Best Trade Schools in Princeton, New Jersey

Start here to compare accredited trade schools near Princeton. This guide links to programs, state licensing steps, and related career paths so you can get job-ready quickly in New Jersey.


How to Get Started in Princeton

  • Compare schools and program lengths above
  • Check your state licensing steps: New Jersey
  • Explore careers: Skilled trades hub
  • Ask each school about tuition, schedules, and embedded certifications (EPA 608, NCCER, ASE)

Compare Trade Schools Near Princeton, New Jersey

How We Rank Schools

We first gather the schools closest to the city or state page you are viewing, then rank that local group by BOC Score, with the highest at the top. The BOC Score is computed from federal IPEDS and College Scorecard data; schools without enough data to score appear last.

Location / proximity to this page
Defines the local group
Graduation rate
30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
25%
Average net price (lower is better)
20%
Retention rate
15%
Fully online availability
10%

Schools without enough federal outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

Rutgers University-New Brunswick

New Brunswick, NJ 15.3 miles away BOC Score 79.1
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Completion rate: 84.3% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 23
  • Annual completions: 987
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $77,933 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#2

The College of New Jersey

Ewing, NJ 8.2 miles away BOC Score 77.3
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Completion rate: 85.5% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 5
  • Annual completions: 125
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $72,068 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#3

Rider University

Lawrenceville, NJ 4.6 miles away BOC Score 64.7
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Completion rate: 62.4% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 19
  • Annual completions: 193
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $63,250 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#4

Thomas Edison State University

Trenton, NJ 10.7 miles away BOC Score 56.8
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Programs offered: 19
  • Annual completions: 179
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $85,816 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#7

Fortis Institute-Lawrenceville

Lawrenceville, NJ 5.2 miles away BOC Score 32.4
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Completion rate: 49.0% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 9
  • Annual completions: 362
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $39,605 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#8

American Institute-Somerset

Somerset, NJ 14.1 miles away BOC Score 28.7
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Graduation rate: 50.9%
  • Programs offered: 8
  • Annual completions: 174
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $36,918 (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
155.2Contact school for pricingNot reported23%Yes*7 mi
254.0Contact school for pricingNot reportedNot reported9 mi
332.4Contact school for pricing$39,60549%5 mi
428.7Contact school for pricing$36,91851%14 mi

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 - Trenton-Princeton, NJ's most-employed trades
Median annual wage by trade in Trenton-Princeton, NJ, BLS OEWS May 2025Electricians $98210; Paralegals $73250; Culinary workers $70210; Dental assistants $57400; Medical assistants $45950.Electricians$98,210Paralegals$73,250Culinary workers$70,210Dental assistants$57,400Medical assistants$45,950
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 Trenton-Princeton, NJ
TradeMedian annual wage
Electricians$98,210
Paralegals$73,250
Culinary workers$70,210
Dental assistants$57,400
Medical assistants$45,950
Median Graduate Earnings by School - Best Trade Schools in Princeton, New Jersey
Median graduate earnings by school, Best Trade Schools in Princeton, New Jersey (College Scorecard)Fortis Institute-Lawrenceville $39605; American Institute-Somerset $36918.Fortis Institute-Lawrenceville$39,605American Institute-Somerset$36,918
Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard - median earnings of all graduates at each school (not a single program).
Median graduate earnings by school for schools serving Best Trade Schools in Princeton, New Jersey
SchoolMedian graduate earnings
Fortis Institute-Lawrenceville$39,605
American Institute-Somerset$36,918

Cost, Earnings, and Program Length in Princeton

Among the Trenton-Princeton, NJ area’s most-employed trades (BLS QCEW 2024), median annual pay ranges from $45,950 to $98,210 per year (BLS OEWS, May 2025); the chart above compares the five with the largest local workforces. Typical culinary worker training runs 1-2 years (culinary school or apprenticeship) (TradeCareerPath program data).

Trade Schools in Nearby Cities

New Jersey Trade Career Outlook

Building & Construction Trades

TradeJob Growth (2024-2034, US)
Plumber4.5%
Construction Worker7.3%
Carpenter4.5%
Flooring Installer9.5%
Welder2.2%

Construction Management & Inspection

TradeJob Growth (2024-2034, US)
Construction Manager8.7%
Home Inspector-0.8%

Electrical & Energy Systems

Mechanical, Automotive & Transportation

Healthcare: Administration & Office Support

Therapy, Rehab & Fitness

Animal Care & Training

TradeJob Growth (2024-2034, US)
Veterinary Technician9.1%
Dog Trainer5.1%
Veterinary Assistant8.7%

Beauty & Personal Care

TradeJob Growth (2024-2034, US)
Esthetician6.7%
Beauty Professional5.6%
Cosmetologist5.6%

Culinary & Hospitality Careers

TradeJob Growth (2024-2034, US)
Culinary Chef7.1%
Pastry Chef7.1%

Business & Legal Support

TradeJob Growth (2024-2034, US)
Digital Court Reporter-0.3%
Paralegal0.2%
Bookkeeper-5.8%

Job growth uses state projections when available and national projections (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034) when state data is unavailable. Median pay for each trade is shown in the comparison table above.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections (2024-2034). Projected U.S. change shown for each trade.


Next Steps


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/.

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)