Find Trade Colleges
2023 Best Value Trade School Undergraduate Certificate Schools in Illinois
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Prices
Today's trade school students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. 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.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Trade College Search has developed this Best Value Trade School Undergraduate Certificate Schools in Illinois ranking. This report analyzed 40 schools in Illinois to see which ones offered the best value undergraduate 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. 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.
Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
Featured schools near , edit
Top Value Trade Undergraduate Certificate Schools in Illinois
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our 2023 rankings named Rock Valley College the best value school in Illinois for trade school students working on their undergraduate certificate. Located in Rockford, Illinois, the medium-sized public school awarded 150 diplomas to qualifed undergraduate certificate students in 2021-2022.
Rock Valley College undergraduate students pay an average of $20,384 in tuition and fees each year. By the time they get their undergraduate certificate, students from this school have racked up an average of $7,634 in student loans.
Rock Valley 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 64% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Rock Valley College also made our Best Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools in Illinois list, coming in at #3.
A rank of #2 on this year’s list means John A Logan College is a great place for trade school students working on their undergraduate certificate who want the most bang for their educational buck. John A Logan College is a small public school located in Carterville, Illinois that handed out 133 undergraduate certificates in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at John A Logan College are $7,370 per year.
Online courses are available at John A Logan College, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In 2020-2021 about 45% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Rend Lake College. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Undergraduate Certificate Schools in Illinois list. Rend Lake College is a public institution located in Ina, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 296 undergraduate certificates in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Rend Lake College are $7,200 a year.
One thing to take note of is that Rend Lake College does offer online classes in some areas. During the 2020-2021 year, about 48% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Elgin Community College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Trade School Undergraduate Certificate Schools in Illinois list. ECC is a public institution located in Elgin, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 534 undergraduate certificates in 2021-2022.
ECC undergraduate students pay an average of $9,516 in tuition and fees each year. On average, undergraduate certificate students take out $3,402 in loans while pursuing their degree.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since ECC does offer online classes for certain majors. In fact, around 80% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Lincoln Land Community College. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Undergraduate Certificate Schools in Illinois list. LLCC is a small public school situated in Springfield, Illinois. It awarded 181 undergraduate certificates in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at LLCC are $10,068 per year. Undergraduate Certificate recipients from this school accumulate an average of $8,408 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at LLCC. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 54% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
Kaskaskia College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value undergraduate certificate trade school programs. Kaskaskia College is a small public school located in Centralia, Illinois that handed out 225 undergraduate certificates in 2021-2022.
Kaskaskia College undergraduate students pay an average of $12,330 in tuition and fees each year.
Kaskaskia 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 fact, around 55% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
William Rainey Harper College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Undergraduate Certificate Schools in Illinois list. Harper College is a fairly large public school situated in Palatine, Illinois. It awarded 1,005 undergraduate certificates in 2021-2022.
Harper College undergraduate students pay an average of $11,754 in tuition and fees each year. By the time they get their undergraduate certificate, students from this school have racked up an average of $10,644 in student loans.
Harper 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. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 71% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
Harper College also made our Best Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools in Illinois list, coming in at #5.
Lake Land College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for trade school students to get an undergraduate certificate. It came in at #8 on the list. Lake Land College is a small public school situated in Mattoon, Illinois. It awarded 654 undergraduate certificates in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Lake Land College are $13,905 a year. Undergraduate Certificate recipients from this school accumulate an average of $5,918 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Lake Land College does offer online classes for certain majors. In 2020-2021 about 47% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Black Hawk College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Undergraduate Certificate Schools in Illinois list. This small public school is located in Moline, Illinois, and it awarded 280 undergraduate certificates in 2021-2022.
BHC undergraduate students pay an average of $8,100 in tuition and fees each year. On average, undergraduate certificate students take out $7,597 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at BHC. In 2020-2021 about 59% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
College of Lake County ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Undergraduate Certificate Schools in Illinois list. College of Lake County is a public institution located in Grayslake, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 1,183 undergraduate certificates in 2021-2022.
College of Lake County undergraduate students pay an average of $13,118 in tuition and fees each year.
Some students may be able to take online classes at College of Lake County. In fact, around 78% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
College of Lake County excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools in Illinois list.
Oakton Community College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Undergraduate Certificate Schools in Illinois list. Oakton Community College is a public institution located in Des Plaines, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 544 undergraduate certificates in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Oakton Community College are $12,462 per year.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Oakton Community College. In 2020-2021 about 80% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Oakton Community College also did well on our Best Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools in Illinois list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
DeVry University - Illinois landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value undergraduate certificate trade school programs. Located in Naperville, Illinois, the large private for-profit school handed out 2,903 undergraduate certificate awards in 2021-2022.
DeVry University - Illinois undergraduate students pay an average of $15,032 in tuition and fees each year. On average, undergraduate certificate students take out $16,207 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at DeVry University - Illinois. In 2020-2021 about 99% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
DeVry University - Illinois did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our Best Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools in Illinois list.
Southwestern Illinois College landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value undergraduate certificate trade school programs. SWIC is a medium-sized public school situated in Belleville, Illinois. It awarded 234 undergraduate certificates in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at SWIC are $6,210 a year. By the time they get their undergraduate certificate, students from this school have racked up an average of $5,236 in student loans.
One thing to take note of is that SWIC does offer online classes in some areas. During the 2020-2021 year, about 45% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
City Colleges of Chicago - Malcolm X College ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Undergraduate Certificate Schools in Illinois list. Malcolm X College is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 283 undergraduate certificates in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Malcolm X College are $14,430 a year. Undergraduate Certificate recipients from this school accumulate an average of $6,568 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Online courses are available at Malcolm X 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 77% took at least some of their classes online.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Malcolm X College also did well on our Best Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools in Illinois list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Read full report on City Colleges of Chicago - Malcolm X College
With a ranking of #15, Rasmussen University - Illinois did quite well on this year’s best value schools for trade school students working on their undergraduate certificate. Rockford, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out undergraduate certificates to 111 students in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Rasmussen University - Illinois are $14,294 a year. On average, undergraduate certificate students take out $12,099 in loans while pursuing their degree.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at Rasmussen University - Illinois. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 65% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
Rasmussen University - Illinois also made our Best Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools in Illinois list, coming in at #4.
With a ranking of #16, Moraine Valley Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for trade school students working on their undergraduate certificate. Moraine Valley Community College is a fairly large public school located in Palos Hills, Illinois that handed out 358 undergraduate certificates in 2021-2022.
MVCC undergraduate students pay an average of $9,630 in tuition and fees each year.
MVCC 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.
Highland Community College landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value undergraduate certificate trade school programs. Freeport, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out undergraduate certificates to 123 students in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Highland Community College are $7,048 per year.
One thing to take note of is that Highland Community College does offer online classes in some areas. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 49% took at least some of their classes online.
Waubonsee Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for trade school students to get an undergraduate certificate. It came in at #18 on the list. Waubonsee is located in Sugar Grove, Illinois and has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 85 undergraduate certificates to qualified students.
Waubonsee undergraduate students pay an average of $11,496 in tuition and fees each year.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Waubonsee does offer online classes for certain majors. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 62% took at least some of their classes online.
Carl Sandburg College came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Trade School Undergraduate Certificate Schools in Illinois ranking. Carl Sandburg College is a small public school located in Galesburg, Illinois that handed out 164 undergraduate certificates in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Carl Sandburg College are $8,760 per year.
Carl Sandburg College does offer online classes for certain degree levels. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 76% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #20, South Suburban College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for trade school students working on their undergraduate certificate. SSC is located in South Holland, Illinois and has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 242 undergraduate certificates to qualified students.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at SSC are $12,683 a year.
Some students may be able to take online classes at SSC. During the 2020-2021 year, about 46% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Joliet Junior College came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Trade School Undergraduate Certificate Schools in Illinois ranking. Joliet Junior College is located in Joliet, Illinois and has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 390 undergraduate certificates to qualified students.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Joliet Junior College are $13,800 a year. Undergraduate Certificate recipients from this school accumulate an average of $8,912 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Joliet Junior College does offer online classes for certain degree levels. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 64% took at least some of their classes online.
With a ranking of #22, Illinois Central College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for trade school students working on their undergraduate certificate. Illinois Central College is a medium-sized public school located in East Peoria, Illinois that handed out 62 undergraduate certificates in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at ICC are $11,336 a year. Undergraduate Certificate recipients from this school accumulate an average of $8,317 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
ICC does offer online classes for certain degree levels. During the 2020-2021 year, about 62% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Olney Central College came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Trade School Undergraduate Certificate Schools in Illinois ranking. Olney Central College is a very small public school located in Olney, Illinois that handed out 87 undergraduate certificates in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Olney Central College are $12,082 per year. By the time they get their undergraduate certificate, students from this school have racked up an average of $6,931 in student loans.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Olney Central College. During the 2020-2021 year, about 28% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Richland Community College ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Undergraduate Certificate Schools in Illinois list. This small public school is located in Decatur, Illinois, and it awarded 188 undergraduate certificates in 2021-2022.
Richland Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $17,070 in tuition and fees each year.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Richland Community College does offer online classes for certain majors. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 47% took at least some of their classes online.
With a ranking of #25, Lewis and Clark Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for trade school students working on their undergraduate certificate. Located in Godfrey, Illinois, the small public school handed out 383 undergraduate certificate awards in 2021-2022.
Lewis and Clark Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $12,552 in tuition and fees each year. On average, undergraduate certificate students take out $7,313 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Online courses are available at Lewis and Clark 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 33% took at least some of their classes online.
Best Value Trade Undergraduate Certificate Schools in the Great Lakes Region
View Best Value Trade Undergraduate Certificate Schools Nationwide >
More Illinois Rankings
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.
TradeCollege.org provides higher-education, college and university, degree, program, career, salary, and other helpful information to students, faculty, institutions, and other internet audiences. Presented information and data are subject to change. Inclusion on this website does not imply or represent a direct relationship with the company, school, or brand. Information, though believed correct at time of publication, may not be correct, and no warranty is provided. Contact the schools to verify any information before relying on it. Financial aid may be available for those who qualify. TradeCollege.org is a for-profit site, and the displayed options may include sponsored or recommended results, not necessarily based on your preferences.
© TradeCollege.org – All Rights Reserved.