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2023 Best Value Trade School Bachelor's Degree Schools
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Prices
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. 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.
The Best Value Trade School Bachelor's Degree Schools ranking is one of many tools that Trade College Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 862 schools in the United States to see which bachelor's degree programs offered the best value experiences for trade school students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.
For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
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Top Value Trade Bachelor's Degree Schools in the United States
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our 2023 rankings named Brigham Young University - Idaho the best value school in the United States for trade school students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in Rexburg, Idaho, the large private not-for-profit school awarded 6,226 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2021-2022.
BYU - I undergraduate students pay an average of $4,536 in tuition and fees each year. Bachelor’s Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $15,385 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at BYU - I. During the 2020-2021 year, about 78% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, BYU - I also is in the top 10% of our Best Bachelor’s Degree Trade Schools ranking.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Columbia Southern University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Columbia Southern University is a fairly large private for-profit school located in Orange Beach, Alabama that handed out 2,691 bachelor’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Columbia Southern University are $6,015 a year. On average, bachelor’s degree students take out $24,110 in loans while pursuing their degree.
If you are interested in distance education, Columbia Southern University is an excellent choice, since the school is online.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Columbia Southern University also is in the top 1% of our Best Bachelor’s Degree Trade Schools ranking.
The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Seattle Central College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best value trade school schools in the United States. This small public school is located in Seattle, Washington, and it awarded 79 bachelor’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Seattle Central are $5,354 a year. Bachelor’s Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $19,328 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Seattle Central does offer online classes for certain degree levels. In fact, around 63% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Seattle Central also did well on our Best Bachelor’s Degree Trade Schools list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Aspen University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best value trade school schools in the United States. Located in Phoenix, Arizona, the medium-sized private for-profit school handed out 1,636 bachelor’s degree awards in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Aspen University are $6,500 per year. By the time they get their bachelor’s degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $17,431 in student loans.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Aspen University does offer online classes for certain majors. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 74% took at least some of their classes online.
Aspen University excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Bachelor’s Degree Trade Schools list.
A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Grantham University is a great place for trade school students working on their bachelor’s degree who want the most bang for their educational buck. Grantham University is a medium-sized public school situated in LIttle Rock, Arkansas. It awarded 569 bachelor’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Grantham University are $8,280 a year. On average, bachelor’s degree students take out $32,063 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Grantham University is primarily an online school, so it is a great choice for returning adults and students who work full time.
In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Grantham University is ranked #3 for overall quality in the United States.
With a ranking of #6, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Flex did quite well on this year’s best value schools for trade school students working on their bachelor’s degree. UWM Flexible Option is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and has a very small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 112 bachelor’s degrees to qualified students.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UWM Flexible Option are $6,750 per year. On average, bachelor’s degree students take out $24,141 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Interested in an online degree? Then you definitely want to check out UWM Flexible Option. Every undergraduate student at the school took at least one class online.
In addition to its great value ranking, UWM Flexible Option is in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Bachelor’s Degree Trade Schools list.
Read full report on University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Flex
With a ranking of #7, Universidad del Turabo did quite well on this year’s best value schools for trade school students working on their bachelor’s degree. Gurabo, Puerto Rico is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 1,182 students in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Universidad del Turabo are $6,920 a year. Bachelor’s Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $19,301 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Universidad del Turabo does offer online classes for certain majors. In 2020-2021 about 53% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Universidad del Turabo also is in the top 15% of our Best Bachelor’s Degree Trade Schools ranking.
With a ranking of #8, Galveston College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for trade school students working on their bachelor’s degree. Galveston College is a small public school situated in Galveston, Texas. It awarded 7 bachelor’s degrees in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Galveston College are $5,726 per year.
One thing to take note of is that Galveston College does offer online classes in some areas. During the 2020-2021 year, about 69% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Bellingham Technical College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Bellingham Vocational Technical Institute is located in Bellingham, Washington and has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 25 bachelor’s degrees to qualified students.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Bellingham Vocational Technical Institute are $5,357 per year.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Bellingham Vocational Technical Institute does offer online classes for certain majors. During the 2020-2021 year, about 73% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Western Governors University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for trade school students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #10 on the list. WGU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Salt Lake City, Utah. The school has a large population, and it awarded 24,230 bachelor’s degrees in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at WGU are $8,010 per year. By the time they get their bachelor’s degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $16,244 in student loans.
If you are interested in distance education, WGU is an excellent choice, since the school is online.
WGU excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Bachelor’s Degree Trade Schools list.
Central Methodist University - College of Graduate & Extended Studies came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Trade School Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in Fayette, Missouri, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 586 bachelor’s degree awards in 2021-2022.
CMU CGES undergraduate students pay an average of $6,960 in tuition and fees each year. On average, bachelor’s degree students take out $18,750 in loans while pursuing their degree.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at CMU CGES. In fact, around 57% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, CMU CGES also did well on our Best Bachelor’s Degree Trade Schools list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Read full report on Central Methodist University - College of Graduate & Extended Studies
With a ranking of #12, United States University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for trade school students working on their bachelor’s degree. United States University is a small private for-profit school located in San Diego, California that handed out 47 bachelor’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at USU are $6,200 a year.
Interested in an online degree? Then you definitely want to check out USU. Every undergraduate student at the school took at least one class online.
Trine University-Regional/Non-Traditional Campuses did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for trade school students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #13 on the list. Angola, Indiana is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 76 students in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Trine are $9,576 a year. By the time they get their bachelor’s degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $19,074 in student loans.
Since Trine 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.
In addition to its great value ranking, Trine is in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Bachelor’s Degree Trade Schools list.
Read full report on Trine University-Regional/Non-Traditional Campuses
Spokane Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for trade school students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #14 on the list. Located in Spokane, Washington, the medium-sized public school handed out 11 bachelor’s degree awards in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Spokane Community College are $5,278 per year.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at Spokane Community 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.
Colorado State University - Global Campus ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. This medium-sized public school is located in Aurora, Colorado, and it awarded 1,881 bachelor’s degrees in 2021-2022.
Colorado State University - Global Campus undergraduate students pay an average of $8,400 in tuition and fees each year. By the time they get their bachelor’s degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $25,821 in student loans.
Since Colorado State University - Global Campus 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.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Colorado State University - Global Campus also did well on our Best Bachelor’s Degree Trade Schools list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Read full report on Colorado State University - Global Campus
Highline College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for trade school students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #16 on the list. Located in Des Moines, Washington, the small public school awarded 101 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2021-2022.
Highline undergraduate students pay an average of $4,948 in tuition and fees each year.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at Highline. In fact, around 75% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
Bellevue University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Bellevue University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in Bellevue, Nebraska that handed out 2,117 bachelor’s degrees in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Bellevue University are $8,790 per year. Bachelor’s Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $21,796 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Bellevue University. In 2020-2021 about 94% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Bellevue University also did well on our Best Bachelor’s Degree Trade Schools list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Bemidji State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for trade school students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #18 on the list. Bemidji State University is a public institution located in Bemidji, Minnesota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 972 bachelor’s degrees in 2021-2022.
Bemidji State University undergraduate students pay an average of $10,130 in tuition and fees each year. By the time they get their bachelor’s degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $19,541 in student loans.
One thing to take note of is that Bemidji State University does offer online classes in some areas. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 56% took at least some of their classes online.
Bemidji State University excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Bachelor’s Degree Trade Schools list.
Cincinnati State Technical and Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for trade school students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #19 on the list. Cincinnati State is located in Cincinnati, Ohio and has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 14 bachelor’s degrees to qualified students.
Cincinnati State undergraduate students pay an average of $9,558 in tuition and fees each year.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Cincinnati State. In fact, around 57% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Cincinnati State also did well on our Best Bachelor’s Degree Trade Schools list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Full Cincinnati State Technical and Community College Report
Tyler Junior College ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Tyler, Texas is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 45 students in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Tyler Junior College are $4,440 a year.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Tyler Junior College does offer online classes for certain majors. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 58% took at least some of their classes online.
Brigham Young University - Provo landed the #21 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree trade school programs. Located in Provo, Utah, the large private not-for-profit school awarded 6,562 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at BYU are $6,304 per year. By the time they get their bachelor’s degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $14,480 in student loans.
Some students may be able to take online classes at BYU. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 39% took at least some of their classes online.
Ottawa University - Online landed the #22 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree trade school programs. Ottawa University - Online is located in Ottawa, Kansas and has a very small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 74 bachelor’s degrees to qualified students.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Ottawa University - Online are $12,676 a year. On average, bachelor’s degree students take out $22,495 in loans while pursuing their degree.
If you are interested in distance education, Ottawa University - Online is an excellent choice, since the school is online.
Ottawa University - Online also took the #5 spot in our Best Bachelor’s Degree Trade Schools rankings.
With a ranking of #23, Eastern New Mexico University - Main Campus did quite well on this year’s best value schools for trade school students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in Portales, New Mexico, the medium-sized public school awarded 729 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at ENMU - Main Campus are $8,718 per year. By the time they get their bachelor’s degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $18,582 in student loans.
One thing to take note of is that ENMU - Main Campus does offer online classes in some areas. During the 2020-2021 year, about 78% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, ENMU - Main Campus also did well on our Best Bachelor’s Degree Trade Schools list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
With a ranking of #24, Midland College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for trade school students working on their bachelor’s degree. This medium-sized public school is located in Midland, Texas, and it awarded 24 bachelor’s degrees in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Midland College are $5,880 per year.
Midland 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 52% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
With a ranking of #25, Yakima Valley College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for trade school students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in Yakima, Washington, the small public school awarded 80 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2021-2022.
YVC undergraduate students pay an average of $5,488 in tuition and fees each year. On average, bachelor’s degree students take out $21,023 in loans while pursuing their degree.
YVC does offer online classes for certain degree levels. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 99% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
References
- 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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