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2023 Best Undergraduate Certificate 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.
The Best Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools in California ranking is one of many tools that Trade College Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 66 schools in California to see which ones offered the best undergraduate certificate programs for trade school students.
View our full ranking methodology.
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Top Trade Undergraduate Certificate Schools in California
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our analysis found Mt. San Antonio College to be the best school for trade school students who want to pursue a undergraduate certificate in California. Mt. SAC is a large public school situated in Walnut, California. It awarded 268 undergraduate certificates in 2021-2022.
Students from California who attend Mt. SAC full time pay an average of $1,352 in tuition and fees. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $10,096.
Online courses are available at Mt. SAC, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 10% took at least some of their classes online.
Out of the 66 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Cuesta College landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in San Luis Obispo, California, the medium-sized public school handed out 1,268 undergraduate certificate awards in 2021-2022.
Full-time students from California pay an average of $1,340 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend Cuesta College. Out-of-state students pay an average of $9,348.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at Cuesta College. In fact, around 75% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Napa Valley College. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools in California list. Located in Napa, California, the small public school awarded 378 diplomas to qualifed undergraduate certificate students in 2021-2022.
In-state students pay an average of $1,156 in tuition and fees if they attend Napa Valley College full time. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $9,388.
Napa Valley 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. During the 2020-2021 year, about 83% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
The excellent undergraduate certificate programs at San Bernardino Valley College helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best trade school schools in California. This fairly large public school is located in San Bernardino, California, and it awarded 352 undergraduate certificates in 2021-2022.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at San Bernardino Valley College is $744. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $5,057.
Some students may be able to take online classes at San Bernardino Valley College. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 91% took at least some of their classes online.
Out of the 66 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Butte College landed the # 5 spot on the list. Butte College is located in Oroville, California and has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 271 undergraduate certificates to qualified students.
Students from California who attend Butte College full time pay an average of $1,336 in tuition and fees. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $7,816.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at Butte College. In fact, around 81% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
Cabrillo College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best undergraduate certificate trade school programs. Cabrillo College is a medium-sized public school located in Aptos, California that handed out 238 undergraduate certificates in 2021-2022.
Students from California who attend Cabrillo College full time pay an average of $1,262 in tuition and fees. Out-of-state students pay an average of $8,630. On average, undergraduate certificate students take out $19,778 in loans while pursuing their degree.
One thing to take note of is that Cabrillo College does offer online classes in some areas. During the 2020-2021 year, about 88% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Santa Barbara City College landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best undergraduate certificate trade school programs. SBCC is a public institution located in Santa Barbara, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 1,058 undergraduate certificates in 2021-2022.
Full-time students from California pay an average of $1,234 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend SBCC. Out-of-state students pay an average of $9,322.
Online courses are available at SBCC, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In fact, around 80% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
Merced College ranked #8 on this year’s Best Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools in California list. Merced Community College District is a public institution located in Merced, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 990 undergraduate certificates in 2021-2022.
Full-time students from California pay an average of $1,194 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend Merced Community College District. Out-of-state students pay an average of $7,890.
Merced Community College District 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. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 89% took at least some of their classes online.
West Hills College-Coalinga did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for trade school students to get an undergraduate certificate. It came in at #9 on the list. West Hills College-Coalinga is a small public school located in Coalinga, California that handed out 332 undergraduate certificates in 2021-2022.
Undergraduate Certificate recipients from West Hills College-Coalinga accumulate an average of $9,262 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at West Hills College-Coalinga. In 2020-2021 about 78% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Canada College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for trade school students to get an undergraduate certificate. It came in at #10 on the list. Canada College is a medium-sized public school located in Redwood City, California that handed out 84 undergraduate certificates in 2021-2022.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at Canada College is $1,362. Out-of-state students pay an average of $9,006.
Canada 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 fact, around 92% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
Yuba College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools in California list. Yuba College is a public institution located in Marysville, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 499 undergraduate certificates in 2021-2022.
Students from California who attend Yuba College full time pay an average of $1,128 in tuition and fees. Out-of-state students pay an average of $7,488.
Online courses are available at Yuba 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 79% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
MTI College landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best undergraduate certificate trade school programs. Sacramento, California is the setting for this very small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out undergraduate certificates to 526 students in 2021-2022.
Undergraduate Certificate recipients from MTI College accumulate an average of $7,769 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
MTI 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. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 58% took at least some of their classes online.
Modesto Junior College ranked #13 on this year’s Best Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools in California list. MJC is a fairly large public school situated in Modesto, California. It awarded 205 undergraduate certificates in 2021-2022.
In-state students pay an average of $1,276 in tuition and fees if they attend MJC full time. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $7,308.
Some students may be able to take online classes at MJC. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 84% took at least some of their classes online.
With a ranking of #14, Ventura College did quite well on this year’s best schools for trade school students working on their undergraduate certificate. Ventura College is a fairly large public school located in Ventura, California that handed out 1,212 undergraduate certificates in 2021-2022.
In-state students pay an average of $1,394 in tuition and fees if they attend Ventura College full time. Out-of-state students pay an average of $8,146.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Ventura College. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 91% took at least some of their classes online.
Foothill College ranked #15 on this year’s Best Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools in California list. Located in Los Altos Hills, California, the fairly large public school handed out 573 undergraduate certificate awards in 2021-2022.
Students from California who attend Foothill College full time pay an average of $1,565 in tuition and fees. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $11,510.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Foothill College. During the 2020-2021 year, about 73% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
With a ranking of #16, Empire College did quite well on this year’s best schools for trade school students working on their undergraduate certificate. Located in Santa Rosa, California, the very small private for-profit school awarded 1 diplomas to qualifed undergraduate certificate students in 2021-2022.
On average, undergraduate certificate students take out $13,354 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Cypress College came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools in California ranking. Located in Cypress, California, the fairly large public school handed out 1,310 undergraduate certificate awards in 2021-2022.
Full-time students from California pay an average of $1,146 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend Cypress College. Out-of-state students pay an average of $7,986.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Cypress College. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 50% took at least some of their classes online.
Palomar College ranked #18 on this year’s Best Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools in California list. This fairly large public school is located in San Marcos, California, and it awarded 1,700 undergraduate certificates in 2021-2022.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at Palomar College is $1,348. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $10,644.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Palomar College does offer online classes for certain majors. In 2020-2021 about 88% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Crafton Hills College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for trade school students to get an undergraduate certificate. It came in at #19 on the list. Yucaipa, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out undergraduate certificates to 464 students in 2021-2022.
Students from California who attend CHC full time pay an average of $1,182 in tuition and fees. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $9,942.
Online courses are available at CHC, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 78% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
Victor Valley College landed the #20 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best undergraduate certificate trade school programs. Located in Victorville, California, the fairly large public school awarded 1,786 diplomas to qualifed undergraduate certificate students in 2021-2022.
Full-time students from California pay an average of $1,425 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend Victor Valley College. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $10,125.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Victor Valley College does offer online classes for certain majors. In 2020-2021 about 49% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Fresno City College ranked #21 on this year’s Best Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools in California list. This large public school is located in Fresno, California, and it awarded 243 undergraduate certificates in 2021-2022.
Full-time students from California pay an average of $1,330 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend Fresno City College. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $8,890.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Fresno City College. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 88% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
Reedley College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for trade school students to get an undergraduate certificate. It came in at #22 on the list. Reedley College is a medium-sized public school located in Reedley, California that handed out 99 undergraduate certificates in 2021-2022.
In-state students pay an average of $1,330 in tuition and fees if they attend Reedley College full time. Out-of-state students pay an average of $8,890.
Online courses are available at Reedley College, 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.
With a ranking of #23, San Joaquin Delta College did quite well on this year’s best schools for trade school students working on their undergraduate certificate. Located in Stockton, California, the fairly large public school awarded 270 diplomas to qualifed undergraduate certificate students in 2021-2022.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Delta does offer online classes for certain majors. During the 2020-2021 year, about 98% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Sacramento City College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for trade school students to get an undergraduate certificate. It came in at #24 on the list. Located in Sacramento, California, the fairly large public school handed out 204 undergraduate certificate awards in 2021-2022.
Sacramento City 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. During the 2020-2021 year, about 94% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
College of the Siskiyous landed the #25 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best undergraduate certificate trade school programs. College of the Siskiyous is located in Weed, California and has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 84 undergraduate certificates to qualified students.
Students from California who attend College of the Siskiyous full time pay an average of $1,444 in tuition and fees. Out-of-state students pay an average of $9,844.
College of the Siskiyous 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, 68% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
Best Trade Undergraduate Certificate Schools in the Far Western US 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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