2023 Best Value Trade School Undergraduate Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Prices
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. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience.
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 Undergraduate Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Our analysis looked at 26 schools in Pennsylvania to see which undergraduate 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.
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Top Value Trade Undergraduate Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our analysis found Butler County Community College to be the best value school for trade school students who want to pursue a undergraduate certificate in Pennsylvania. This small public school is located in Butler, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 26 undergraduate certificates in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at BC3 are $11,550 per year. Undergraduate Certificate recipients from this school accumulate an average of $7,957 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Online courses are available at BC3, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In 2020-2021 about 33% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, BC3 also is in the top 20% of our Best Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools in Pennsylvania ranking.
A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Community College of Allegheny County is a great place for trade school students working on their undergraduate certificate who want the most bang for their educational buck. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out undergraduate certificates to 539 students in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at CCAC are $12,223 a year. On average, undergraduate certificate students take out $12,361 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at CCAC. In fact, around 44% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Harrisburg Area Community College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Trade School Undergraduate Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania list. Located in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the fairly large public school awarded 258 diplomas to qualifed undergraduate certificate students in 2021-2022.
HACC undergraduate students pay an average of $10,148 in tuition and fees each year. By the time they get their undergraduate certificate, students from this school have racked up an average of $13,497 in student loans.
Some students may be able to take online classes at HACC. In fact, around 52% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Lehigh Carbon Community College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Trade School Undergraduate Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania list. LCCC is a medium-sized public school situated in Schnecksville, Pennsylvania. It awarded 83 undergraduate certificates in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at LCCC are $12,960 per year. On average, undergraduate certificate students take out $12,744 in loans while pursuing their degree.
LCCC 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 73% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Out of the 26 schools in Pennsylvania that were part of this year’s value ranking, Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, the small public school awarded 22 diplomas to qualifed undergraduate certificate students in 2021-2022.
Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology undergraduate students pay an average of $8,450 in tuition and fees each year.
One thing to take note of is that Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology does offer online classes in some areas. In 2020-2021 about 94% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Laurel Business Institute landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value undergraduate certificate trade school programs. LBI is located in Uniontown, Pennsylvania and has a very small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 64 undergraduate certificates to qualified students.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at LBI are $11,470 a year. Undergraduate Certificate recipients from this school accumulate an average of $10,973 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
LBI does offer online classes for certain degree levels. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 47% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
Montgomery County 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 #7 on the list. Montgomery County Community College is a medium-sized public school located in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania that handed out 159 undergraduate certificates in 2021-2022.
Montco undergraduate students pay an average of $15,390 in tuition and fees each year. By the time they get their undergraduate certificate, students from this school have racked up an average of $9,252 in student loans.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Montco does offer online classes for certain majors. During the 2020-2021 year, about 75% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
With a ranking of #8, Luzerne County Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for trade school students working on their undergraduate certificate. Nanticoke, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out undergraduate certificates to 45 students in 2021-2022.
Luzerne County Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $15,060 in tuition and fees each year.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at Luzerne County Community College. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 48% took at least some of their classes online.
Northampton County Area Community College landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value undergraduate certificate trade school programs. Northampton County Area Community College is a medium-sized public school located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania that handed out 90 undergraduate certificates in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Northampton Community College are $14,820 a year. Undergraduate Certificate recipients from this school accumulate an average of $19,808 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 Northampton Community College 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.
Read full report on Northampton County Area Community College
Penn Commercial Business/Technical School came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Trade School Undergraduate Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Washington, Pennsylvania is the setting for this very small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out undergraduate certificates to 112 students in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Penn Commercial are $12,116 a year. Undergraduate Certificate recipients from this school accumulate an average of $7,751 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Bucks County Community College landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value undergraduate certificate trade school programs. Bucks County Community College is located in Newtown, Pennsylvania and has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 66 undergraduate certificates to qualified students.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Bucks County Community College are $13,384 a year. On average, undergraduate certificate students take out $11,499 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Bucks County Community College. In fact, around 81% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
Laurel Technical Institute came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Trade School Undergraduate Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Laurel Technical Institute is a very small private for-profit school located in Hermitage, Pennsylvania that handed out 27 undergraduate certificates in 2021-2022.
LTI Sharon undergraduate students pay an average of $11,470 in tuition and fees each year. By the time they get their undergraduate certificate, students from this school have racked up an average of $9,320 in student loans.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since LTI Sharon does offer online classes for certain majors. During the 2020-2021 year, about 77% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Laurel Technical Institute ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Undergraduate Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania list. LTI - Meadville is a very small private for-profit school situated in MEADVILLE, Pennsylvania. It awarded 28 undergraduate certificates in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at LTI - Meadville are $11,470 a year. By the time they get their undergraduate certificate, students from this school have racked up an average of $9,320 in student loans.
LTI - Meadville does offer online classes for certain degree levels. During the 2020-2021 year, about 45% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Delaware County 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 #14 on the list. This medium-sized public school is located in Media, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 237 undergraduate certificates in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Delaware County Community College are $14,400 a year. On average, undergraduate certificate students take out $6,621 in loans while pursuing their degree.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at Delaware County Community College. In 2020-2021 about 82% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Pittsburgh Technical 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 #15 on the list. Oakdale, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out undergraduate certificates to 138 students in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Pittsburgh Technical College are $16,974 per year. On average, undergraduate certificate students take out $11,752 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Pittsburgh Technical College. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 32% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #16, Reading Area Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for trade school students working on their undergraduate certificate. Reading Area Community College is a small public school located in Reading, Pennsylvania that handed out 14 undergraduate certificates in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at RACC are $11,580 per year. Undergraduate Certificate recipients from this school accumulate an average of $18,720 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Some students may be able to take online classes at RACC. In 2020-2021 about 51% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
With a ranking of #17, Johnson College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for trade school students working on their undergraduate certificate. Scranton, Pennsylvania is the setting for this very small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out undergraduate certificates to 14 students in 2021-2022.
Johnson College undergraduate students pay an average of $20,025 in tuition and fees each year. By the time they get their undergraduate certificate, students from this school have racked up an average of $7,159 in student loans.
One thing to take note of is that Johnson College does offer online classes in some areas. In fact, around 84% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
Johnson College did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our Best Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools in Pennsylvania list.
Pennsylvania College of Technology ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Undergraduate Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania list. Penn College is located in Williamsport, Pennsylvania and has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 32 undergraduate certificates to qualified students.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Penn College are $25,680 a year.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at Penn College. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 47% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
Community College of Beaver County 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 #19 on the list. Located in Monaca, Pennsylvania, the small public school awarded 17 diplomas to qualifed undergraduate certificate students in 2021-2022.
CCBC undergraduate students pay an average of $19,350 in tuition and fees each year. On average, undergraduate certificate students take out $25,683 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Some students may be able to take online classes at CCBC. In 2020-2021 about 60% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Thomas Jefferson University ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Undergraduate Certificate Schools in Pennsylvania list. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out undergraduate certificates to 12 students in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Thomas Jefferson University are $44,200 a year.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Thomas Jefferson University. In 2020-2021 about 68% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Thomas Jefferson University also took the #2 spot in our Best Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools in Pennsylvania rankings.
With a ranking of #21, Drexel University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for trade school students working on their undergraduate certificate. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out undergraduate certificates to 181 students in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Drexel are $58,965 a year.
Drexel does offer online classes for certain degree levels. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 41% took at least some of their classes online.
In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Drexel is ranked #4 for overall quality in Pennsylvania.
McCann School of Business & Technology 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 #22 on the list. McCann School of Business & Technology is located in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania and has a very small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 59 undergraduate certificates to qualified students.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at McCann School of Business & Technology are $0 per year. Undergraduate Certificate recipients from this school accumulate an average of $14,816 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Some students may be able to take online classes at McCann School of Business & Technology. During the 2020-2021 year, about 32% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Lincoln Technical Institute - Allentown 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 #22 on the list. Lincoln Tech - Allentown is a very small private for-profit school situated in Allentown, Pennsylvania. It awarded 228 undergraduate certificates in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Lincoln Tech - Allentown are $0 a year. On average, undergraduate certificate students take out $12,737 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Lincoln Tech - Allentown also made our Best Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools in Pennsylvania list, coming in at #1.
YTI Career Institute-York landed the #22 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value undergraduate certificate trade school programs. YTI Career Institute-York is a very small private for-profit school located in York, Pennsylvania that handed out 147 undergraduate certificates in 2021-2022.
YTI undergraduate students pay an average of $0 in tuition and fees each year. By the time they get their undergraduate certificate, students from this school have racked up an average of $9,926 in student loans.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at YTI. In 2020-2021 about 89% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
YTI not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #3 on our Best Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools in Pennsylvania list.
Berks Technical Institute landed the #22 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value undergraduate certificate trade school programs. Berks Technical Institute is a very small private for-profit school located in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania that handed out 77 undergraduate certificates in 2021-2022.
Berks Technical Institute undergraduate students pay an average of $0 in tuition and fees each year. Undergraduate Certificate recipients from this school accumulate an average of $13,194 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
One thing to take note of is that Berks Technical Institute does offer online classes in some areas. In 2020-2021 about 3% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Best Value Trade Undergraduate Certificate Schools in the Middle Atlantic 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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