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2023 Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in Colorado
With all the trade school programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best 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.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Trade College Search has created the Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in Colorado to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 16 schools in Colorado to see which ones offered the best basic certificate programs for trade school students.
View our full ranking methodology.
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Top Trade Basic Certificate Schools in Colorado
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our analysis found Red Rocks Community College to be the best school for trade school students who want to pursue a basic certificate in Colorado. Red Rocks Community College is a medium-sized public school situated in Lakewood, Colorado. It awarded 1,290 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at Red Rocks Community College is $4,471. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $16,135.
Red Rocks Community College does offer online classes for certain degree levels. In 2020-2021 about 51% 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 Trinidad State Junior College. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in Colorado list. Located in Trinidad, Colorado, the small public school awarded 339 diplomas to qualifed basic certificate students in 2021-2022.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at Trinidad State Junior College is $5,240. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $8,360.
Online courses are available at Trinidad State Junior 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 15% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Out of the 16 schools in Colorado that were part of this year’s ranking, Pikes Peak Community College landed the # 3 spot on the list. This fairly large public school is located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and it awarded 1,253 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at PPCC is $4,065. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $15,714.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at PPCC. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 51% took at least some of their classes online.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Front Range Community College. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in Colorado list. Located in Westminster, Colorado, the fairly large public school awarded 3,473 diplomas to qualifed basic certificate students in 2021-2022.
Full-time students from Colorado pay an average of $4,126 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend FRCC. Out-of-state students pay an average of $15,776.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at FRCC. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 33% took at least some of their classes online.
Out of the 16 schools in Colorado that were part of this year’s ranking, Colorado Mountain College landed the # 5 spot on the list. Colorado Mountain College is a public institution located in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 647 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at Colorado Mountain College is $4,980. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $11,820.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Colorado Mountain College. During the 2020-2021 year, about 27% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Colorado Mesa University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in Colorado list. Colorado Mesa is a public institution located in Grand Junction, Colorado. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 383 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
In-state students pay an average of $9,297 in tuition and fees if they attend Colorado Mesa full time. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $23,019.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Colorado Mesa does offer online classes for certain majors. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 43% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
Otero Junior College landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best basic certificate trade school programs. Otero JC is a very small public school situated in La Junta, Colorado. It awarded 94 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
Full-time students from Colorado pay an average of $4,226 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend Otero JC. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $6,730.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Otero JC. In 2020-2021 about 32% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Morgan Community College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best basic certificate trade school programs. Morgan Community College is located in Fort Morgan, Colorado and has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 69 basic certificates to qualified students.
Students from Colorado who attend Morgan Community College full time pay an average of $3,930 in tuition and fees. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $15,579.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Morgan Community College. During the 2020-2021 year, about 51% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Community College of Aurora landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best basic certificate trade school programs. Located in Aurora, Colorado, the medium-sized public school awarded 298 diplomas to qualifed basic certificate students in 2021-2022.
Full-time students from Colorado pay an average of $4,030 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend CCA. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $15,832.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at CCA. In 2020-2021 about 22% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
With a ranking of #10, Intellitec College - Grand Junction did quite well on this year’s best schools for trade school students working on their basic certificate. Located in Grand Junction, Colorado, the small private for-profit school awarded 180 diplomas to qualifed basic certificate students in 2021-2022.
Northeastern Junior College landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best basic certificate trade school programs. This small public school is located in Sterling, Colorado, and it awarded 273 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
Students from Colorado who attend NJC full time pay an average of $5,345 in tuition and fees. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $7,691.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at NJC. During the 2020-2021 year, about 30% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Aims Community College landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best basic certificate trade school programs. Located in Greeley, Colorado, the medium-sized public school awarded 819 diplomas to qualifed basic certificate students in 2021-2022.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at Aims Community College is $2,954. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $10,850.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at Aims Community College. In 2020-2021 about 44% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Pueblo Community College came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in Colorado ranking. Pueblo Community College is a public institution located in Pueblo, Colorado. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1,815 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
Students from Colorado who attend Pueblo Community College full time pay an average of $4,626 in tuition and fees. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $16,275.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Pueblo Community College. In fact, around 33% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
Lamar Community College ranked #14 on this year’s Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in Colorado list. LCC is a very small public school situated in Lamar, Colorado. It awarded 79 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
Students from Colorado who attend LCC full time pay an average of $4,216 in tuition and fees. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $6,720.
LCC does offer online classes for certain degree levels. In fact, around 19% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #15, Community College of Denver did quite well on this year’s best schools for trade school students working on their basic certificate. Located in Denver, Colorado, the medium-sized public school awarded 408 diplomas to qualifed basic certificate students in 2021-2022.
Full-time students from Colorado pay an average of $4,586 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend CCD. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $16,235.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since CCD does offer online classes for certain majors. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 59% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
Metropolitan State University of Denver ranked #16 on this year’s Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in Colorado list. Metropolitan State University of Denver is a fairly large public school located in Denver, Colorado that handed out 114 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at MSU Denver is $10,260. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $28,092.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since MSU Denver does offer online classes for certain majors. During the 2020-2021 year, about 68% 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 16 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.