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2023 Best Value Trade School Basic Certificate Schools in Kentucky
Identifying High-Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which trade school program is right for you. 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 Kentucky ranking. This report analyzed 18 schools in Kentucky 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.
When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.
Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
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Top Value Trade Basic Certificate Schools in Kentucky
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our 2023 rankings named Elizabethtown Community and Technical College the best value school in Kentucky for trade school students working on their basic certificate. Elizabethtown Community and Technical College is a medium-sized public school located in Elizabethtown, Kentucky that handed out 2,206 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Elizabethtown Community and Technical College are $15,480 a year.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Elizabethtown Community and Technical College. In fact, around 63% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
Elizabethtown Community and Technical College did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in Kentucky list.
Out of the 18 schools in Kentucky that were part of this year’s value ranking, Bluegrass Community and Technical College landed the # 2 spot on the list. Bluegrass Community and Technical College is located in Lexington, Kentucky and has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 3,006 basic certificates to qualified students.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Bluegrass Community and Technical College are $15,560 per year.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Bluegrass Community and Technical College. In 2020-2021 about 72% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Bluegrass Community and Technical College did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in Kentucky list.
Out of the 18 schools in Kentucky that were part of this year’s value ranking, Madisonville Community College landed the # 3 spot on the list. This small public school is located in Madisonville, Kentucky, and it awarded 1,083 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
Madisonville Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $15,480 in tuition and fees each year.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Madisonville Community College does offer online classes for certain majors. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 55% 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, Madisonville Community College is ranked #3 for overall quality in Kentucky.
Out of the 18 schools in Kentucky that were part of this year’s value ranking, Jefferson Community and Technical College landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in Louisville, Kentucky, the fairly large public school handed out 2,430 basic certificate awards in 2021-2022.
Jefferson Community and Technical College undergraduate students pay an average of $15,560 in tuition and fees each year.
Online courses are available at Jefferson Community and Technical 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, 53% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
Jefferson Community and Technical College not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #4 on our Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in Kentucky list.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Somerset Community College. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Basic Certificate Schools in Kentucky list. SCC is a medium-sized public school situated in Somerset, Kentucky. It awarded 1,551 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
SCC undergraduate students pay an average of $15,480 in tuition and fees each year.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at SCC. In 2020-2021 about 65% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Gateway Community and 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 #6 on the list. Located in Florence, Kentucky, the small public school handed out 2,462 basic certificate awards in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Gateway are $15,560 per year.
Gateway 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 61% took at least some of their classes online.
Gateway did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in Kentucky list.
With a ranking of #7, West Kentucky Community and Technical College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for trade school students working on their basic certificate. Located in Paducah, Kentucky, the medium-sized public school awarded 1,788 diplomas to qualifed basic certificate students in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at West Kentucky Community and Technical College are $15,480 per year.
One thing to take note of is that West Kentucky Community and Technical College does offer online classes in some areas. During the 2020-2021 year, about 49% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value basic certificate trade school programs. SKYCTC is a small public school situated in Bowling Green, Kentucky. It awarded 1,534 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SKYCTC are $15,480 per year.
SKYCTC 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 57% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College
Ashland Community and 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 #9 on the list. Located in Ashland, Kentucky, the small public school handed out 1,604 basic certificate awards in 2021-2022.
ACTC undergraduate students pay an average of $15,480 in tuition and fees each year.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at ACTC. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 56% took at least some of their classes online.
Maysville Community and Technical College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Trade School Basic Certificate Schools in Kentucky ranking. Maysville Community and Technical College is a small public school situated in Maysville, Kentucky. It awarded 2,121 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
Maysville Community and Technical College undergraduate students pay an average of $15,480 in tuition and fees each year.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Maysville Community and Technical 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.
Hopkinsville Community College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Basic Certificate Schools in Kentucky list. Hopkinsville Community College is located in Hopkinsville, Kentucky and has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 622 basic certificates to qualified students.
Hopkinsville Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $15,480 in tuition and fees each year.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Hopkinsville Community College. In fact, around 70% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
Henderson Community College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Trade School Basic Certificate Schools in Kentucky ranking. Located in Henderson, Kentucky, the small public school handed out 309 basic certificate awards in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Henderson Community College are $15,480 a year.
Online courses are available at Henderson Community College, 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 48% took at least some of their classes online.
With a ranking of #13, Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for trade school students working on their basic certificate. Southeast is a small public school situated in Cumberland, Kentucky. It awarded 520 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Southeast are $15,480 a year.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Southeast. During the 2020-2021 year, about 51% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Big Sandy Community and Technical College came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Trade School Basic Certificate Schools in Kentucky ranking. Located in Prestonsburg, Kentucky, the small public school handed out 719 basic certificate awards in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Big Sandy Community and Technical College are $15,480 per year.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Big Sandy Community and Technical College. In 2020-2021 about 82% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Hazard Community and Technical College came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Trade School Basic Certificate Schools in Kentucky ranking. Hazard, Kentucky is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out basic certificates to 1,044 students in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Hazard Community and Technical College are $15,480 a year.
Hazard Community and Technical 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 58% took at least some of their classes online.
Owensboro Community and Technical College came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Trade School Basic Certificate Schools in Kentucky ranking. Owensboro Community and Technical College is a small public school situated in Owensboro, Kentucky. It awarded 1,861 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Owensboro Community and Technical College are $15,480 per year.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Owensboro Community and Technical College. During the 2020-2021 year, about 53% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Western Kentucky University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Trade School Basic Certificate Schools in Kentucky ranking. Bowling Green, Kentucky is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out basic certificates to 353 students in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at WKU are $27,072 a year.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at WKU. In 2020-2021 about 55% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Sullivan University landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value basic certificate trade school programs. Sullivan University is located in Louisville, Kentucky and has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 81 basic certificates to qualified students.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Sullivan University are $14,220 per year.
Online courses are available at Sullivan University, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In 2020-2021 about 81% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Best Value Trade Basic Certificate Schools in the Southeast Region
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 18 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.