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2023 Best Value Trade School Schools in California
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. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country.
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 Schools in California ranking. This report analyzed 94 schools in California to see which ones offered the best value programs for trade school students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
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 Schools in California
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our analysis found West Hills College-Lemoore to be the best value school for trade school students in California. West Hills College-Lemoore is a small public school located in Lemoore, California that handed out 1,479 degrees in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at West Hills College-Lemoore are $10,110 per year.
West Hills College-Lemoore also made our Best Trade Schools in California list, coming in at #3.
Out of the 94 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Merced College landed the # 2 spot on the list. Merced Community College District is located in Merced, California and has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 2,892 degrees to qualified students.
Merced Community College District undergraduate students pay an average of $7,890 in tuition and fees each year.
In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Merced Community College District is ranked #4 for overall quality in California.
Out of the 94 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Santa Barbara City College landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in Santa Barbara, California, the fairly large public school awarded 3,767 diplomas to qualifed students in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SBCC are $9,322 per year.
SBCC also made our Best Trade Schools in California list, coming in at #5.
Out of the 94 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Foothill College landed the # 4 spot on the list. This fairly large public school is located in Los Altos Hills, California, and it awarded 2,215 degrees in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Foothill College are $11,510 a year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Foothill College also is in the top 10% of our Best Trade Schools in California ranking.
A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Cuesta College is a great place for trade school students who want to get the most value for their educational dollar. Located in San Luis Obispo, California, the medium-sized public school awarded 4,702 diplomas to qualifed students in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cuesta College are $9,348 per year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Cuesta College also is in the top 10% of our Best Trade Schools in California ranking.
Canada College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Schools in California list. Canada College is a public institution located in Redwood City, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 621 degrees in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Canada College are $9,006 per year.
Canada College excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Trade Schools in California list.
Napa Valley College landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value trade school programs. Napa Valley College is located in Napa, California and has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 1,005 degrees to qualified students.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Napa Valley College are $9,388 per year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Napa Valley College also is in the top 15% of our Best Trade Schools in California ranking.
Mt. San Antonio College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for trade school students. It came in at #8 on the list. Walnut, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out degrees to 5,457 students in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Mt. SAC are $10,096 a year.
Mt. SAC excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Trade Schools in California list.
Crafton Hills College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for trade school students. It came in at #9 on the list. Crafton Hills College is a medium-sized public school located in Yucaipa, California that handed out 1,462 degrees in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CHC are $9,942 per year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, CHC also is in the top 15% of our Best Trade Schools in California ranking.
Butte College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Trade School Schools in California ranking. Butte College is a medium-sized public school situated in Oroville, California. It awarded 2,241 degrees in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Butte College are $7,816 per year.
Butte College also claimed a spot on our Best Trade Schools in California list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.
Gavilan College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for trade school students. It came in at #11 on the list. Located in Gilroy, California, the small public school awarded 1,198 diplomas to qualifed students in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Gavilan College are $7,238 a year.
In addition to its great value ranking, Gavilan College is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Trade Schools in California list.
Santa Rosa Junior College ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Schools in California list. Santa Rosa, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out degrees to 5,856 students in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at SRJC are $9,310 a year.
In addition to its great value ranking, SRJC is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Trade Schools in California list.
Cabrillo College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for trade school students. It came in at #13 on the list. This medium-sized public school is located in Aptos, California, and it awarded 2,615 degrees in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cabrillo College are $8,630 per year.
Los Angeles City College ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Schools in California list. Located in Los Angeles, California, the fairly large public school handed out 2,807 degrees in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Los Angeles City College are $9,870 a year.
San Bernardino Valley College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for trade school students. It came in at #15 on the list. Located in San Bernardino, California, the fairly large public school handed out 2,876 degrees in 2021-2022.
San Bernardino Valley College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,057 in tuition and fees each year.
San Joaquin Delta College ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Schools in California list. Delta is a fairly large public school situated in Stockton, California. It awarded 4,179 degrees in 2021-2022.
Delta undergraduate students pay an average of $9,072 in tuition and fees each year.
West Hills College-Coalinga landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value trade school programs. West Hills College-Coalinga is a small public school located in Coalinga, California that handed out 1,053 degrees in 2021-2022.
West Hills College-Coalinga undergraduate students pay an average of $10,110 in tuition and fees each year.
Saddleback College landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value trade school programs. Saddleback College is a fairly large public school situated in Mission Viejo, California. It awarded 7,512 degrees in 2021-2022.
Saddleback College undergraduate students pay an average of $9,814 in tuition and fees each year.
Yuba College landed the #19 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value trade school programs. Yuba College is located in Marysville, California and has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 2,374 degrees to qualified students.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Yuba College are $7,488 per year.
College of the Sequoias landed the #20 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value trade school programs. Visalia, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out degrees to 2,719 students in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at College of the Sequoias are $8,338 per year.
Victor Valley College ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Schools in California list. Located in Victorville, California, the fairly large public school awarded 4,997 diplomas to qualifed students in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Victor Valley College are $10,125 a year.
College of the Canyons landed the #22 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value trade school programs. College of the Canyons is a public institution located in Santa Clarita, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 5,535 degrees in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at College of the Canyons are $9,322 a year.
Sacramento City College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for trade school students. It came in at #23 on the list. Sacramento City is located in Sacramento, California and has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 2,233 degrees to qualified students.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Sacramento City are $10,768 per year.
Palomar College ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Schools in California list. Palomar College is a public institution located in San Marcos, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 4,854 degrees in 2021-2022.
Palomar College undergraduate students pay an average of $10,644 in tuition and fees each year.
College of the Desert ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Schools in California list. Located in Palm Desert, California, the fairly large public school handed out 2,363 degrees in 2021-2022.
College of the Desert undergraduate students pay an average of $9,138 in tuition and fees each year.
Best Value Trade Schools in the Far Western US 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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