Best Trade Schools in Ithaca, New York

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


How to Get Started in Ithaca

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

Compare Trade Schools Near Ithaca, New York

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

Cornell University

Ithaca, NY 1.3 miles away BOC Score 73.0
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Completion rate: 95.3% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 12
  • Annual completions: 1181
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $113,372 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#2

Arnot Ogden Medical Center

Elmira, NY 29.0 miles away BOC Score 68.8
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Admission rate: 66.7%
  • Programs offered: 2
  • Annual completions: 12
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $76,943 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#3

State University of New York at Cortland

Cortland, NY 19.3 miles away BOC Score 67.7
Tuition $8,874 - $28,108
Contact
Key stats
  • Admission rate: 59.8%
  • Graduation rate: 68.1%
  • Programs offered: 5
  • Annual completions: 49
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $58,555 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#4

Ithaca College

Ithaca, NY 1.5 miles away BOC Score 67.5
Tuition $53,540 - $68,699
Contact
Key stats
  • Admission rate: 69.0%
  • Graduation rate: 75.2%
  • Programs offered: 7
  • Annual completions: 312
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $60,436 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#5

Schuyler Steuben Chemung Tioga Allegany BOCES

Elmira, NY 26.5 miles away BOC Score 54.5
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 77.1% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 8
  • Annual completions: 156
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $47,482 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#6

Keuka College

Keuka Park, NY 32.2 miles away BOC Score 54.1
Tuition $39,332 - $54,760
Contact
Key stats
  • Admission rate: 68.1%
  • Graduation rate: 53.3%
  • Programs offered: 7
  • Annual completions: 87
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $58,373 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#7

Elmira College

Elmira, NY 28.8 miles away BOC Score 46.2
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 4
  • Annual completions: 17
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $64,723 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#8

Tompkins Cortland Community College

Dryden, NY 11.7 miles away BOC Score 44.9
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 26.5% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 17
  • Annual completions: 99
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $54,537 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

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 York.
#SchoolBOC Score (0–100)TuitionMedian grad earnings (all majors)Graduation rateOnlineDistance
168.8Contact school for pricing$76,943Not reported29 mi
254.5Contact school for pricing$47,48277%26 mi
344.9Contact school for pricing$54,53726%Yes*12 mi

Schools closest to the main population center in New York are gathered first, then ranked by BOC Score; distance from the main population center in New York 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 - Ithaca, NY's most-employed trades
Median annual wage by trade in Ithaca, NY, BLS OEWS May 2025Culinary workers $64010; Veterinary technicians $56420; Dental assistants $48170; Construction trades workers $46790; Veterinary assistants $43900.Culinary workers$64,010Veterinary technicians$56,420Dental assistants$48,170Construction trades workers$46,790Veterinary assistants$43,900
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 Ithaca, NY
TradeMedian annual wage
Culinary workers$64,010
Veterinary technicians$56,420
Dental assistants$48,170
Construction trades workers$46,790
Veterinary assistants$43,900
Median Graduate Earnings by School - Best Trade Schools in Ithaca, New York
Median graduate earnings by school, Best Trade Schools in Ithaca, New York (College Scorecard)Arnot Ogden Medical Center $76943; Tompkins Cortland Community College $54537; Schuyler Steuben Chemung Tioga Allegany BOCES $47482.Arnot Ogden Medical Center$76,943Tompkins Cortland Community ...$54,537Schuyler Steuben Chemung Tio...$47,482
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 Ithaca, New York
SchoolMedian graduate earnings
Arnot Ogden Medical Center$76,943
Tompkins Cortland Community College$54,537
Schuyler Steuben Chemung Tioga Allegany BOCES$47,482

Cost, Earnings, and Program Length in Ithaca

Among the Ithaca, NY area’s most-employed trades (BLS QCEW 2024), median annual pay ranges from $43,900 to $64,010 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 York Trade Career Outlook

Building & Construction Trades

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

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)