Best Trade Schools in Orangeburg, South Carolina

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


How to Get Started in Orangeburg

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

Compare Trade Schools Near Orangeburg, South Carolina

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

University of South Carolina-Columbia

Columbia, SC 35.8 miles away BOC Score 74.1
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 78.3% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 22
  • Annual completions: 1247
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $67,741 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#2

Orangeburg Calhoun Technical College

Orangeburg, SC 4.2 miles away BOC Score 51.5
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 36.6% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 41
  • Annual completions: 474
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $53,084 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#3

Claflin University

Orangeburg, SC 0.9 miles away BOC Score 44.6
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 50.4% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 12
  • Annual completions: 51
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $43,925 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#4

Midlands Technical College

West Columbia, SC 34.6 miles away BOC Score 41.9
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 17.1% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 55
  • Annual completions: 1119
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $46,832 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#5

South Carolina State University

Orangeburg, SC 1.2 miles away BOC Score 29.9
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 12
  • Annual completions: 64
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $46,691 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#6

South University-Columbia

Columbia, SC 35.8 miles away BOC Score 18.3
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 12.5% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 9
  • Annual completions: 49
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $68,975 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#7

Denmark Technical College

Denmark, SC 19.8 miles away BOC Score 16.3
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 13.0% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 21
  • Annual completions: 89
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $28,350 (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 South Carolina.
#SchoolBOC Score (0–100)TuitionMedian grad earnings (all majors)Graduation rateOnlineDistance
151.5Contact school for pricing$53,08437%Yes*4 mi
241.9Contact school for pricing$46,83217%Yes*35 mi
316.3Contact school for pricing$28,35013%20 mi
4Not ratedContact school for pricing$26,82071%33 mi

Schools closest to the main population center in South Carolina are gathered first, then ranked by BOC Score; distance from the main population center in South Carolina 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 - Orangeburg, SC's most-employed trades
Median annual wage by trade in Orangeburg, SC, BLS OEWS May 2025Culinary workers $71860; Electricians $58740; Truck drivers $51130; Heavy equipment operators $48940; Dental assistants $47320.Culinary workers$71,860Electricians$58,740Truck drivers$51,130Heavy equipment operators$48,940Dental assistants$47,320
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 Orangeburg, SC
TradeMedian annual wage
Culinary workers$71,860
Electricians$58,740
Truck drivers$51,130
Heavy equipment operators$48,940
Dental assistants$47,320
Median Graduate Earnings by School - Best Trade Schools in Orangeburg, South Carolina
Median graduate earnings by school, Best Trade Schools in Orangeburg, South Carolina (College Scorecard)Orangeburg Calhoun Technical College $53084; Midlands Technical College $46832; Denmark Technical College $28350; Kenneth Shuler School of Cosmetology-Columbia $26820.Orangeburg Calhoun Technical...$53,084Midlands Technical College$46,832Denmark Technical College$28,350Kenneth Shuler School of Cos...$26,820
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 Orangeburg, South Carolina
SchoolMedian graduate earnings
Orangeburg Calhoun Technical College$53,084
Midlands Technical College$46,832
Denmark Technical College$28,350
Kenneth Shuler School of Cosmetology-Columbia$26,820

Cost, Earnings, and Program Length in Orangeburg

Among the Orangeburg, SC area’s most-employed trades (BLS QCEW 2024), median annual pay ranges from $47,320 to $71,860 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

South Carolina Trade Career Outlook

Building & Construction Trades

TradeJob Growth (2024-2034, US)
Plumber4.5%
Carpenter4.5%
Welder2.2%
Flooring Installer9.5%
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%
Veterinary Assistant8.7%
Dog Trainer5.1%

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)