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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.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at West Hills College-Lemoore are $10,110 a year.
West Hills College-Lemoore did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our Best Trade Schools in California list.
A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Merced College is a great place for trade school students who want to get the most value for their educational dollar. Merced Community College District is a fairly large public school situated in Merced, California. It awarded 2,892 degrees in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Merced Community College District are $7,890 per year.
Merced Community College District not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #4 on our Best Trade Schools in California list.
The excellent programs at Santa Barbara City College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best value trade schools in California. SBCC is a public institution located in Santa Barbara, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 3,767 degrees in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at SBCC are $9,322 a year.
SBCC also took the #5 spot in our Best Trade Schools in California rankings.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Foothill College. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Schools in California list. Foothill College is a public institution located in Los Altos Hills, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 2,215 degrees in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Foothill College are $11,510 per year.
In addition to its great value ranking, Foothill College is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Trade Schools in California list.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Cuesta College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Trade School Schools in California list. Cuesta College is located in San Luis Obispo, California and has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 4,702 degrees to qualified students.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cuesta College are $9,348 per year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Cuesta College also did well on our Best Trade Schools in California list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Canada College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Schools in California list. This medium-sized public school is located in Redwood City, California, and it awarded 621 degrees in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Canada College are $9,006 per year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Canada College also did well on our Best Trade Schools in California list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Napa Valley College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Trade School Schools in California ranking. Napa Valley College is a small public school situated in Napa, California. It awarded 1,005 degrees in 2021-2022.
Napa Valley College undergraduate students pay an average of $9,388 in tuition and fees each year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Napa Valley College also did well on our Best Trade Schools in California list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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. This large public school is located in Walnut, California, and it awarded 5,457 degrees in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Mt. SAC are $10,096 a year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Mt. SAC also did well on our Best Trade Schools in California list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Crafton Hills College landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value trade school programs. This medium-sized public school is located in Yucaipa, California, and it awarded 1,462 degrees in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CHC are $9,942 per year.
CHC also claimed a spot on our Best Trade Schools in California list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.
Butte College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for trade school students. It came in at #10 on the list. Located in Oroville, California, the medium-sized public school handed out 2,241 degrees in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Butte College are $7,816 per year.
In addition to its great value ranking, Butte College is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Trade Schools in California list.
Gavilan College landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value trade school programs. Located in Gilroy, California, the small public school handed out 1,198 degrees in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Gavilan College are $7,238 per year.
Gavilan 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.
Santa Rosa Junior College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for trade school students. It came in at #12 on the list. Santa Rosa Junior College is a fairly large public school located in Santa Rosa, California that handed out 5,856 degrees in 2021-2022.
SRJC undergraduate students pay an average of $9,310 in tuition and fees each 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 ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Schools in California list. Cabrillo College is a public institution located in Aptos, California. The school has a medium-sized population, 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 did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for trade school students. It came in at #14 on the list. Los Angeles City College is located in Los Angeles, California and has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 2,807 degrees to qualified students.
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 ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Schools in California list. San Bernardino Valley College is located in San Bernardino, California and has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 2,876 degrees to qualified students.
San Bernardino Valley College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,057 in tuition and fees each year.
San Joaquin Delta College came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Trade School Schools in California ranking. Stockton, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out degrees to 4,179 students in 2021-2022.
Delta undergraduate students pay an average of $9,072 in tuition and fees each year.
West Hills College-Coalinga came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Trade School Schools in California ranking. West Hills College-Coalinga is a public institution located in Coalinga, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 1,053 degrees in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at West Hills College-Coalinga are $10,110 per year.
Saddleback College landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value trade school programs. This fairly large public school is located in Mission Viejo, California, and 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 a medium-sized public school located in Marysville, California that handed out 2,374 degrees in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Yuba College are $7,488 per year.
College of the Sequoias ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Schools in California list. College of the Sequoias is a fairly large public school situated in Visalia, California. It awarded 2,719 degrees in 2021-2022.
College of the Sequoias undergraduate students pay an average of $8,338 in tuition and fees each 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.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Victor Valley College are $10,125 per year.
College of the Canyons came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Trade School Schools in California ranking. Located in Santa Clarita, California, the fairly large public school handed out 5,535 degrees in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at College of the Canyons are $9,322 per year.
Sacramento City College ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Schools in California 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 landed the #24 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value trade school programs. San Marcos, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out degrees to 4,854 students in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Palomar College are $10,644 per year.
College of the Desert ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Schools in California list. This fairly large public school is located in Palm Desert, California, and it awarded 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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