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Best Value Information Technology Basic Certificate Schools

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2023 Best Value Information Technology Basic Certificate Schools

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

131 Colleges
$6,478 Avg Tuition & Fees*

Finding the Best Information Technology Basic Certificate School for You

In 2020-2021, 40,555 information technology students received their degrees and certificates, making the major the #3 most popular in the country.

There are so many computer science programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Computer Science Degree Search has created the Best Value Information Technology Basic Certificate Schools to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 131 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best value basic certificate programs for IT students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

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.

2023 Best Value Information Technology Basic Certificate Schools in the United States

The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for IT majors pursuing a basic certificate.

Top 15% Best Information Technology Basic Certificate Schools

Our analysis found Chattahoochee Technical College to be the best value school for information technology students who want to pursue a basic certificate in the United States. Located in the suburb of Marietta, Chattahoochee Technical College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

Chattahoochee Technical College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,602 in tuition and fees each year.

Chattahoochee Technical College also claimed a spot on our Best Information Technology Basic Certificate Schools list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.

Full Information Technology at Chattahoochee Technical College Report

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Fox Valley Technical College is a great value for information technology students working on their basic certificate. FVTC is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Appleton.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at FVTC are $6,861 a year.

FVTC excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Information Technology Basic Certificate Schools list.

Full Information Technology at Fox Valley Technical College Report

#3

Gwinnett Technical College

Lawrenceville, GA

The excellent basic certificate programs at Gwinnett Technical College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best value information technology schools in the United States. Located in the suburb of Lawrenceville, GTC is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at GTC are $5,636 a year.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, GTC also did well on our Best Information Technology Basic Certificate Schools list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Bossier Parish Community College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Information Technology Basic Certificate Schools list. Located in the city of Bossier City, Bossier Parish Community College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Bossier Parish Community College are $4,284 per year.

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#5

North Seattle College

Seattle, WA

The excellent basic certificate programs at North Seattle College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best value information technology schools in the United States. North Seattle is a small public school located in the large city of Seattle.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at North Seattle are $4,799 a year.

Read full report on Information Technology at North Seattle College

With a ranking of #6, Madison Area Technical College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for information technology students working on their basic certificate. Located in the city of Madison, Madison College is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Madison College undergraduate students pay an average of $6,769 in tuition and fees each year.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, Madison College also did well on our Best Information Technology Basic Certificate Schools list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Read full report on Information Technology at Madison Area Technical College

Collin County Community College District landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value basic certificate information technology programs. Collin County Community College District is a very large public school located in the medium-sized suburb of McKinney.

Collin County Community College District undergraduate students pay an average of $5,104 in tuition and fees each year.

Full Information Technology at Collin County Community College District Report

Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value basic certificate information technology programs. WITC is a small public school located in the rural area of Shell Lake.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at WITC are $6,960 a year.

WITC excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Information Technology Basic Certificate Schools list.

Full Information Technology at Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College Report

Chippewa Valley Technical College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for information technology students to get a basic certificate. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the city of Eau Claire, CVTC is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CVTC are $6,683 per year.

CVTC excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Information Technology Basic Certificate Schools list.

Read full report on Information Technology at Chippewa Valley Technical College

Augusta Technical College landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value basic certificate information technology programs. Augusta Technical College is a small public school located in the medium-sized city of Augusta.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Augusta Technical College are $5,632 per year.

Read full report on Information Technology at Augusta Technical College

#11

Johnson County Community College

Overland Park, KS

Johnson County Community College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Information Technology Basic Certificate Schools list. Located in the city of Overland Park, JCCC is a public college with a large student population.

JCCC undergraduate students pay an average of $5,352 in tuition and fees each year.

Full Information Technology at Johnson County Community College Report

Clover Park Technical College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Information Technology Basic Certificate Schools ranking. Located in the city of Lakewood, CPTC is a public college with a small student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CPTC are $5,740 per year.

Full Information Technology at Clover Park Technical College Report

University of Phoenix - Arizona ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Information Technology Basic Certificate Schools list. Located in the large city of Tempe, UOPX - Arizona is a private for-profit college with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UOPX - Arizona are $9,552 a year.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UOPX - Arizona also is in the top 5% of our Best Information Technology Basic Certificate Schools ranking.

Full Information Technology at University of Phoenix - Arizona Report

With a ranking of #14, Northeast Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for information technology students working on their basic certificate. Northeast is a medium-sized public school located in the remote town of Norfolk.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Northeast are $5,010 a year.

Read full report on Information Technology at Northeast Community College

Middlesex Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for information technology students to get a basic certificate. It came in at #15 on the list. Located in the large suburb of Bedford, Middlesex Community College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Middlesex Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $12,120 in tuition and fees each year.

Middlesex Community College also made our Best Information Technology Basic Certificate Schools list, coming in at #2.

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With a ranking of #16, Sinclair Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for information technology students working on their basic certificate. Sinclair Community College is a large public school located in the city of Dayton.

Sinclair Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $8,076 in tuition and fees each year.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, Sinclair Community College also did well on our Best Information Technology Basic Certificate Schools list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Full Information Technology at Sinclair Community College Report

American Public University System landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value basic certificate information technology programs. Located in the town of Charles Town, American Military University is a private for-profit school with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at American Military University are $7,360 a year.

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Georgia Piedmont Technical College landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value basic certificate information technology programs. Georgia Piedmont Technical College is a small public school located in the suburb of Clarkston.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Georgia Piedmont Technical College are $5,578 per year.

Read More…

#19

Ivy Tech Community College

Indianapolis, IN

Ivy Tech Community College ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Information Technology Basic Certificate Schools list. Ivy Tech Community College is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Indianapolis.

Ivy Tech Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $8,927 in tuition and fees each year.

In addition to its great value ranking, Ivy Tech Community College is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Information Technology Basic Certificate Schools list.

Full Information Technology at Ivy Tech Community College Report

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great value schools for Information Technology students seeking value that almost earned our Best Value Information Technology Basic Certificate Schools award.

Rank College Location
20 Athens Technical College Athens, GA
21 Baltimore City Community College Baltimore, MD
22 Gateway Technical College Kenosha, WI
23 Western Technical College La Crosse, WI
24 Hennepin Technical College Brooklyn Park, MN
25 University of Arkansas - Pulaski Technical College North Little Rock, AR
26 Anne Arundel Community College Arnold, MD

Information Technology by Region

View the Best Value Information Technology Basic Certificate Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Great Lakes

Information Technology is one of 10 different types of computer science programs to choose from.

IT Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Computer & IS Security 22,829
Network & System Administration/Administrator 5,501
Information Technology Management 4,009
Computer Support Specialist 3,176
System, Networking, & LAN/WAN Management/Manager 2,077
Information Technology Project Management 2,076
Web/Multimedia Management & Webmaster 887

Related Major Annual Graduates
Computer Information Systems 88,434
Computer Science 59,565
Information Science 18,325
Computer Systems Networking 14,700
Computer Software & Applications 14,336

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • 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 the rest 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).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Craig Dennis.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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