Find Trade Colleges
2023 Best Trade Schools in Virginia
When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for trade school students. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Trade College Search has created its Best Trade Schools in Virginia ranking. Our analysis looked at 38 schools in Virginia to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for trade school students.
View our full ranking methodology.
Featured schools near , edit
Top Trade Schools in Virginia
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our analysis found James Madison University to be the best school for trade school students in Virginia. Located in Harrisonburg, Virginia, the large public school handed out 5,530 degrees in 2021-2022.
Out of the 38 schools in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, Danville Community College landed the # 2 spot on the list. This small public school is located in Danville, Virginia, and it awarded 779 degrees in 2021-2022.
Out of the 38 schools in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, Virginia Commonwealth University landed the # 3 spot on the list. VCU is located in Richmond, Virginia and has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 7,707 degrees to qualified students.
A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Old Dominion University is a great place for trade school students. Old Dominion University is a large public school located in Norfolk, Virginia that handed out 5,241 degrees in 2021-2022.
A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Radford University is a great place for trade school students. Located in Radford, Virginia, the medium-sized public school awarded 2,248 diplomas to qualifed students in 2021-2022.
Northern Virginia Community 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. Northern Virginia Community College is a public institution located in Annandale, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 9,087 degrees in 2021-2022.
Piedmont Virginia Community College landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best trade school programs. Located in Charlottesville, Virginia, the medium-sized public school awarded 1,061 diplomas to qualifed students in 2021-2022.
ECPI University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Trade Schools in Virginia list. Located in Virginia Beach, Virginia, the fairly large private for-profit school handed out 4,022 degrees in 2021-2022.
With a ranking of #9, George Mason University did quite well on this year’s best schools for trade school students working. GMU is a large public school situated in Fairfax, Virginia. It awarded 10,335 degrees in 2021-2022.
Liberty University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Trade Schools in Virginia list. Located in Lynchburg, Virginia, the large private not-for-profit school awarded 25,513 diplomas to qualifed students in 2021-2022.
Wytheville Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for trade school students. It came in at #11 on the list. Located in Wytheville, Virginia, the small public school awarded 473 diplomas to qualifed students in 2021-2022.
Thomas Nelson Community College ranked #12 on this year’s Best Trade Schools in Virginia list. This medium-sized public school is located in Hampton, Virginia, and it awarded 1,186 degrees in 2021-2022.
South University, Virginia Beach landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best trade school programs. South University, Virginia Beach is a very small private for-profit school situated in Virginia Beach, Virginia. It awarded 114 degrees in 2021-2022.
John Tyler Community College landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best trade school programs. John Tyler Community College is located in Chester, Virginia and has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 1,557 degrees to qualified students.
Tidewater Community College ranked #15 on this year’s Best Trade Schools in Virginia list. Tidewater Community College is a fairly large public school situated in Norfolk, Virginia. It awarded 3,462 degrees in 2021-2022.
Mountain Empire Community College ranked #17 on this year’s Best Trade Schools in Virginia list. MECC is a public institution located in Big Stone Gap, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 975 degrees in 2021-2022.
Southside Virginia Community College came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Trade Schools in Virginia ranking. Located in Alberta, Virginia, the small public school awarded 952 diplomas to qualifed students in 2021-2022.
With a ranking of #19, Mary Baldwin University did quite well on this year’s best schools for trade school students working. Mary Baldwin University is a small private not-for-profit school located in Staunton, Virginia that handed out 587 degrees in 2021-2022.
Blue Ridge Community College landed the #20 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best trade school programs. Located in Weyers Cave, Virginia, the small public school handed out 1,266 degrees in 2021-2022.
Dabney S Lancaster Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for trade school students. It came in at #21 on the list. DSLCC is a public institution located in Clifton Forge, Virginia. The school has a very small population, and it awarded 331 degrees in 2021-2022.
Central Virginia Community College landed the #22 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best trade school programs. Located in Lynchburg, Virginia, the small public school handed out 1,133 degrees in 2021-2022.
Centura College - Newport News did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for trade school students. It came in at #23 on the list. Centura College - Newport News is a very small private for-profit school located in Newport News, Virginia that handed out 178 degrees in 2021-2022.
Patrick Henry Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for trade school students. It came in at #24 on the list. This small public school is located in Martinsville, Virginia, and it awarded 699 degrees in 2021-2022.
Lord Fairfax Community College ranked #25 on this year’s Best Trade Schools in Virginia list. Lord Fairfax Community College is a medium-sized public school located in Middletown, Virginia that handed out 1,392 degrees in 2021-2022.
Best Trade Schools in the Southeast Region
View Best Trade Schools Nationwide >
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.