2023 Best Value Trade School Basic Certificate Schools in California
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Prices
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 Value Trade School Basic Certificate Schools in California ranking. This report analyzed 65 schools in California to see which ones offered the best value basic certificate programs for trade school students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. 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.
In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
Featured schools near , edit
Top Value Trade Basic Certificate Schools in California
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our analysis found Santa Barbara City College to be the best value school for trade school students who want to pursue a basic certificate in California. SBCC is located in Santa Barbara, California and has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 119 basic certificates to qualified students.
SBCC undergraduate students pay an average of $9,322 in tuition and fees each year.
One thing to take note of is that SBCC does offer online classes in some areas. In fact, around 80% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, SBCC is ranked #2 for overall quality in California.
Out of the 65 schools in California that were part of this year’s value ranking, Merced College landed the # 2 spot on the list. Merced Community College District is located in Merced, California and has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 287 basic certificates to qualified students.
Merced Community College District undergraduate students pay an average of $7,890 in tuition and fees each year.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Merced Community College District does offer online classes for certain majors. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 89% took at least some of their classes online.
Merced Community College District did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in California list.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Crafton Hills College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Trade School Basic Certificate Schools in California list. Located in Yucaipa, California, the medium-sized public school awarded 216 diplomas to qualifed basic certificate students in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at CHC are $9,942 a year.
CHC 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 78% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
CHC also made our Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in California list, coming in at #4.
The excellent basic certificate programs at Cuesta College helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best value trade school schools in California. Cuesta College is a medium-sized public school located in San Luis Obispo, California that handed out 805 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Cuesta College are $9,348 a year.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Cuesta College. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 75% took at least some of their classes online.
Cuesta College not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #5 on our Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in California list.
The excellent basic certificate programs at Santa Rosa Junior College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best value trade school schools in California. SRJC is a fairly large public school situated in Santa Rosa, California. It awarded 2,534 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at SRJC are $9,310 a year.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at SRJC. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 85% took at least some of their classes online.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, SRJC also is in the top 10% of our Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in California ranking.
With a ranking of #6, Butte College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for trade school students working on their basic certificate. Butte College is a medium-sized public school situated in Oroville, California. It awarded 777 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Butte College are $7,816 a year.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Butte College. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 81% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Butte College also is in the top 10% of our Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in California ranking.
Los Angeles City College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for trade school students to get a basic certificate. It came in at #7 on the list. Los Angeles City College is a fairly large public school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 371 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
Los Angeles City College undergraduate students pay an average of $9,870 in tuition and fees each year.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Los Angeles City College. During the 2020-2021 year, about 95% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Los Angeles City College excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in California list.
Canada College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value basic certificate trade school programs. This medium-sized public school is located in Redwood City, California, and it awarded 75 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Canada College are $9,006 a year.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Canada College does offer online classes for certain majors. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 92% took at least some of their classes online.
Canada College also claimed a spot on our Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in California list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.
San Joaquin Delta College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Basic Certificate Schools in California list. Delta is a public institution located in Stockton, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 278 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Delta are $9,072 per year.
Delta 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, 98% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
In addition to its great value ranking, Delta is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in California list.
Victor Valley College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for trade school students to get a basic certificate. It came in at #10 on the list. Victor Valley College is located in Victorville, California and has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 1,648 basic certificates to qualified students.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Victor Valley College are $10,125 per year.
Online courses are available at Victor Valley 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 49% 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, Victor Valley College also is in the top 20% of our Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in California ranking.
Cabrillo College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Trade School Basic Certificate Schools in California ranking. This medium-sized public school is located in Aptos, California, and it awarded 383 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
Cabrillo College undergraduate students pay an average of $8,630 in tuition and fees each year.
Cabrillo 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 88% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
In addition to its great value ranking, Cabrillo College is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in California list.
With a ranking of #12, Palomar College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for trade school students working on their basic certificate. This fairly large public school is located in San Marcos, California, and it awarded 844 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
Palomar College undergraduate students pay an average of $10,644 in tuition and fees each year.
One thing to take note of is that Palomar College does offer online classes in some areas. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 88% took at least some of their classes online.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Palomar College also did well on our Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in California list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
College of the Sequoias did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for trade school students to get a basic certificate. It came in at #13 on the list. College of the Sequoias is a fairly large public school situated in Visalia, California. It awarded 773 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at College of the Sequoias are $8,338 a year.
Online courses are available at College of the Sequoias, 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 75% took at least some of their classes online.
Mt. San Antonio College landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value basic certificate trade school programs. Located in Walnut, California, the large public school handed out 1,409 basic certificate awards in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Mt. SAC are $10,096 a year.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Mt. SAC does offer online classes for certain majors. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 10% took at least some of their classes online.
West Hills College-Lemoore landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value basic certificate trade school programs. Located in Lemoore, California, the small public school awarded 688 diplomas to qualifed basic certificate students in 2021-2022.
West Hills College-Lemoore undergraduate students pay an average of $10,110 in tuition and fees each year.
Online courses are available at West Hills College-Lemoore, 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 76% took at least some of their classes online.
With a ranking of #16, College of the Canyons did quite well on this year’s best value schools for trade school students working on their basic certificate. College of the Canyons is located in Santa Clarita, California and has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 579 basic certificates to qualified students.
College of the Canyons undergraduate students pay an average of $9,322 in tuition and fees each year.
College of the Canyons does offer online classes for certain degree levels. During the 2020-2021 year, about 69% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Foothill College ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Basic Certificate Schools in California list. Foothill College is a fairly large public school situated in Los Altos Hills, California. It awarded 568 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Foothill College are $11,510 a year.
Foothill College does offer online classes for certain degree levels. In 2020-2021 about 73% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Moorpark College landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value basic certificate trade school programs. This fairly large public school is located in Moorpark, California, and it awarded 280 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Moorpark College are $8,146 per year.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Moorpark College does offer online classes for certain majors. During the 2020-2021 year, about 92% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
With a ranking of #19, Ventura College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for trade school students working on their basic certificate. This fairly large public school is located in Ventura, California, and it awarded 519 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
Ventura College undergraduate students pay an average of $8,146 in tuition and fees each year.
Ventura 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 91% took at least some of their classes online.
With a ranking of #20, Cerritos College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for trade school students working on their basic certificate. Cerritos College is a public institution located in Norwalk, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 2,393 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
Cerritos College undergraduate students pay an average of $10,324 in tuition and fees each year.
Cerritos 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 78% took at least some of their classes online.
Yuba College landed the #21 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value basic certificate trade school programs. Located in Marysville, California, the medium-sized public school handed out 545 basic certificate awards in 2021-2022.
Yuba College undergraduate students pay an average of $7,488 in tuition and fees each year.
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. During the 2020-2021 year, about 79% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
American River College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for trade school students to get a basic certificate. It came in at #22 on the list. Located in Sacramento, California, the large public school awarded 336 diplomas to qualifed basic certificate students in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at American River are $10,768 a year.
Online courses are available at American River, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In 2020-2021 about 82% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Glendale Community College ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Basic Certificate Schools in California list. GCC is located in Glendale, California and has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 294 basic certificates to qualified students.
GCC undergraduate students pay an average of $8,438 in tuition and fees each year.
Online courses are available at GCC, 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 65% took at least some of their classes online.
Golden West College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for trade school students to get a basic certificate. It came in at #24 on the list. This fairly large public school is located in Huntington Beach, California, and it awarded 2,005 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Golden West College are $9,854 per year.
Golden West 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 86% took at least some of their classes online.
San Bernardino Valley College came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Trade School Basic Certificate Schools in California ranking. This fairly large public school is located in San Bernardino, California, and it awarded 881 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at San Bernardino Valley College are $5,057 a year.
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.
Best Value Trade Basic Certificate Schools in the Far Western US Region
View Best Value Trade Basic Certificate Schools Nationwide >
More California Rankings
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.
Featured Schools
Request Info
|
Southern New Hampshire University You have goals. Southern New Hampshire University can help you get there. Whether you need a bachelor's degree to get into a career or want a master's degree to move up in your current career, SNHU has an online program for you. Find your degree from over 200 online programs. Learn More > |
TradeCollege.org provides higher-education, college and university, degree, program, career, salary, and other helpful information to students, faculty, institutions, and other internet audiences. Presented information and data are subject to change. Inclusion on this website does not imply or represent a direct relationship with the company, school, or brand. Information, though believed correct at time of publication, may not be correct, and no warranty is provided. Contact the schools to verify any information before relying on it. Financial aid may be available for those who qualify. TradeCollege.org is a for-profit site, and the displayed options may include sponsored or recommended results, not necessarily based on your preferences.
© TradeCollege.org – All Rights Reserved.