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2023 Best 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 help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Trade College Search has developed this Best Trade Schools in California ranking. This report analyzed 94 schools in California to see which ones offered the best programs for trade school students.
View our full ranking methodology.
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Top Trade Schools in California
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our 2023 rankings named University of the Pacific the best school in California for trade school students working on their degree. Located in Stockton, California, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 1,840 degrees in 2021-2022.
Out of the 94 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, National University landed the # 2 spot on the list. This fairly large private not-for-profit school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 6,315 degrees in 2021-2022.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend West Hills College-Lemoore. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Trade Schools in California list. West Hills College-Lemoore is located in Lemoore, California and has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 1,479 degrees to qualified students.
Out of the 94 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Merced College landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in Merced, California, the fairly large public school awarded 2,892 diplomas to qualifed students in 2021-2022.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Santa Barbara City College. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Trade Schools in California list. Santa Barbara, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out degrees to 3,767 students in 2021-2022.
Foothill College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for trade school students. It came in at #6 on the list. This fairly large public school is located in Los Altos Hills, California, and it awarded 2,215 degrees in 2021-2022.
University of Southern California came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Trade Schools in California ranking. USC is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 18,134 degrees in 2021-2022.
Cuesta College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Trade Schools in California ranking. This medium-sized public school is located in San Luis Obispo, California, and it awarded 4,702 degrees in 2021-2022.
Canada College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Trade Schools in California ranking. Canada College is a medium-sized public school situated in Redwood City, California. It awarded 621 degrees in 2021-2022.
San Diego State University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Trade Schools in California ranking. This large public school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 10,875 degrees in 2021-2022.
The University of Arizona Global Campus came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Trade Schools in California ranking. Located in San Diego, California, the large private for-profit school handed out 9,522 degrees in 2021-2022.
With a ranking of #12, Napa Valley College did quite well on this year’s best schools for trade school students working. Napa Valley College is a small public school situated in Napa, California. It awarded 1,005 degrees in 2021-2022.
Mt. San Antonio College landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best trade school programs. Mt. SAC is a large public school situated in Walnut, California. It awarded 5,457 degrees in 2021-2022.
Crafton Hills College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for trade school students. It came in at #14 on the list. This medium-sized public school is located in Yucaipa, California, and it awarded 1,462 degrees in 2021-2022.
With a ranking of #15, California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well on this year’s best schools for trade school students working. This large public school is located in Pomona, California, and it awarded 6,956 degrees in 2021-2022.
Full California State Polytechnic University - Pomona Report
With a ranking of #16, Gavilan College did quite well on this year’s best schools for trade school students working. This small public school is located in Gilroy, California, and it awarded 1,198 degrees in 2021-2022.
Pacific Union College landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best trade school programs. PUC is located in Angwin, California and has a very small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 224 degrees to qualified students.
Butte College ranked #18 on this year’s Best Trade Schools in California list. Located in Oroville, California, the medium-sized public school awarded 2,241 diplomas to qualifed students in 2021-2022.
Santa Rosa Junior College landed the #19 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best trade school programs. Located in Santa Rosa, California, the fairly large public school awarded 5,856 diplomas to qualifed students in 2021-2022.
With a ranking of #20, Cabrillo College did quite well on this year’s best schools for trade school students working. Located in Aptos, California, the medium-sized public school handed out 2,615 degrees in 2021-2022.
California State University - Chico did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for trade school students. It came in at #21 on the list. Chico, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out degrees to 4,412 students in 2021-2022.
California State University Maritime Academy did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for trade school students. It came in at #22 on the list. Cal Maritime is located in Vallejo, California and has a very small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 232 degrees to qualified students.
Read full report on California State University Maritime Academy
Los Angeles City College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for trade school students. It came in at #23 on the list. Los Angeles City College is a fairly large public school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 2,807 degrees in 2021-2022.
San Joaquin Delta College came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Trade Schools in California ranking. Delta is a public institution located in Stockton, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 4,179 degrees in 2021-2022.
With a ranking of #25, San Bernardino Valley College did quite well on this year’s best schools for trade school students working. San Bernardino, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out degrees to 2,876 students in 2021-2022.
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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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