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Best Value Trade School Basic Certificate Schools in South Carolina

2023 Best Value Trade School Basic Certificate Schools in South Carolina

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Prices

11 Schools Ranked
$9,211 Avg Tuition & Fees*

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. 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.

The Best Value Trade School Basic Certificate Schools in South Carolina ranking is one of many tools that Trade College Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 11 schools in South Carolina 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.

Top Value Trade Basic Certificate Schools in South Carolina

Learn more about these excellent schools below:

#1

Piedmont Technical College

Greenwood, South Carolina
918 Total Awards
$6,593 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named Piedmont Technical College the best value school in South Carolina for trade school students working on their basic certificate. This medium-sized public school is located in Greenwood, South Carolina, and it awarded 918 basic certificates in 2021-2022.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Piedmont Technical College are $6,593 per year.

If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Piedmont Technical College does offer online classes for certain majors. In fact, around 68% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.

Piedmont Technical College did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in South Carolina list.

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#2

Greenville Technical College

Greenville, South Carolina
574 Total Awards
$10,202 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Greenville Technical College is a great place for trade school students working on their basic certificate who want the most bang for their educational buck. GTC is a fairly large public school situated in Greenville, South Carolina. It awarded 574 basic certificates in 2021-2022.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at GTC are $10,202 per year.

Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at GTC. In 2020-2021 about 82% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.

GTC also made our Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in South Carolina list, coming in at #3.

Read full report on Greenville Technical College

#3

Spartanburg Community College

Spartanburg, South Carolina
362 Total Awards
$9,822 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Spartanburg Community College is a great place for trade school students working on their basic certificate who want the most bang for their educational buck. Spartanburg Community College is a public institution located in Spartanburg, South Carolina. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 362 basic certificates in 2021-2022.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Spartanburg Community College are $9,822 a year.

Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Spartanburg Community College. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 57% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.

Spartanburg Community College did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in South Carolina list.

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#4

Florence-Darlington Technical College

Florence, South Carolina
255 Total Awards
$6,772 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Florence-Darlington Technical College is a great place for trade school students working on their basic certificate who want the most bang for their educational buck. Located in Florence, South Carolina, the small public school awarded 255 diplomas to qualifed basic certificate students in 2021-2022.

Florence-Darlington Technical College undergraduate students pay an average of $6,772 in tuition and fees each year.

Florence-Darlington 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. In 2020-2021 about 65% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.

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#5

Tri-County Technical College

Pendleton, South Carolina
1,520 Total Awards
$10,832 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 11 schools in South Carolina that were part of this year’s value ranking, Tri-County Technical College landed the # 5 spot on the list. TCTC is located in Pendleton, South Carolina and has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 1,520 basic certificates to qualified students.

TCTC undergraduate students pay an average of $10,832 in tuition and fees each year.

One thing to take note of is that TCTC does offer online classes in some areas. In fact, around 46% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.

TCTC not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #4 on our Best Basic Certificate Trade Schools in South Carolina list.

Read full report on Tri-County Technical College

#6

Orangeburg Calhoun Technical College

Orangeburg, South Carolina
378 Total Awards
$7,970 Average Tuition & Fees

Orangeburg Calhoun Technical College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Trade School Basic Certificate Schools in South Carolina ranking. OCtech is a small public school situated in Orangeburg, South Carolina. It awarded 378 basic certificates in 2021-2022.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at OCtech are $7,970 per year.

OCtech does offer online classes for certain degree levels. In 2020-2021 about 84% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, OCtech is ranked #5 for overall quality in South Carolina.

Read full report on Orangeburg Calhoun Technical College

#7

York Technical College

Rock Hill, South Carolina
622 Total Awards
$10,824 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #7, York Technical College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for trade school students working on their basic certificate. Located in Rock Hill, South Carolina, the small public school awarded 622 diplomas to qualifed basic certificate students in 2021-2022.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at York Technical College are $10,824 per year.

Some students may be able to take online classes at York Technical College. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 80% took at least some of their classes online.

Full York Technical College Report

#8

Horry-Georgetown Technical College

Conway, South Carolina
647 Total Awards
$8,593 Average Tuition & Fees

Horry-Georgetown 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 #8 on the list. Conway, South Carolina is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out basic certificates to 647 students in 2021-2022.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Horry-Georgetown Technical College are $8,593 per year.

Some students may be able to take online classes at Horry-Georgetown Technical College. During the 2020-2021 year, about 72% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.

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#9

Aiken Technical College

Graniteville, South Carolina
77 Total Awards
$6,880 Average Tuition & Fees

Aiken 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. This small public school is located in Graniteville, South Carolina, and it awarded 77 basic certificates in 2021-2022.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Aiken Technical College are $6,880 a year.

One thing to take note of is that Aiken Technical College does offer online classes in some areas. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 75% took at least some of their classes online.

Read More…

#10

Midlands Technical College

West Columbia, South Carolina
597 Total Awards
$13,812 Average Tuition & Fees

Midlands Technical College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Trade School Basic Certificate Schools in South Carolina ranking. MTC is a public institution located in West Columbia, South Carolina. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 597 basic certificates in 2021-2022.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at MTC are $13,812 a year.

Online courses are available at MTC, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In fact, around 76% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Midlands Technical College

#11

Central Carolina Technical College

Sumter, South Carolina
255 Total Awards
$9,016 Average Tuition & Fees

Central Carolina Technical College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Basic Certificate Schools in South Carolina list. Central Carolina is a public institution located in Sumter, South Carolina. The school has a small population, and it awarded 255 basic certificates in 2021-2022.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Central Carolina are $9,016 per year.

Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Central Carolina. During the 2020-2021 year, about 61% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.

Read More…

View Best Value Trade Basic Certificate Schools Nationwide >

Notes and References

Footnotes

*These averages are for the top 11 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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