Federal Data — September 2026
Automotive Trade Schools: What They Cost And What Graduates Earn
Automotive technology programs are offered by more US institutions than almost any other mechanical trade. Here is what they cost and what graduates earn.
See The SchoolsU.S. Department of Education data. No school paid to be listed.
Across the 230 US institutions that report both figures, an automotive technology program leaves $12,000 of median federal debt and produces $39,096 of median earnings one year after completion. That works out at 3.7 months of gross pay to cover the debt, against a national median of 4.7 months across all vocational programs.
Vehicle maintenance and repair is one of the most widely taught trades in the country, and the outcomes are consistently above the national median.
Both routes exist in this field, and they are not equivalent. The certificate leaves $11,000 of median debt against $12,000 for the associate degree, with first-year earnings of $36,587 and $43,142 respectively. On payback the associate degree comes out ahead: 3.4 months against 4.1.
The table below ranks the individual schools. Every number is reproduced from the federal files, and the method is the same one behind our payback ranking of 58 programs and our ranking of 153 institutions.
The Numbers
Automotive Technology at a glance
School By School
The 60 automotive technology programs with the strongest reported outcomes
Filter by state. Click any column heading to sort. Lower is better.
| # | School▲▼ | Credential▲▼ | Months▲▼ | Debt▲▼ | Earnings▲▼ | Completion▲▼ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mobile Technical TrainingSouth Hackensack, NJ | Certificate | 1.2 | $2,420 | $24,432 | 88% |
| 2 | Pima Community CollegeTucson, AZ | Associate | 1.3 | $5,625 | $52,673 | 28% |
| 3 | Central Community CollegeGrand Island, NE | Associate | 1.4 | $5,500 | $46,758 | 48% |
| 4 | Northeast Iowa Community CollegeCalmar, IA | Certificate | 1.5 | $5,500 | $43,536 | 51% |
| 5 | Parkland CollegeChampaign, IL | Associate | 1.6 | $7,000 | $51,093 | 32% |
| 6 | North Iowa Area Community CollegeMason City, IA | Associate | 1.6 | $6,238 | $47,882 | 61% |
| 7 | Kansas City Kansas Community CollegeKansas City, KS | Certificate | 1.6 | $4,849 | $36,954 | 42% |
| 8 | Baker CollegeOwosso, MI | Certificate | 1.7 | $5,500 | $39,719 | 36% |
| 9 | Bismarck State CollegeBismarck, ND | Certificate | 1.7 | $6,275 | $44,309 | 47% |
| 10 | Iowa Western Community CollegeCouncil Bluffs, IA | Certificate | 1.8 | $7,110 | $47,545 | 40% |
| 11 | Mohawk Valley Community CollegeUtica, NY | Certificate | 1.8 | $8,250 | $55,746 | 38% |
| 12 | Western Technical CollegeLa Crosse, WI | Certificate | 1.8 | $5,500 | $36,011 | 34% |
| 13 | Western Iowa Tech Community CollegeSioux City, IA | Certificate | 1.9 | $5,500 | $35,550 | 50% |
| 14 | Central Lakes College-BrainerdBrainerd, MN | Certificate | 1.9 | $6,500 | $41,672 | 53% |
| 15 | Chattanooga State Community CollegeChattanooga, TN | Certificate | 1.9 | $5,500 | $35,028 | 26% |
| 16 | South Louisiana Community CollegeLafayette, LA | Certificate | 1.9 | $5,500 | $35,177 | 30% |
| 17 | Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Daytona BeachDaytona Beach, FL | Associate | 2.0 | $12,500 | $76,663 | 67% |
| 18 | Massachusetts Bay Community CollegeWellesley Hills, MA | Associate | 2.0 | $7,272 | $43,602 | 17% |
| 19 | Grand Rapids Community CollegeGrand Rapids, MI | Certificate | 2.0 | $6,460 | $37,927 | 21% |
| 20 | Suffolk County Community CollegeSelden, NY | Associate | 2.0 | $7,000 | $42,496 | 29% |
| 21 | Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-WorldwideDaytona Beach, FL | Associate | 2.0 | $12,500 | $76,663 | 21% |
| 22 | College of Southern IdahoTwin Falls, ID | Associate | 2.1 | $7,743 | $44,037 | 33% |
| 23 | Gateway Community and Technical CollegeFlorence, KY | Certificate | 2.1 | $6,000 | $34,954 | 59% |
| 24 | East Mississippi Community CollegeScooba, MS | Certificate | 2.1 | $5,500 | $31,830 | 48% |
| 25 | Laramie County Community CollegeCheyenne, WY | Certificate | 2.1 | $5,500 | $31,830 | 38% |
| 26 | Des Moines Area Community CollegeAnkeny, IA | Associate | 2.2 | $9,624 | $52,325 | 39% |
| 27 | Alexandria Technical & Community CollegeAlexandria, MN | Associate | 2.2 | $12,000 | $65,311 | 60% |
| 28 | Fox Valley Technical CollegeAppleton, WI | Certificate | 2.2 | $8,250 | $45,675 | 65% |
| 29 | Aims Community CollegeGreeley, CO | Certificate | 2.3 | $8,125 | $42,120 | 40% |
| 30 | Ivy Tech Community CollegeIndianapolis, IN | Certificate | 2.3 | $7,000 | $37,317 | 40% |
| 31 | Washburn Institute of TechnologyTopeka, KS | Certificate | 2.3 | $7,000 | $35,875 | 68% |
| 32 | Washburn UniversityTopeka, KS | Certificate | 2.3 | $7,000 | $35,875 | 53% |
| 33 | Texarkana CollegeTexarkana, TX | Certificate | 2.3 | $6,166 | $31,775 | 47% |
| 34 | WyoTechLaramie, WY | Certificate | 2.3 | $6,800 | $35,524 | 85% |
| 35 | Central Georgia Technical CollegeWarner Robins, GA | Certificate | 2.3 | $8,250 | $42,493 | 47% |
| 36 | Lincoln Land Community CollegeSpringfield, IL | Certificate | 2.4 | $9,500 | $48,308 | 48% |
| 37 | Southeast Community College AreaLincoln, NE | Associate | 2.4 | $10,375 | $52,556 | 38% |
| 38 | Forsyth Technical Community CollegeWinston-Salem, NC | Associate | 2.4 | $7,916 | $39,008 | 34% |
| 39 | Tidewater Community CollegeNorfolk, VA | Certificate | 2.4 | $7,000 | $34,696 | 32% |
| 40 | Northwood Technical CollegeRice Lake, WI | Certificate | 2.4 | $7,000 | $35,702 | 56% |
| 41 | Automeca Technical College-AguadillaAguadilla, PR | Certificate | 2.4 | $3,000 | $15,287 | 80% |
| 42 | Automeca Technical College-BayamonBayamon, PR | Certificate | 2.4 | $3,000 | $15,287 | 80% |
| 43 | Automeca Technical College-CaguasCaguas, PR | Certificate | 2.4 | $3,000 | $15,287 | 85% |
| 44 | Automeca Technical College-PoncePonce, PR | Certificate | 2.4 | $3,000 | $15,287 | 73% |
| 45 | Rock Valley CollegeRockford, IL | Certificate | 2.5 | $8,745 | $41,625 | 37% |
| 46 | Ivy Tech Community CollegeIndianapolis, IN | Associate | 2.5 | $8,000 | $38,670 | 40% |
| 47 | Hennepin Technical CollegeBrooklyn Park, MN | Associate | 2.5 | $12,000 | $57,382 | 42% |
| 48 | North Dakota State College of ScienceWahpeton, ND | Associate | 2.5 | $11,835 | $56,659 | 55% |
| 49 | Oklahoma State University Institute of TechnologyOkmulgee, OK | Associate | 2.5 | $11,425 | $55,088 | 42% |
| 50 | Dallas CollegeDallas, TX | Associate | 2.5 | $7,959 | $38,239 | 32% |
| 51 | Gateway Technical CollegeKenosha, WI | Certificate | 2.5 | $9,333 | $43,965 | 51% |
| 52 | IYRS School of Technology & TradesNewport, RI | Certificate | 2.5 | $9,500 | $45,663 | 92% |
| 53 | Tulsa Technology CenterTulsa, OK | Certificate | 2.5 | $7,500 | $36,437 | 81% |
| 54 | Hillsborough CollegeTampa, FL | Certificate | 2.6 | $7,876 | $36,894 | 34% |
| 55 | Northwest Iowa Community CollegeSheldon, IA | Associate | 2.6 | $11,326 | $52,174 | 58% |
| 56 | Jefferson Community and Technical CollegeLouisville, KY | Certificate | 2.6 | $9,625 | $44,238 | 35% |
| 57 | Perry Technical InstituteYakima, WA | Certificate | 2.6 | $7,892 | $36,253 | 79% |
| 58 | Texas State Technical CollegeWaco, TX | Certificate | 2.6 | $7,334 | $33,599 | 46% |
| 59 | Indian Hills Community CollegeOttumwa, IA | Associate | 2.7 | $11,500 | $50,901 | 40% |
| 60 | Kirkwood Community CollegeCedar Rapids, IA | Associate | 2.7 | $10,000 | $44,896 | 43% |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, Most Recent Cohorts by Field of Study and by Institution (published 9 June 2026), CIP 4706. 230 institutions report this program with both debt and earnings; the 60 with the fastest payback are shown. Debt is median federal Stafford and Grad PLUS loan debt of completers; earnings are median earnings one year after completion; completion is the institution’s published rate.
Read It Carefully
What these figures do not tell you
It is a ratio, not a repayment plan
Months of gross pay to cover the debt is a way of comparing programs on one consistent basis. Nobody repays a loan with their entire gross salary.
Local wages move the numbers
The same program pays differently in different labour markets. Use the state filter and compare within a state before comparing across the country.
Only federal loan debt is counted
Cash payments, private loans and employer sponsorship are invisible here. A school whose students pay out of pocket shows low debt without being cheap.
One year out is an early snapshot
Trades where pay climbs steeply with experience are penalised by a first-year measure. Absence from the table usually means suppressed data, not a poor school.
Go Deeper
The wider picture
Related Reading
Before you choose a program
For School Operators
If you run one of these programs
Use This Data
Want your own program’s numbers against this benchmark?
We run this analysis for individual schools, program by program, against their own federal data. Where the answer is good, it is the strongest recruitment argument a school owns, and almost nobody publishes it.
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