During the 2020-2021 year, about 42% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Wayne County Community College District landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best basic certificate trade school programs. Detroit, Michigan is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out basic certificates to 162 students in 2021-2022.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at WCCCD is $3,263. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $3,998.
WCCCD does offer online classes for certain degree levels. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 27% took at least some of their classes online.
Kalamazoo Valley Community College ranked #17 on this year’s Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in Michigan list. Kalamazoo Valley Community College is a medium-sized public school situated in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It awarded 40 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
In-state students pay an average of $6,526 in tuition and fees if they attend Kalamazoo Valley Community College full time. Out-of-state students pay an average of $8,596.
Kalamazoo Valley Community 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. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 67% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
Grand Rapids Community College came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in Michigan ranking. Grand Rapids, Michigan is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out basic certificates to 39 students in 2021-2022.
Students from Michigan who attend Grand Rapids Community College full time pay an average of $7,929 in tuition and fees. Out-of-state students pay an average of $11,679.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at Grand Rapids Community College. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 74% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
Mid Michigan College landed the #19 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best basic certificate trade school programs. Mid Michigan College is located in Harrison, Michigan and has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 37 basic certificates to qualified students.
Mid Michigan College does not offer a discount to in-state students, so the average tuition and fees for all undergraduates is $8,908. This amount may be reduced if you receive financial aid.
Online courses are available at Mid Michigan College, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. During the 2020-2021 year, about 55% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Henry Ford College came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in Michigan ranking. Located in Dearborn, Michigan, the fairly large public school handed out 90 basic certificate awards in 2021-2022.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at Henry Ford College is $5,308. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $7,348.
One thing to take note of is that Henry Ford College does offer online classes in some areas. In 2020-2021 about 90% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
With a ranking of #21, Lake Michigan College did quite well on this year’s best schools for trade school students working on their basic certificate. Lake Michigan College is a small public school located in Benton Harbor, Michigan that handed out 14 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
Since LMC is primarily an online school, it is an excellent choice for undergraduate students who need more flexibility than what is offered at some other schools.
Macomb Community 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 #22 on the list. Macomb Community College is a fairly large public school located in Warren, Michigan that handed out 41 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
Full-time students from Michigan pay an average of $6,210 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend Macomb Community College. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $7,830.
Macomb Community College does offer online classes for certain degree levels. During the 2020-2021 year, about 89% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Northwestern Michigan College came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in Michigan ranking. NMC is located in Traverse City, Michigan and has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 22 basic certificates to qualified students.
Full-time students from Michigan pay an average of $9,532 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend NMC. Out-of-state students pay an average of $12,048.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at NMC. In 2020-2021 about 74% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
With a ranking of #24, Alpena Community College did quite well on this year’s best schools for trade school students working on their basic certificate. Located in Alpena, Michigan, the small public school handed out 13 basic certificate awards in 2021-2022.
Alpena Community College does not offer a discount to in-state students, so the average tuition and fees for all undergraduates is $7,995. This amount may be reduced if you receive financial aid.
One thing to take note of is that Alpena Community College does offer online classes in some areas. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 45% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
View Best Trade Basic Certificate Schools Nationwide >
Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 24 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.