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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:
The excellent basic certificate programs at Montgomery County Community College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best value trade school schools in Pennsylvania. Blue Bell, Pennsylvania is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out basic certificates to 284 students in 2021-2022.
Montco undergraduate students pay an average of $15,390 in tuition and fees each year.
Montco 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 75% 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, Montco also is in the top 20% of our Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in Pennsylvania ranking.
Out of the 36 schools in Pennsylvania that were part of this year’s value ranking, Laurel Business Institute landed the # 4 spot on the list. Uniontown, Pennsylvania is the setting for this very small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out basic certificates to 66 students in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at LBI are $11,470 per year.
LBI 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, 47% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Trade School Basic Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania list. SRU is located in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania and has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 50 basic certificates to qualified students.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SRU are $14,615 per year.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at SRU. 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
With a ranking of #8, Butler County Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for trade school students working on their basic certificate.
BC3 undergraduate students pay an average of $11,550 in tuition and fees each year.
Some students may be able to take online classes at BC3. During the 2020-2021 year, about 33% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Bucks 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 #9 on the 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.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Bucks County Community College are $13,384 a year.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Bucks County Community 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.
East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania 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. 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.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since East Stroudsburg University does offer online classes for certain majors. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 33% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
Penn Commercial Business/Technical School landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value basic certificate trade school programs. This very small private for-profit school is located in Washington, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 120 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
Penn Commercial undergraduate students pay an average of $12,116 in tuition and fees each year.
Read full report on Penn Commercial Business/Technical School
With a ranking of #12, Community College of Allegheny County did quite well on this year’s best value schools for trade school students working on their basic certificate. CCAC is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 293 basic certificates to qualified students.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CCAC are $12,223 per year.
One thing to take note of is that CCAC does offer online classes in some areas. In 2020-2021 about 44% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
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. Northampton Community College is a public institution located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 150 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
Northampton Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $14,820 in tuition and fees each year.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Northampton Community College. In fact, around 62% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
Laurel Technical Institute 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 #14 on the list. 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.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since LTI Sharon does offer online classes for certain majors. In fact, around 77% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
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 awarded 41 diplomas to qualifed basic certificate students in 2021-2022.
Peirce undergraduate students pay an average of $15,060 in tuition and fees each year.
Since Peirce 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.
Community College of Philadelphia landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value basic certificate trade school programs. Community College of Philadelphia is a public institution located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 222 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Community College of Philadelphia are $12,744 per year.
One thing to take note of is that Community College of Philadelphia does offer online classes in some areas. In 2020-2021 about 97% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Laurel Technical Institute landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value basic certificate trade school programs. Located in MEADVILLE, Pennsylvania, the very small private for-profit school awarded 21 diplomas to qualifed basic certificate students in 2021-2022.
LTI - Meadville undergraduate students pay an average of $11,470 in tuition and fees each year.
Some students may be able to take online classes at LTI - Meadville. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 45% took at least some of their classes online.
Saint Vincent College landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value basic certificate trade school programs. Saint Vincent is a private not-for-profit institution located in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 15 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Saint Vincent are $39,903 per year.
Saint Vincent 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, 6% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Saint Vincent is ranked #1 for overall quality in Pennsylvania.
Central Penn College came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Trade School Basic Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Central Penn is a private for-profit institution located in Summerdale, Pennsylvania. The school has a very small population, and it awarded 50 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Central Penn are $19,404 per year.
One thing to take note of is that Central Penn does offer online classes in some areas. In 2020-2021 about 79% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
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. Delaware County Community College is a public institution located in Media, Pennsylvania. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 108 basic certificates 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 offer online classes for certain degree levels. In 2020-2021 about 82% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
With a ranking of #21, Pennsylvania Highlands Community 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 Johnstown, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 55 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
Pennsylvania Highlands undergraduate students pay an average of $12,690 in tuition and fees each year.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Pennsylvania Highlands. In 2020-2021 about 37% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
With a ranking of #22, Harrisburg Area Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for trade school students working on their basic certificate. Located in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the fairly large public school awarded 61 diplomas to qualifed basic certificate students in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at HACC are $10,148 per year.
HACC does offer online classes for certain degree levels. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 52% took at least some of their classes online.
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.
CCBC undergraduate students pay an average of $19,350 in tuition and fees each year.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at CCBC. During the 2020-2021 year, about 60% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Pittsburgh Technical 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. Located in Oakdale, Pennsylvania, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 24 diplomas to qualifed basic certificate 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.
One thing to take note of is that Pittsburgh Technical College does offer online classes in some areas. In fact, around 32% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
South Hills School of Business & Technology ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Basic Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania list. Located in State College, Pennsylvania, the very small private for-profit school handed out 19 basic certificate awards in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at South Hills School of Business & Technology are $19,527 a 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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