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2023 Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in Pennsylvania
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. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience.
The Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in Pennsylvania ranking is one of many tools that Trade College Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 36 schools in Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania
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 Pennsylvania. Saint Vincent College is a small private not-for-profit school located in Latrobe, Pennsylvania that handed out 15 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees at Saint Vincent is $39,903. In-state students do not receive a discount, however you may be able to reduce your price if you receive financial aid.
Saint Vincent does offer online classes for certain degree levels. In 2020-2021 about 6% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Thomas Jefferson University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in Pennsylvania list. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out basic certificates to 19 students in 2021-2022.
Thomas Jefferson University does not offer a discount to in-state students, so the average tuition and fees for all undergraduates is $44,200. This amount may be reduced if you receive financial aid.
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 2020-2021 about 68% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Cedar Crest College. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in Pennsylvania list. Cedar Crest College is a small private not-for-profit school located in Allentown, Pennsylvania that handed out 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.
Online courses are available at Cedar Crest, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. 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 Pennsylvania list. Gannon is a private not-for-profit institution located in Erie, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 4 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
Gannon does not offer a discount to in-state students, so the average tuition and fees for all undergraduates is $36,706. This amount may be reduced if you receive financial aid.
Gannon does offer online classes for certain degree levels. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 22% took at least some of their classes online.
Montgomery County Community College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in Pennsylvania list. Blue Bell, Pennsylvania is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out basic certificates to 284 students in 2021-2022.
Students from Pennsylvania who attend Montco full time pay an average of $10,650 in tuition and fees. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $15,390.
Montco does offer online classes for certain degree levels. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 75% took at least some of their classes online.
With a ranking of #8, YTI Career Institute-York did quite well on this year’s best schools for trade school students working on their basic certificate. YTI is a private for-profit institution located in York, Pennsylvania. The school has a very small population, and it awarded 51 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
One thing to take note of is that YTI does offer online classes in some areas. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 89% took at least some of their classes online.
With a ranking of #9, Berks Technical Institute did quite well on this year’s best schools for trade school students working on their basic certificate. Berks Technical Institute is a very small private for-profit school located in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania that handed out 76 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
Berks Technical Institute 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 3% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #10, Laurel Business Institute did quite well on this year’s best schools for trade school students working on their basic certificate. Located in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, the very small private for-profit school handed out 66 basic certificate awards in 2021-2022.
If you don’t receive financial aid, you can expect a bill for $11,470 to cover tuition and fees at LBI. The school does not offer an in-state discount.
Some students may be able to take online classes at LBI. In fact, around 47% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
Central Penn College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Located in Summerdale, Pennsylvania, the very small private for-profit school awarded 50 diplomas to qualifed basic certificate students in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees at Central Penn is $19,404. In-state students do not receive a discount, however you may be able to reduce your price if you receive financial aid.
Central Penn does offer online classes for certain degree levels. In 2020-2021 about 79% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Mercyhurst University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Located in Erie, Pennsylvania, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 32 basic certificate awards in 2021-2022.
Mercyhurst does not offer a discount to in-state students, so the average tuition and fees for all undergraduates is $43,460. 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 Mercyhurst does offer online classes for certain majors. During the 2020-2021 year, about 25% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania ranked #14 on this year’s Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in Pennsylvania list. This medium-sized public school is located in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 50 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
Students from Pennsylvania who attend SRU full time pay an average of $10,507 in tuition and fees. Out-of-state students pay an average of $14,615.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since SRU does offer online classes for certain majors. In 2020-2021 about 58% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Penn Commercial Business/Technical School came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Located in Washington, Pennsylvania, the very small private for-profit school awarded 120 diplomas to qualifed basic certificate students in 2021-2022.
If you don’t receive financial aid, you can expect a bill for $12,116 to cover tuition and fees at Penn Commercial. The school does not offer an in-state discount.
With a ranking of #16, McCann School of Business & Technology did quite well on this year’s best schools for trade school students working on their basic certificate. McCann School of Business & Technology is a very small private for-profit school situated in Allentown, Pennsylvania. It awarded 137 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at McCann School of Business & Technology. During the 2020-2021 year, about 1% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Peirce College ranked #18 on this year’s Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in Pennsylvania list. Peirce is a private not-for-profit institution located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The school has a very small population, and it awarded 41 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
Peirce does not offer a discount to in-state students, so the average tuition and fees for all undergraduates is $15,060. This amount may be reduced if you receive financial aid.
Since Peirce 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.
East Stroudsburg 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 #19 on the list. This medium-sized public school is located in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 61 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
Students from Pennsylvania who attend East Stroudsburg University full time pay an average of $10,687 in tuition and fees. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $18,869.
East Stroudsburg University 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, 33% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
New Castle School of Trades landed the #20 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best basic certificate trade school programs. This very small private for-profit school is located in New Castle, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 92 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
New Castle School of Trades does offer online classes for certain degree levels. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 84% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
South Hills School of Business & Technology came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Located in State College, Pennsylvania, the very small private for-profit school awarded 19 diplomas to qualifed basic certificate students in 2021-2022.
If you don’t receive financial aid, you can expect a bill for $19,527 to cover tuition and fees at South Hills School of Business & Technology. The school does not offer an in-state discount.
Bucks County Community College landed the #22 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best basic certificate trade school programs. Bucks County Community College is a public institution located in Newtown, Pennsylvania. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 52 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at Bucks County Community College is $9,184. Out-of-state students pay an average of $13,384.
One thing to take note of is that Bucks County Community College does offer online classes in some areas. In 2020-2021 about 81% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Pittsburgh Technical College ranked #23 on this year’s Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in Pennsylvania list. Oakdale, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out basic certificates to 24 students in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees at Pittsburgh Technical College is $16,974. In-state students do not receive a discount, however you may be able to reduce your price if you receive financial aid.
One thing to take note of is that Pittsburgh Technical College does offer online classes in some areas. During the 2020-2021 year, about 32% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Butler County Community College ranked #24 on this year’s Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in Pennsylvania list.
Students from Pennsylvania who attend BC3 full time pay an average of $8,550 in tuition and fees. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $11,550.
BC3 does offer online classes for certain degree levels. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 33% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
Laurel Technical Institute ranked #25 on this year’s Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in Pennsylvania list. Laurel Technical Institute is a very small private for-profit school located in Hermitage, Pennsylvania that handed out 18 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
If you don’t receive financial aid, you can expect a bill for $11,470 to cover tuition and fees at LTI Sharon. The school does not offer an in-state discount.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at LTI Sharon. In 2020-2021 about 77% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Best Trade Basic Certificate Schools in the Middle Atlantic 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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