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2023 Most Popular Online Associate Degree Trade Schools in California
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.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Trade College Search has created the Most Popular Online Associate Degree Trade Schools in California to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 21 schools in California to see which online associate degree programs were the most popular for trade school students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from schools with online programs.
Most Popular Online Trade School Associate Degree Schools in California
Learn more about these popular schools with online programs:
Our 2023 rankings named Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts the most popular school in California for trade school students working on their associate degree. Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts is located in San Mateo, California and has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 548 associate degrees to qualified students.
Associate Degree recipients from Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts accumulate an average of $17,818 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. Of those students who received their degree, 73% were women.
During the 2020-2021 year, about 31% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Unitek College is a great place for trade school students working on their associate degree. This small private for-profit school is located in Fremont, California, and it awarded 333 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $17,249 in student loans. Around 86% of those degree recipients were women.
Around 45% 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 Saddleback College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Popular Online Associate Degree Trade Schools in California list. Saddleback College is a fairly large public school situated in Mission Viejo, California. It awarded 3,760 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
In-state students pay an average of $1,334 in tuition and fees if they attend Saddleback College full time. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $9,814. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $8,010 in student loans. Around 58% of those degree recipients were women.
In 2020-2021 about 82% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Out of the 21 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Carrington College, Sacramento landed the # 4 spot on the list. Sacramento, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out associate degrees to 381 students in 2021-2022.
Associate Degree recipients from Carrington College, Sacramento accumulate an average of $22,853 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. Of those students who received their degree, 87% were women.
Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 71% took at least some of their classes online.
You’ll be in good company if you attend Santa Barbara City College. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Most Popular Online Associate Degree Trade Schools in California list. Santa Barbara City College is a fairly large public school located in Santa Barbara, California that handed out 2,590 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
In-state students pay an average of $1,234 in tuition and fees if they attend SBCC full time. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $9,322. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $17,141 in student loans. Of those students who received their degree, 63% were women.
In 2020-2021 about 80% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Azusa Pacific University College ranked #6 on this year’s Most Popular Online Associate Degree Trade Schools in California list. This small private not-for-profit school is located in San Dimas, California, and it awarded 83 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
Associate Degree recipients from Azusa Pacific’s University College accumulate an average of $11,128 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. Around 94% of those degree recipients were women.
Since Azusa Pacific’s University College is primarily an online school, it is an excellent choice for undergraduate students who need more flexibility than what is offered at some other schools.
Laurus College ranked #7 on this year’s Most Popular Online Associate Degree Trade Schools in California list. Located in San Luis Obispo, California, the very small private for-profit school handed out 129 associate degree awards in 2021-2022.
On average, associate degree students take out $32,053 in loans while pursuing their degree. Of those students who received their degree, 44% were women.
Laurus College is one of the schools on our list that is primarily online. Each undergraduate student at the school took at least one class online.
San Joaquin Valley College-Visalia did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for trade school students to get an associate degree. It came in at #8 on the list. San Joaquin Valley College-Visalia is a small private for-profit school situated in Visalia, California. It awarded 445 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
On average, associate degree students take out $18,031 in loans while pursuing their degree. Around 78% of those degree recipients were women.
During the 2020-2021 year, about 70% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Merced College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for trade school students to get an associate degree. It came in at #9 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 1,615 associate degrees to qualified students.
Full-time students from California pay an average of $1,194 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend Merced Community College District. Out-of-state students pay an average of $7,890. Of those students who received their degree, 69% were women.
To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 89% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #10, Stanbridge University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for trade school students working on their associate degree. Located in Irvine, California, the small private for-profit school handed out 277 associate degree awards in 2021-2022.
On average, associate degree students take out $28,875 in loans while pursuing their degree. Of those students who received their degree, 68% were women.
Stanbridge is primarily an online school, so it is a great choice for returning adults and students who work full time.
With a ranking of #10, California Institute of Arts & Technology did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for trade school students working on their associate degree. Located in San Diego, California, the very small private for-profit school handed out 68 associate degree awards in 2021-2022.
California Institute of Arts & Technology does not offer a discount to in-state students, so the average tuition and fees for all undergraduates is $15,390. This amount may be reduced if you receive financial aid. On average, associate degree students take out $18,852 in loans while pursuing their degree. Of those students who received their degree, 19% were women.
California Institute of Arts & Technology is primarily an online school, so it is a great choice for returning adults and students who work full time.
National Career College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Online Associate Degree Trade Schools in California ranking. Located in Panorama City, California, the very small private for-profit school awarded 27 diplomas to qualifed associate degree students in 2021-2022.
Of those students who received their degree, 74% were women.
Since National Career College is primarily an online school, it is an excellent choice for undergraduate students who need more flexibility than what is offered at some other schools.
With a ranking of #13, Academy of Art University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for trade school students working on their associate degree. This medium-sized private for-profit school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 81 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
Academy of Art University does not offer a discount to in-state students, so the average tuition and fees for all undergraduates is $26,728. This amount may be reduced if you receive financial aid. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $32,292 in student loans. Around 57% of those degree recipients were women.
Academy of Art University is one of the schools on our list that is primarily online. Each undergraduate student at the school took at least one class online.
College of San Mateo came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Online Associate Degree Trade Schools in California ranking. Located in San Mateo, California, the medium-sized public school handed out 872 associate degree awards in 2021-2022.
Full-time students from California pay an average of $1,376 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend CSM. Out-of-state students pay an average of $9,552. Associate Degree recipients from CSM accumulate an average of $14,914 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. Of those students who received their degree, 53% were women.
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.
Fremont College ranked #15 on this year’s Most Popular Online Associate Degree Trade Schools in California list. Located in Cerritos, California, the very small private for-profit school handed out 49 associate degree awards in 2021-2022.
Of those students who received their degree, 73% were women.
If you are interested in distance education, Fremont College is an excellent choice, since the school is online.
With a ranking of #16, University of Antelope Valley did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for trade school students working on their associate degree. Located in Lancaster, California, the very small private for-profit school handed out 9 associate degree awards in 2021-2022.
Of those students who received their degree, 22% were women.
Around 17% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #17, Compton College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for trade school students working on their associate degree. Compton College is located in Compton, California and has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 678 associate degrees to qualified students.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at Compton College is $1,142. Out-of-state students pay an average of $8,822. Of those students who received their degree, 73% were women.
Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 57% took at least some of their classes online.
Santa Barbara Business College - Bakersfield ranked #17 on this year’s Most Popular Online Associate Degree Trade Schools in California list.
On average, associate degree students take out $18,862 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Interested in an online degree? Then you definitely want to check out Santa Barbara Business College - Bakersfield. Every undergraduate student at the school took at least one class online.
Read full report on Santa Barbara Business College - Bakersfield
With a ranking of #19, Santa Monica College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for trade school students working on their associate degree. SMC is located in Santa Monica, California and has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 3,672 associate degrees to qualified students.
In-state students pay an average of $1,150 in tuition and fees if they attend SMC full time. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $9,094. Around 61% of those degree recipients were women.
Around 70% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
Advanced College came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Online Associate Degree Trade Schools in California ranking.
National University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Online Associate Degree Trade Schools in California ranking. This fairly large private not-for-profit school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 240 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
On average, associate degree students take out $13,447 in loans while pursuing their degree. Around 55% of those degree recipients were women.
Around 70% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
Most Popular Online Trade School Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 21 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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