Best Trade Schools in Edison, New Jersey (2026 Guide)

Updated June 20, 2026 | TradeCareerPath Editorial Team

Here are the best schools in Edison and Middlesex County. This guide lists accredited programs, apprenticeships, and New Jersey licensing steps1.

Compare Trade Schools Near Edison, New Jersey

Verify current offerings, accreditation, and schedules23.

We could not confirm enough colleges teaching this subject within range of this location, so the list below shows nearby institutions instead. Confirm with each school that it offers the program before you apply.

How we rank schools – graduation rate, graduate earnings, cost and retention. Advertising plays no part.

This page lists 1 school, closest group first, then ordered by BOC Score with the highest at the top. 1 of them carries a score.

Location / proximity to this page
Defines the local group
Graduation rate how often students finish
30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry whether it paid off
25%
Average net price what students actually pay after aid; lower ranks higher
20%
Retention rate how many come back for year two
15%
Fully online availability whether you can study while working
10%

Scores come from IPEDS (2024) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Earnings are for all graduates of a school, not one program, so treat them as a signal about the institution rather than about this subject. Sponsored listings are paid placements and are labelled as such; they are separate from this ranking and never change it. Read the full methodology.

#1

Middlesex College

Edison, NJ In-state option BOC Score 60.9
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 34.0% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 35
  • Annual completions: 297
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $55,906 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

BOC Score, tuition, graduation rate, and median graduate earnings from federal IPEDS and U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard data. Earnings are reported across all programs at the school (all majors), not a single trade. Distance is measured from the main population center in New Jersey.
#SchoolBOC Score (0–100)TuitionMedian grad earnings (all majors)Graduation rateOnlineDistance
160.9Contact school for pricing$55,90634%—In-state

Schools closest to the main population center in New Jersey are gathered first, then ranked by BOC Score; distance from the main population center in New Jersey is shown for reference. The BOC Score is an independent measure of school outcomes (graduation, earnings, net price, retention) expressed as a 0–100 percentile within each school's peer group; higher is better and advertising never affects it. *Online availability refers to coursework; hands-on trade training is completed in person. Read the full methodology.

Median Annual Wage by Trade - New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ's most-employed trades
Median annual wage by trade in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ, BLS OEWS May 2025Radiologic technologists $102730; Phlebotomy technicians $49980; Nursing assistants $49270; Patient care technicians $49270; Medical assistants $48370.Radiologic technologists$102,730Phlebotomy technicians$49,980Nursing assistants$49,270Patient care technicians$49,270Medical assistants$48,370
Trades ranked by local employment (BLS QCEW); wages are median annual pay (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; metro area where reported, otherwise statewide).
Median annual wage by trade in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
TradeMedian annual wage
Radiologic technologists$102,730
Phlebotomy technicians$49,980
Nursing assistants$49,270
Patient care technicians$49,270
Medical assistants$48,370

Cost, Earnings, and Program Length in Edison

Among the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ area’s most-employed trades (BLS QCEW 2024), median annual pay ranges from $48,370 to $102,730 per year (BLS OEWS, May 2025); the chart above compares the five with the largest local workforces. Typical medical assistant training runs 9-12 months (certificate or diploma) (TradeCareerPath program data).

Trade Schools in Nearby Cities

Licensing Requirements in New Jersey

  • Electrical: Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors. apprenticeship/experience + exam + business permit to contract4.
  • HVACR: Board of Examiners of HVACR Contractors. apprenticeship/education + exam; EPA 608 required for refrigerants56.
  • Plumbing: State Board of Examiners of Master Plumbers. apprenticeship → journeyperson master exam + business permit7.
  • Welding: No state license; employers require performance certifications; NCCER is common8.

Next Steps

  • Compare NJ programs: /trade-school/new-jersey/
  • Explore trades and credentials: /trades/
  • National guides: /trade-school/

Ask how programs map to New Jersey licensing and business permit requirements.

About this guide: Researched and written by the TradeCareerPath Editorial Team. Our editorial team researches and sources every trade school and career guide using federal labor and education data, including BLS OEWS and Employment Projections, DOL apprenticeship records, IPEDS, College Scorecard, and state licensing boards. We follow the editorial standards documented at /editorial-policy/.

References

  1. BLS, NY-Newark-Jersey City and Central NJ metros. bls.gov/oes ↩︎

  2. U.S. Department of Education, College Navigator. nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/ ↩︎

  3. ACCSC Directory. accsc.org/schools/directory/ ↩︎

  4. NJ Electrical Contractors Board. njconsumeraffairs.gov/elec ↩︎

  5. NJ HVACR Contractors Board. njconsumeraffairs.gov/hvacr ↩︎

  6. U.S. EPA, Section 608. epa.gov/section608 ↩︎

  7. NJ Board of Examiners of Master Plumbers. njconsumeraffairs.gov/plu ↩︎

  8. NCCER Credentials. nccer.org/credentialing/ ↩︎

Data sources

Figures on this page are sourced from the federal and state datasets below. Methodology: how we rank and source data.

DataProviderVintage
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsMay 2025
Employment ProjectionsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics2024-2034
Integrated Postsecondary Education Data SystemNational Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)2024
College Scorecard (school-level outcomes)U.S. Department of Educationlatest release
College Scorecard (field-of-study earnings)U.S. Department of Educationlatest release (updated 2026-06-12)
Occupational licensing requirementsCareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor)latest release (updated 2026-02-22)
Registered apprenticeship programsCareerOneStop / Apprenticeship.gov (U.S. Department of Labor)latest release (updated 2025-10-25)