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2023 Most Popular Basic Certificate 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. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country.
The Most Popular Basic Certificate Trade Schools in California ranking is one of many tools that Trade College Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 303 schools in California to see which ones were the most popular basic certificate programs for trade school students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from each school on the list.
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Most Popular Trade Basic Certificate Schools in California
Learn more about these popular schools below:
Our 2023 rankings named Advanced Career Institute the most popular school in California for trade school students working on their basic certificate. Advanced Career Institute is a private for-profit institution located in Visalia, California. The school has a very small population, and it awarded 1,671 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
Around 11% of those degree recipients were women.
You’ll be in good company if you attend Contra Costa Medical Career College. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Most Popular Basic Certificate Trade Schools in California list. Located in Antioch, California, the very small private for-profit school awarded 889 diplomas to qualifed basic certificate students in 2021-2022.
Of those students who received their degree, 83% were women.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend National Holistic Institute. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Popular Basic Certificate Trade Schools in California list. National Holistic Institute is a private for-profit institution located in Emeryville, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 664 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
Around 76% of those degree recipients were women.
Some students may be able to take online classes at National Holistic Institute. In fact, around 16% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Victor Valley College is a great place for trade school students working on their basic certificate. Victorville, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out basic certificates to 1,648 students in 2021-2022.
In-state students pay an average of $1,425 in tuition and fees if they attend Victor Valley College full time. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $10,125. Of those students who received their degree, 29% were women.
Victor 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 fact, around 49% 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 Summit College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Popular Basic Certificate Trade Schools in California list. San Bernardino, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out basic certificates to 701 students in 2021-2022.
Around 14% of those degree recipients were women.
Unitek College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular basic certificate trade school programs. Unitek College is located in Fremont, California and has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 661 basic certificates to qualified students.
Of those students who received their degree, 92% were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Unitek College. During the 2020-2021 year, about 45% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Santiago Canyon College ranked #7 on this year’s Most Popular Basic Certificate Trade Schools in California list. SCC is a public institution located in Orange, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 307 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at SCC is $1,156. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $8,764. Around 38% of those degree recipients were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at SCC. In 2020-2021 about 44% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
National University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for trade school students to get a basic certificate. It came in at #8 on the list.
One thing to take note of is that National University does offer online classes in some areas. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 70% took at least some of their classes online.
With a ranking of #9, Institute for Business and Technology did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for trade school students working on their basic certificate. Institute for Business and Technology is a private for-profit institution located in Santa Clara, California. The school has a very small population, and it awarded 555 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
Around 28% of those degree recipients were women.
Online courses are available at Institute for Business and Technology, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. During the 2020-2021 year, about 2% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Santa Rosa Junior College landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular basic certificate trade school programs. Santa Rosa, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out basic certificates to 2,534 students in 2021-2022.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at SRJC is $1,318. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $9,310. Of those students who received their degree, 49% were women.
One thing to take note of is that SRJC does offer online classes in some areas. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 85% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
Sierra College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for trade school students to get a basic certificate. It came in at #11 on the list. Sierra College is located in Rocklin, California and has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 641 basic certificates to qualified students.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at Sierra College is $1,156. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $8,548. Of those students who received their degree, 69% were women.
One thing to take note of is that Sierra College does offer online classes in some areas. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 86% took at least some of their classes online.
College of the Sequoias landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular basic certificate trade school programs. College of the Sequoias is a fairly large public school located in Visalia, California that handed out 773 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
Full-time students from California pay an average of $1,394 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend College of the Sequoias. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $8,338. Of those students who received their degree, 56% were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at College of the Sequoias. In 2020-2021 about 75% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Advance Beauty College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for trade school students to get a basic certificate. It came in at #13 on the list. Advance Beauty College is a very small private for-profit school situated in Garden Grove, California. It awarded 472 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
Of those students who received their degree, 92% were women.
Butte College came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Basic Certificate Trade Schools in California ranking. Butte College is a medium-sized public school situated in Oroville, California. It awarded 777 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
Students from California who attend Butte College full time pay an average of $1,336 in tuition and fees. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $7,816. Around 47% of those degree recipients were women.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Butte College does offer online classes for certain majors. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 81% took at least some of their classes online.
With a ranking of #15, Cuesta College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for trade school students working on their basic certificate. Cuesta College is a medium-sized public school situated in San Luis Obispo, California. It awarded 805 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at Cuesta College is $1,340. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $9,348. Of those students who received their degree, 59% were women.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Cuesta College does offer online classes for certain majors. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 75% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #16, Los Angeles City College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for trade school students working on their basic certificate. Located in Los Angeles, California, the fairly large public school handed out 371 basic certificate awards in 2021-2022.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at Los Angeles City College is $1,238. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $9,870. Around 68% of those degree recipients were women.
Los Angeles City 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 95% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
With a ranking of #17, Santa Ana College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for trade school students working on their basic certificate. SAC is a large public school situated in Santa Ana, California. It awarded 1,790 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at SAC is $1,180. Out-of-state students pay an average of $8,788. Of those students who received their degree, 43% were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at SAC. In 2020-2021 about 41% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
With a ranking of #18, Downey Adult School did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for trade school students working on their basic certificate. Downey Adult School is a very small public school situated in Downey, California. It awarded 274 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
Of those students who received their degree, 87% were women.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Downey Adult School. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 16% took at least some of their classes online.
Antelope Valley College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for trade school students to get a basic certificate. It came in at #19 on the list. Antelope Valley College is a fairly large public school located in Lancaster, California that handed out 483 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
Students from California who attend Antelope Valley College full time pay an average of $1,124 in tuition and fees. Out-of-state students pay an average of $7,724. Around 31% of those degree recipients were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Antelope Valley College. During the 2020-2021 year, about 58% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
High Desert Medical College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for trade school students to get a basic certificate. It came in at #20 on the list. High Desert Medical College is a small private for-profit school located in Lancaster, California that handed out 584 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
Around 91% of those degree recipients were women.
High Desert Medical College does offer online classes for certain degree levels. In fact, around 36% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
Asian-American International Beauty College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for trade school students to get a basic certificate. It came in at #21 on the list. This very small private for-profit school is located in Westminster, California, and it awarded 387 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
Of those students who received their degree, 83% were women.
Read full report on Asian-American International Beauty College
National Career Education did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for trade school students to get a basic certificate. It came in at #22 on the list. National Career Education is a private for-profit institution located in Citrus Heights, California. The school has a very small population, and it awarded 485 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
Of those students who received their degree, 30% were women.
Concorde Career College - San Bernardino ranked #23 on this year’s Most Popular Basic Certificate Trade Schools in California list. Located in San Bernardino, California, the very small private for-profit school handed out 192 basic certificate awards in 2021-2022.
Of those students who received their degree, 86% were women.
Concorde Career College - San Bernardino is one of the schools on our list that is primarily online. Each undergraduate student at the school took at least one class online.
Palomar College landed the #24 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular basic certificate trade school programs. Palomar College is a public institution located in San Marcos, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 844 basic certificates in 2021-2022.
In-state students pay an average of $1,348 in tuition and fees if they attend Palomar College full time. Out-of-state students pay an average of $10,644. Of those students who received their degree, 40% were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Palomar College. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 88% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
Concorde Career College - San Diego came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Basic Certificate Trade Schools in California ranking. San Diego, California is the setting for this very small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out basic certificates to 195 students in 2021-2022.
Around 88% of those degree recipients were women.
Concorde Career College - San Diego is one of the schools on our list that is primarily online. Each undergraduate student at the school took at least one class online.
Rest of the Top 15% Most Popular Trade Basic Certificate Schools in California
Not only did these schools make the top 46 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
Most Popular Trade School Basic Certificate Schools in the Far Western US Region
View Most Popular Trade School Basic Certificate Schools Nationwide >
Honorable Mentions
These schools also performed well in our most popular trade school schools ranking:
| Rank | School | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 47 | Central Coast College | Salinas, CA |
| 48 | Coastline Beauty College | Fountain Valley, CA |
| 49 | Palo Verde College | Blythe, CA |
| 50 | Crafton Hills College | Yucaipa, CA |
| 51 | My Le’s Beauty College | Sacramento, CA |
| 52 | Cerritos College | Norwalk, CA |
| 53 | Citrus College | Glendora, CA |
| 54 | Merced College | Merced, CA |
| 55 | Bellus Academy - Poway | Poway, CA |
| 56 | Long Beach City College | Long Beach, CA |
| 57 | Milan Institute-Visalia | Visalia, CA |
| 58 | Federico Beauty Institute | Sacramento, CA |
| 58 | College of the Canyons | Santa Clarita, CA |
| 60 | San Jose City College | San Jose, CA |
| 61 | Milan Institute-Merced | Merced, CA |
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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