Cost Guide
How Much Does Mechanic School Cost?
How much does mechanic school cost? Most colleges price by the year and most career schools price the whole program, so the honest answer comes in two numbers. This guide gives both, by trade and by type of school, for the 659 ranked programs with a measured price, and always says which kind of price each figure is.
By Trevor Rupe, Contributor at Savo Media Group
At a Glance
- $4,728 a year is the median across the 510 ranked programs that price by the year, from $1,124 a year to $39,200 a year.
- $17,447 for the program is the median across the 149 that price the whole program, which run about 14 months.
- Public colleges price by the year at a median of $4,613 a year; private for-profit schools price the whole program at a median of $39,877 for the program.
- California has the lowest state median among states with eight or more priced programs, $1,273 a year. The cost by state post has every state.
- Books, tools and living costs are separate. The prices here are tuition and required fees.
How Much Does Mechanic School Cost in Each Trade
The two kinds of price are never added together. A yearly price is the tuition and required fees for one academic year, and a whole-program price is the tuition and required fees for the whole course, which the school reports along with its length. Both tables are medians across ranked programs, with the lowest and highest price beside them.
| Trade | Programs | Lowest | Median | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Automotive | 308 | $1,144 a year | $4,672 a year | $37,275 a year |
| Diesel | 44 | $1,146 a year | $4,728 a year | $18,240 a year |
| Collision Repair | 35 | $1,150 a year | $4,844 a year | $27,836 a year |
| Aviation Maintenance | 123 | $1,124 a year | $5,038 a year | $39,200 a year |
| Trade | Programs | Lowest | Median | Highest | Median length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Automotive | 85 | $900 for the program | $7,752 for the program | $56,600 for the program | 14 months |
| Diesel | 31 | $2,375 for the program | $37,020 for the program | $47,450 for the program | 14 months |
| Collision Repair | 12 | $900 for the program | $17,340 for the program | $47,650 for the program | 12 months |
| Aviation Maintenance | 21 | $3,905 for the program | $18,556 for the program | $52,765 for the program | 17 months |
The trade comparisons that matter are inside each table, not across them. The auto mechanic school ranking and the diesel mechanic school ranking put each program's own price on its card, with the unit.
How Much Does Mechanic School Cost by Type of School
Who runs the school explains most of the difference. Public colleges set low yearly prices; private for-profit schools mostly set a price for the whole program.
| Type of school | Priced by the year | Median yearly price | Priced as a whole | Median whole-program price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public | 474 | $4,613 a year | 78 | $5,473 for the program |
| Private Nonprofit | 19 | $18,730 a year | 7 | $29,000 for the program |
| Private For-Profit | 17 | $16,757 a year | 64 | $39,877 for the program |
Private nonprofit schools sit between the two: a median of $18,730 a year where they price by the year and $29,000 for the program where they price the whole program. The UTI vs. Lincoln Tech comparison sets the two largest private chains side by side.
In-District, In-State and Single-Rate Prices
A yearly price comes in three forms. 113 of the yearly prices are in-district: the college charges residents of its own district less than other state residents, and the district price is the one used. 308 are in-state prices, used where a college has no separate district price. 89 are single-rate prices, where the school charges every student the same. A student who lives outside a college's district can pay more than its in-district figure, which is why every price on the site names its basis.
The Lowest Prices Among Ranked Programs
The cheapest list takes each school once, with its lowest-priced ranked program, and sorts by the yearly price. The three lowest are Antelope Valley Community College District in Lancaster, CA at $1,124 a year, in-state; Lassen Community College in Susanville, CA at $1,144 a year, in-state; San Diego Miramar College in San Diego, CA at $1,146 a year, in-state. The cheapest mechanic schools ranking lists the rest with their scores.
Mechanic School Cost by State
Among the 25 states with at least eight ranked programs priced by the year, the median runs from $1,273 a year in California to $18,240 a year in Pennsylvania. A state median reflects the schools in it, so the program count and the lowest and highest prices matter as much as the median. The cost by state post has all 25 states in one table, and each state ranking puts the prices on the cards.
What the Price Covers
The figures are tuition and required fees. Books, tools and living costs are not part of them. For the programs priced as a whole, IPEDS reports books and supplies separately: across 117 of them the median is $879 for the program, from $0 to $8,670.
What Mechanics Earn After Training
Pay is a different number from price and comes from a different source. BLS reports May 2025 median annual wages of $50,620 for automotive service technicians and mechanics, $61,770 for bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists, $54,890 for automotive body and related repairers, $79,870 for aircraft mechanics and service technicians. Those are medians for everyone in each occupation, not for new graduates. The salary hub has the state and metro figures for each trade.
Questions About Mechanic School Cost
How much does mechanic school cost?
Among the ranked programs priced by the year, the median is $4,728 a year. Among those priced for the whole program, the median is $17,447 for the program. The gap is mostly the kind of school: public colleges charge by the year at $4,613 a year at the median, and private for-profit schools charge for the whole program.
Is mechanic school expensive?
It depends on the school. A public college program prices at a median of $4,613 a year, while the private for-profit programs priced for the whole program run from $18,556 for the program to $56,600 for the program, with a median of $39,877 for the program. Both are tuition and required fees, with books and tools extra.
How much does community college mechanic school cost?
Public colleges that price by the year have a median of $4,613 a year, from $1,124 a year to $18,240 a year, across 474 ranked programs. 113 of the yearly prices in the ranking are in-district prices, which is what a student living in the college's district pays.
How much does diesel mechanic school cost?
44 ranked diesel programs price by the year at a median of $4,728 a year, and 31 price the whole program at a median of $37,020 for the program, about 14 months long.
How much does aviation mechanic school cost?
123 ranked aviation maintenance programs price by the year at a median of $5,038 a year, and 21 price the whole program at a median of $18,556 for the program, about 17 months long. The aviation mechanic school ranking lists them.
Which state has the cheapest mechanic school?
Among the 25 states with at least eight ranked programs priced by the year, California has the lowest median, $1,273 a year across 52 programs, and Pennsylvania the highest, $18,240 a year across 13. A state's median reflects its mix of schools, so read the state-by-state table with its program counts.
Sources for How Much Does Mechanic School Cost?
- U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS Completions (awards July 2024 to June 2025, provisional), tuition and fees for 2024-25, graduation rates within 150% of normal time and the institutional directory.
- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard Field of Study earnings, released June 10, 2026.
- ASE Education Foundation, accredited program list Downloaded November 3, 2026.
- FAA, Part 147 aviation maintenance technician school list FAA data updated October 26, 2026, read October 30, 2026.
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2025 estimates.
This site earns money from sponsored school listings served by the education ad network Esyoh, which are marked as ads wherever they appear. Schools pay to appear in those listings, not in the rankings: a listing is not scored, and no listing can change a ranking. Rankings come from published records, and program details from each school’s own published pages.