2023 Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region
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. 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.
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 the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 71 schools in the Middle Atlantic Region 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 the Middle Atlantic Region of the U.S.
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our analysis found Saint Vincent College to be the best school for trade school students who want to pursue a basic certificate in the Middle Atlantic Region . Latrobe, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out basic certificates to 15 students in 2021-2022.
Saint Vincent does not offer a discount to in-state students, so the average tuition and fees for all undergraduates is $39,903. This amount may be reduced if you receive financial aid.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Saint Vincent does offer online classes for certain majors. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 6% took at least some of their classes online.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Thomas Jefferson University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Thomas Jefferson University is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 19 basic certificates to qualified students.
If you don’t receive financial aid, you can expect a bill for $44,200 to cover tuition and fees at Thomas Jefferson University. The school does not offer an in-state discount.
Online courses are available at Thomas Jefferson University, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In fact, around 68% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
Out of the 71 schools in the Middle Atlantic Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Cedar Crest College landed the # 4 spot on the list. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 35 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees at Cedar Crest is $43,643. In-state students do not receive a discount, however you may be able to reduce your price if you receive financial aid.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at Cedar Crest. In 2020-2021 about 50% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Gannon University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Located in Erie, Pennsylvania, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 4 basic certificate awards in 2021-2022.
If you don’t receive financial aid, you can expect a bill for $36,706 to cover tuition and fees at Gannon. The school does not offer an in-state discount.
Gannon does offer online classes for certain degree levels. During the 2020-2021 year, about 22% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Baltimore City Community College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Located in Baltimore, Maryland, the small public school awarded 67 diplomas to qualifed basic certificate students in 2021-2022.
Students from Maryland who attend Baltimore City Community College full time pay an average of $3,314 in tuition and fees. Out-of-state students pay an average of $7,394.
Online courses are available at Baltimore City Community College, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In 2020-2021 about 100% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Anne Arundel Community College ranked #8 on this year’s Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. AACC is a fairly large public school situated in Arnold, Maryland. It awarded 690 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
Students from Maryland who attend AACC full time pay an average of $9,230 in tuition and fees. Out-of-state students pay an average of $13,760.
Some students may be able to take online classes at AACC. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 82% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
Rochester Institute of Technology came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. This fairly large private not-for-profit school is located in Rochester, New York, and it awarded 9 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
RIT does not offer a discount to in-state students, so the average tuition and fees for all undergraduates is $53,538. This amount may be reduced if you receive financial aid.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since RIT does offer online classes for certain majors. In fact, around 66% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #10, Montgomery County Community College did quite well on this year’s best schools for trade school students working on their basic certificate. Montgomery County Community College is a medium-sized public school located in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania that handed out 284 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
In-state students pay an average of $10,650 in tuition and fees if they attend Montco full time. Out-of-state students pay an average of $15,390.
Montco does offer online classes for certain degree levels. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 75% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
YTI Career Institute-York came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. This very small private for-profit school is located in York, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 51 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since YTI does offer online classes for certain majors. During the 2020-2021 year, about 89% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Berks Technical Institute landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best basic certificate trade school programs. Located in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, the very small private for-profit school awarded 76 diplomas to qualifed basic certificate students in 2021-2022.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Berks Technical Institute. In fact, around 3% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
Laurel Business Institute ranked #13 on this year’s Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. This very small private for-profit school is located in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 66 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
If you want to attend LBI, expect to pay an average of $11,470 in tuition and fees. Of course, this could be reduced if you receive financial aid.
LBI 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 2020-2021 about 47% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Central Penn College ranked #14 on this year’s Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Central Penn College is a very small private for-profit school located in Summerdale, Pennsylvania that handed out 50 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
Central Penn does not offer a discount to in-state students, so the average tuition and fees for all undergraduates is $19,404. This amount may be reduced if you receive financial aid.
Online courses are available at Central Penn, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In fact, around 79% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
The Graduate Center, CUNY came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. This medium-sized public school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 62 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at The Graduate Center is $7,410. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $15,360.
One thing to take note of is that The Graduate Center does offer online classes in some areas. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 99% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
Mercyhurst University ranked #16 on this year’s Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Mercyhurst is located in Erie, Pennsylvania and has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 32 basic certificates to qualified students.
The average tuition and fees at Mercyhurst is $43,460. In-state students do not receive a discount, however you may be able to reduce your price if you receive financial aid.
Mercyhurst does offer online classes for certain degree levels. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 25% took at least some of their classes online.
Trinity Washington University landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best basic certificate trade school programs. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Washington, District of Columbia, and it awarded 18 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
If you don’t receive financial aid, you can expect a bill for $25,610 to cover tuition and fees at Trinity College. The school does not offer an in-state discount.
Trinity 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. In 2020-2021 about 84% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
With a ranking of #18, Ocean County College did quite well on this year’s best schools for trade school students working on their basic certificate. Toms River, New Jersey is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out basic certificates to 10 students in 2021-2022.
One thing to take note of is that OCC does offer online classes in some areas. In fact, around 40% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
St. Joseph’s College - New York 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 #19 on the list. St. Joseph’s College - New York is a small private not-for-profit school located in Brooklyn, New York that handed out 45 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
If you don’t receive financial aid, you can expect a bill for $32,370 to cover tuition and fees at SJC. The school does not offer an in-state discount.
SJC 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, 53% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
Rowan University 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 #21 on the list. This fairly large public school is located in Glassboro, New Jersey, and it awarded 374 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
In-state students pay an average of $14,952 in tuition and fees if they attend Rowan full time. Out-of-state students pay an average of $24,345.
Online courses are available at Rowan, 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.
Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania 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. Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out basic certificates to 50 students in 2021-2022.
Students from Pennsylvania who attend SRU full time pay an average of $10,507 in tuition and fees. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $14,615.
Some students may be able to take online classes at SRU. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 58% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
Montgomery College came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. This fairly large public school is located in Rockville, Maryland, and it awarded 171 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at Montgomery College is $10,254. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $14,061.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Montgomery College. In fact, around 32% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #24, Union County College did quite well on this year’s best schools for trade school students working on their basic certificate. Located in Cranford, New Jersey, the medium-sized public school awarded 8 diplomas to qualifed basic certificate students in 2021-2022.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Union County College. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 73% took at least some of their classes online.
College of Southern Maryland 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 #25 on the list. CSM is a small public school situated in La Plata, Maryland. It awarded 144 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at CSM is $7,200. Out-of-state students pay an average of $9,240.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since CSM does offer online classes for certain majors. During the 2020-2021 year, about 91% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
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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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