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2023 Most Popular Undergraduate 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 Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools in California ranking is one of many tools that Trade College Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 363 schools in California to see which undergraduate certificate programs were the most popular for trade school students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from each school on the list.
Most Popular Trade Undergraduate Certificate Schools in California
Learn more about these popular schools below:
Our analysis found Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts to be the most popular school for trade school students who want to pursue a undergraduate certificate in California. Located in San Mateo, California, the small private for-profit school handed out 796 undergraduate certificate awards in 2021-2022.
By the time they get their undergraduate certificate, students from this school have racked up an average of $13,545 in student loans. Of those students who received their degree, 88% were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 31% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Unitek College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Popular Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools in California list. Located in Fremont, California, the small private for-profit school awarded 936 diplomas to qualifed undergraduate certificate students in 2021-2022.
By the time they get their undergraduate certificate, students from this school have racked up an average of $11,084 in student loans. Of those students who received their degree, 87% were women.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Unitek College does offer online classes for certain majors. In fact, around 45% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Institute of Technology is a great place for trade school students working on their undergraduate certificate. This small private for-profit school is located in Clovis, California, and it awarded 830 undergraduate certificates in 2021-2022.
By the time they get their undergraduate certificate, students from this school have racked up an average of $10,356 in student loans. Around 60% of those degree recipients were women.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend American Career College - Los Angeles. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Popular Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools in California list. This small private for-profit school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 763 undergraduate certificates in 2021-2022.
On average, undergraduate certificate students take out $9,701 in loans while pursuing their degree. Around 83% of those degree recipients were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at American Career College - Los Angeles. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 6% took at least some of their classes online.
Out of the 363 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, UEI College-Bakersfield landed the # 5 spot on the list. UEI College-Bakersfield is a small private for-profit school situated in Bakersfield, California. It awarded 819 undergraduate certificates in 2021-2022.
Undergraduate Certificate recipients from UEI College-Bakersfield accumulate an average of $8,988 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. Of those students who received their degree, 58% were women.
United Education Institute-Huntington Park Campus landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular undergraduate certificate trade school programs. Huntington Park, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out undergraduate certificates to 768 students in 2021-2022.
By the time they get their undergraduate certificate, students from this school have racked up an average of $8,819 in student loans. Of those students who received their degree, 65% were women.
Read full report on United Education Institute-Huntington Park Campus
With a ranking of #7, United Education Institute-Chula Vista did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for trade school students working on their undergraduate certificate. United Education Institute-Chula Vista is located in Chula Vista, California and has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 1,013 undergraduate certificates to qualified students.
By the time they get their undergraduate certificate, students from this school have racked up an average of $8,819 in student loans. Around 47% of those degree recipients were women.
UEI College-Gardena came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools in California ranking. Gardena, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out undergraduate certificates to 743 students in 2021-2022.
On average, undergraduate certificate students take out $8,743 in loans while pursuing their degree. Around 62% of those degree recipients were women.
UEI College-Gardena does offer online classes for certain degree levels. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 1% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #9, American Career College - Ontario did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for trade school students working on their undergraduate certificate. American Career College - Ontario is a small private for-profit school located in Ontario, California that handed out 544 undergraduate certificates in 2021-2022.
Undergraduate Certificate recipients from American Career College - Ontario accumulate an average of $9,662 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. Around 87% of those degree recipients were women.
American Career College - Ontario does offer online classes for certain degree levels. During the 2020-2021 year, about 3% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
With a ranking of #10, Carrington College, Sacramento did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for trade school students working on their undergraduate certificate. Carrington College, Sacramento is a private for-profit institution located in Sacramento, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 769 undergraduate certificates in 2021-2022.
By the time they get their undergraduate certificate, students from this school have racked up an average of $11,445 in student loans. Around 93% of those degree recipients were women.
One thing to take note of is that Carrington College, Sacramento does offer online classes in some areas. During the 2020-2021 year, about 71% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
With a ranking of #11, UEI College-Riverside did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for trade school students working on their undergraduate certificate. UEI College-Riverside is a private for-profit institution located in Riverside, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 765 undergraduate certificates in 2021-2022.
On average, undergraduate certificate students take out $8,787 in loans while pursuing their degree. Around 62% of those degree recipients were women.
With a ranking of #12, United Education Institute-West Covina did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for trade school students working on their undergraduate certificate. This small private for-profit school is located in West Covina, California, and it awarded 804 undergraduate certificates in 2021-2022.
Undergraduate Certificate recipients from United Education Institute-West Covina accumulate an average of $8,819 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. Of those students who received their degree, 35% were women.
American Career College - Anaheim ranked #13 on this year’s Most Popular Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools in California list. American Career College - Anaheim is a small private for-profit school located in Anaheim, California that handed out 504 undergraduate certificates in 2021-2022.
On average, undergraduate certificate students take out $10,004 in loans while pursuing their degree. Around 87% of those degree recipients were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at American Career College - Anaheim. In 2020-2021 about 8% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
UEI College-Fresno did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for trade school students to get an undergraduate certificate. It came in at #14 on the list. Fresno, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out undergraduate certificates to 648 students in 2021-2022.
On average, undergraduate certificate students take out $8,988 in loans while pursuing their degree. Around 67% of those degree recipients were women.
With a ranking of #15, United Education Institute-Encino did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for trade school students working on their undergraduate certificate. This very small private for-profit school is located in Reseda, California, and it awarded 548 undergraduate certificates in 2021-2022.
By the time they get their undergraduate certificate, students from this school have racked up an average of $8,862 in student loans. Of those students who received their degree, 58% were women.
UEI College-Sacramento came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools in California ranking. Sacramento, California is the setting for this very small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out undergraduate certificates to 604 students in 2021-2022.
Undergraduate Certificate recipients from UEI College-Sacramento accumulate an average of $8,730 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. Around 63% of those degree recipients were women.
San Joaquin Valley College-Visalia landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular undergraduate certificate trade school programs. San Joaquin Valley College-Visalia is a private for-profit institution located in Visalia, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 605 undergraduate certificates in 2021-2022.
Undergraduate Certificate recipients from San Joaquin Valley College-Visalia accumulate an average of $10,498 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. Around 74% of those degree recipients were women.
Online courses are available at San Joaquin Valley College-Visalia, 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 70% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
United Education Institute-Anaheim came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools in California ranking. United Education Institute-Anaheim is a very small private for-profit school situated in Garden Grove, California. It awarded 706 undergraduate certificates in 2021-2022.
By the time they get their undergraduate certificate, students from this school have racked up an average of $8,862 in student loans. Around 60% of those degree recipients were women.
United Education Institute-UEI College Stockton did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for trade school students to get an undergraduate certificate. It came in at #19 on the list. United Education Institute-UEI College Stockton is located in Stockton, California and has a very small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 440 undergraduate certificates to qualified students.
Undergraduate Certificate recipients from United Education Institute-UEI College Stockton accumulate an average of $8,913 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. Of those students who received their degree, 38% were women.
United Education Institute-UEI College San Marcos landed the #20 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular undergraduate certificate trade school programs. United Education Institute-UEI College San Marcos is located in Oceanside, California and has a very small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 593 undergraduate certificates to qualified students.
By the time they get their undergraduate certificate, students from this school have racked up an average of $8,862 in student loans. Of those students who received their degree, 52% were women.
United Education Institute-Ontario did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for trade school students to get an undergraduate certificate. It came in at #21 on the list. Located in Ontario, California, the very small private for-profit school handed out 570 undergraduate certificate awards in 2021-2022.
By the time they get their undergraduate certificate, students from this school have racked up an average of $8,862 in student loans. Around 61% of those degree recipients were women.
Southern California Institute of Technology came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools in California ranking. Southern California Institute of Technology is a very small private for-profit school located in Anaheim, California that handed out 331 undergraduate certificates in 2021-2022.
Southern California Institute of Technology does not offer a discount to in-state students, so the average tuition and fees for all undergraduates is $19,190. This amount may be reduced if you receive financial aid. By the time they get their undergraduate certificate, students from this school have racked up an average of $9,635 in student loans. Of those students who received their degree, 4% were women.
North-West College - West Covina ranked #23 on this year’s Most Popular Undergraduate Certificate Trade Schools in California list. Located in West Covina, California, the very small private for-profit school handed out 374 undergraduate certificate awards in 2021-2022.
On average, undergraduate certificate students take out $10,695 in loans while pursuing their degree. Of those students who received their degree, 85% were women.
NWC West Covina is primarily an online school, so it is a great choice for returning adults and students who work full time.
With a ranking of #24, North-West College - Riverside did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for trade school students working on their undergraduate certificate. Located in Riverside, California, the very small private for-profit school awarded 284 diplomas to qualifed undergraduate certificate students in 2021-2022.
By the time they get their undergraduate certificate, students from this school have racked up an average of $11,963 in student loans. Of those students who received their degree, 93% were women.
NWC Riverside is primarily an online school, so it is a great choice for returning adults and students who work full time.
With a ranking of #25, North-West College-Long Beach did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for trade school students working on their undergraduate certificate. This very small private for-profit school is located in Long Beach, California, and it awarded 215 undergraduate certificates in 2021-2022.
By the time they get their undergraduate certificate, students from this school have racked up an average of $12,862 in student loans. Around 92% of those degree recipients were women.
NWC Long Beach 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 50 Most Popular Trade Undergraduate Certificate Schools in California
Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
Most Popular Trade School Undergraduate Certificate Schools in the Far Western US Region
View Most Popular Trade School Undergraduate Certificate Schools Nationwide >
Rest of the Top 15% Most Popular Trade Undergraduate Certificate Schools in California
To learn more about the schools below, just click on their names:
| Rank | School | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Palomar College | San Marcos, CA |
| 52 | Blake Austin College | Vacaville, CA |
| 53 | Sacramento City College | Sacramento, CA |
| 54 | City College of San Francisco | San Francisco, CA |
| 55 | School Removed |
Honorable Mentions
These schools also performed well in our most popular trade school schools ranking:
| Rank | School | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 56 | Brownson Technical School | Anaheim, CA |
| 57 | Mt. San Antonio College | Walnut, CA |
| 58 | North-West College - Van Nuys | Van Nuys, CA |
| 59 | Universal Technical Institute - Long Beach | Long Beach, CA |
| 60 | National Career College | Panorama City, CA |
| 61 | Associated Technical College-Los Angeles | Los Angeles, CA |
| 62 | Carrington College-San Leandro | San Leandro, CA |
| 63 | Homestead Schools | Torrance, CA |
| 63 | Long Beach City College | Long Beach, CA |
| 65 | Healthcare Career College | Paramount, CA |
| 65 | Paul Mitchell the School Costa Mesa | Costa Mesa, CA |
| 67 | American College of Healthcare and Technology | Riverside, CA |
| 67 | Victor Valley College | Victorville, CA |
| 67 | Career Care Institute | Lancaster, CA |
| 70 | Angeles College | Los Angeles, CA |
| 70 | Unitek College | South San Francisco, CA |
| 72 | Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology | Riverside, CA |
| 73 | Tri-Community Adult Education | Covina, 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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