2023 Best Value Trade School Basic Certificate Schools in Michigan
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. 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.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Trade College Search has created its Best Value Trade School Basic Certificate Schools in Michigan ranking. Our analysis looked at 24 schools in Michigan to see which basic certificate 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.
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.
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Top Value Trade Basic Certificate Schools in Michigan
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our 2023 rankings named Wayne County Community College District the best value school in Michigan for trade school students working on their basic certificate. WCCCD is a public institution located in Detroit, Michigan. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 162 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at WCCCD are $3,998 per year.
WCCCD does offer online classes for certain degree levels. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 27% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Washtenaw Community College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Trade School Basic Certificate Schools in Michigan list. Washtenaw Community College is a fairly large public school located in Ann Arbor, Michigan that handed out 709 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Washtenaw Community College are $6,096 per year.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at Washtenaw Community College. In 2020-2021 about 86% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Washtenaw Community College not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #5 on our Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in Michigan list.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Oakland Community College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Trade School Basic Certificate Schools in Michigan list. Oakland Community College is a fairly large public school situated in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It awarded 235 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
Oakland Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,400 in tuition and fees each year.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Oakland Community College. In fact, around 41% 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, Oakland Community College is ranked #4 for overall quality in Michigan.
Out of the 24 schools in Michigan that were part of this year’s value ranking, Schoolcraft College landed the # 4 spot on the list. This medium-sized public school is located in Livonia, Michigan, and it awarded 155 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
Schoolcraft College undergraduate students pay an average of $7,652 in tuition and fees each year.
Schoolcraft 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 54% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Out of the 24 schools in Michigan that were part of this year’s value ranking, Lansing Community College landed the # 5 spot on the list. LCC is a public institution located in Lansing, Michigan. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 500 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
LCC undergraduate students pay an average of $10,760 in tuition and fees each year.
LCC does offer online classes for certain degree levels. During the 2020-2021 year, about 90% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
LCC not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #3 on our Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in Michigan list.
Delta College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Basic Certificate Schools in Michigan list. University Center, Michigan is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out basic certificates to 59 students in 2021-2022.
Delta College undergraduate students pay an average of $7,250 in tuition and fees each year.
Delta 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 66% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
Kellogg Community College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Basic Certificate Schools in Michigan list. Kellogg Community College is a public institution located in Battle Creek, Michigan. The school has a small population, and it awarded 71 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
Kellogg Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $9,038 in tuition and fees each year.
One thing to take note of is that Kellogg Community College does offer online classes in some areas. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 72% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
Henry Ford 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 #8 on the list. Located in Dearborn, Michigan, the fairly large public school handed out 90 basic certificate awards in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Henry Ford College are $7,348 a year.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Henry Ford College. In fact, around 90% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
Gogebic Community 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 #9 on the list. Gogebic Community College is located in Ironwood, Michigan and has a very small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 9 basic certificates to qualified students.
Gogebic Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $8,108 in tuition and fees each year.
One thing to take note of is that Gogebic Community College does offer online classes in some areas. During the 2020-2021 year, about 61% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Kalamazoo Valley Community 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. Kalamazoo Valley Community College is located in Kalamazoo, Michigan and has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 40 basic certificates to qualified students.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Kalamazoo Valley Community College are $8,596 per year.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Kalamazoo Valley Community College. During the 2020-2021 year, about 67% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Grand Valley State University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Trade School Basic Certificate Schools in Michigan ranking. GVSU is a public institution located in Allendale, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 191 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at GVSU are $20,198 per year.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since GVSU does offer online classes for certain majors. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 46% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
GVSU did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in Michigan list.
Monroe County Community College ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Basic Certificate Schools in Michigan list. Monroe County Community College is a public institution located in Monroe, Michigan. The school has a small population, and it awarded 37 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Monroe County Community College are $7,940 a year.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at Monroe County Community College. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 71% took at least some of their classes online.
With a ranking of #13, Macomb Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for trade school students working on their basic certificate. Macomb Community College is a public institution located in Warren, Michigan. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 41 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Macomb Community College are $7,830 per year.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Macomb Community College. In fact, around 89% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
North Central Michigan College ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Basic Certificate Schools in Michigan list. This small public school is located in Petoskey, Michigan, and it awarded 13 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
NCMC undergraduate students pay an average of $9,810 in tuition and fees each year.
NCMC does offer online classes for certain degree levels. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 42% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
Ferris State University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Trade School Basic Certificate Schools in Michigan ranking. Ferris is located in Big Rapids, Michigan and has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 271 basic certificates to qualified students.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Ferris are $13,608 a year.
One thing to take note of is that Ferris does offer online classes in some areas. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 48% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
Ferris also made our Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in Michigan list, coming in at #2.
Lake Michigan 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 #16 on the list. Lake Michigan College is a small public school located in Benton Harbor, Michigan that handed out 14 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at LMC are $7,148 a year.
LMC is one of the schools on our list that is primarily online. Each undergraduate student at the school took at least one class online.
Mid Michigan College landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value basic certificate trade school programs. Mid Michigan College is located in Harrison, Michigan and has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 37 basic certificates to qualified students.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Mid Michigan College are $8,908 a year.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Mid Michigan College. In fact, around 55% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
Grand Rapids Community 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 #18 on the list. Grand Rapids Community College is a fairly large public school located in Grand Rapids, Michigan that handed out 39 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Grand Rapids Community College are $11,679 a year.
One thing to take note of is that Grand Rapids Community College does offer online classes in some areas. In 2020-2021 about 74% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Baker College ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Basic Certificate Schools in Michigan list. Baker College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Owosso, Michigan. It awarded 4 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Baker College are $12,710 per year.
One thing to take note of is that Baker College does offer online classes in some areas. In fact, around 71% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #20, Northwestern Michigan College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for trade school students working on their basic certificate. This small public school is located in Traverse City, Michigan, and it awarded 22 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at NMC are $12,048 per year.
One thing to take note of is that NMC does offer online classes in some areas. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 74% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #21, Northern Michigan University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for trade school students working on their basic certificate. Northern Michigan University is a medium-sized public school located in Marquette, Michigan that handed out 27 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Northern Michigan University are $18,570 a year.
Northern Michigan University does offer online classes for certain degree levels. In 2020-2021 about 39% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
University of Michigan - Dearborn ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Basic Certificate Schools in Michigan list. This medium-sized public school is located in Dearborn, Michigan, and it awarded 42 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
UM Dearborn undergraduate students pay an average of $29,584 in tuition and fees each year.
Online courses are available at UM Dearborn, 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, 77% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #23, Alpena Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for trade school students working on their basic certificate. Alpena Community College is a small public school situated in Alpena, Michigan. It awarded 13 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Alpena Community College are $7,995 per year.
Alpena Community 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 2020-2021 about 45% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Madonna University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Trade School Basic Certificate Schools in Michigan ranking. Madonna is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Livonia, Michigan. It awarded 98 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Madonna are $26,100 a year.
Madonna 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.
Best Value Trade Basic Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 24 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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