2023 Best Value Trade School Basic Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania
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. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience.
The Best Value Trade School Basic Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania ranking is one of many tools that Trade College Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 36 schools in Pennsylvania 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.
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 Basic Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Montgomery County Community College. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Basic Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania list. Montco is located in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania and has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 284 basic certificates to qualified students.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Montco are $15,390 a year.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at Montco. In fact, around 75% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
Montco excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in Pennsylvania list.
The excellent basic certificate programs at Laurel Business Institute helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best value trade school schools in Pennsylvania. Located in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, the very small private for-profit school awarded 66 diplomas to qualifed basic certificate students in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at LBI are $11,470 per year.
Some students may be able to take online classes at LBI. During the 2020-2021 year, about 47% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Basic Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania list. SRU is a public institution located in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 50 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SRU are $14,615 per year.
One thing to take note of is that SRU does offer online classes in some areas. During the 2020-2021 year, about 58% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Read full report on Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
Butler County 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 #8 on the list.
BC3 undergraduate students pay an average of $11,550 in tuition and fees each year.
Online courses are available at BC3, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In fact, around 33% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
Bucks County Community College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Basic Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania list. Newtown, Pennsylvania is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out basic certificates to 52 students in 2021-2022.
Bucks County Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $13,384 in tuition and fees each year.
Online courses are available at Bucks County Community College, 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, 81% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Trade School Basic Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out basic certificates to 61 students in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at East Stroudsburg University are $18,869 per year.
East Stroudsburg University 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 33% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Read full report on East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania
Penn Commercial Business/Technical School landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value basic certificate trade school programs. Penn Commercial is a very small private for-profit school situated in Washington, Pennsylvania. It awarded 120 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Penn Commercial are $12,116 a year.
Community College of Allegheny County landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value basic certificate trade school programs. Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the fairly large public school awarded 293 diplomas to qualifed basic certificate students in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at CCAC are $12,223 a year.
CCAC 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, 44% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
Northampton County Area 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 #13 on the list. This medium-sized public school is located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 150 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Northampton Community College are $14,820 a year.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at Northampton Community College. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 62% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #14, Laurel Technical Institute did quite well on this year’s best value schools for trade school students working on their basic certificate. LTI Sharon is located in Hermitage, Pennsylvania and has a very small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 18 basic certificates to qualified students.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at LTI Sharon are $11,470 per year.
Online courses are available at LTI Sharon, 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 77% took at least some of their classes online.
Peirce College ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Basic Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania list. Located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the very small private not-for-profit school handed out 41 basic certificate awards in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Peirce are $15,060 per year.
Interested in an online degree? Then you definitely want to check out Peirce. Every undergraduate student at the school took at least one class online.
Community College of Philadelphia ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Basic Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania list. This fairly large public school is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 222 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Community College of Philadelphia are $12,744 a year.
Community College of Philadelphia does offer online classes for certain degree levels. During the 2020-2021 year, about 97% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
With a ranking of #17, Laurel Technical Institute did quite well on this year’s best value schools for trade school students working on their basic certificate. MEADVILLE, Pennsylvania is the setting for this very small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out basic certificates to 21 students in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at LTI - Meadville are $11,470 per year.
LTI - Meadville does offer online classes for certain degree levels. In fact, around 45% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #18, Saint Vincent College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for trade school students working on their basic certificate. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 15 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Saint Vincent are $39,903 a year.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Saint Vincent does offer online classes for certain majors. In fact, around 6% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
Saint Vincent did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in Pennsylvania list.
Central Penn College ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Basic Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania list. Central Penn is located in Summerdale, Pennsylvania and has a very small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 50 basic certificates to qualified students.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Central Penn are $19,404 per year.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Central Penn. In fact, around 79% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
Delaware County Community College came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Trade School Basic Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Media, Pennsylvania is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out basic certificates to 108 students in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Delaware County Community College are $14,400 a year.
Delaware County 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 82% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Pennsylvania Highlands Community College ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Basic Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania list. Located in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, the small public school handed out 55 basic certificate awards in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Pennsylvania Highlands are $12,690 per year.
Pennsylvania Highlands does offer online classes for certain degree levels. During the 2020-2021 year, about 37% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Read full report on Pennsylvania Highlands Community College
Harrisburg Area 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 #22 on the list. HACC is a public institution located in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 61 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at HACC are $10,148 a year.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at HACC. In fact, around 52% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #23, Community College of Beaver County did quite well on this year’s best value schools for trade school students working on their basic certificate.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CCBC are $19,350 per year.
Online courses are available at CCBC, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In 2020-2021 about 60% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Pittsburgh Technical College landed the #24 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value basic certificate trade school programs. Oakdale, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out basic certificates to 24 students in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Pittsburgh Technical College are $16,974 a year.
Pittsburgh Technical College does offer online classes for certain degree levels. In fact, around 32% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
South Hills School of Business & Technology 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 #25 on the list. State College, Pennsylvania is the setting for this very small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out basic certificates to 19 students in 2021-2022.
South Hills School of Business & Technology undergraduate students pay an average of $19,527 in tuition and fees each year.
Best Value Trade Basic Certificate Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region
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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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