Best Automotive Technology Associate Degree Programs for 2027
280 accredited automotive technology programs that award an automotive technology associate degree, ranked for 2027 on cost, graduate earnings, completion and track record. De Anza College (Cupertino, CA) is first.
By Trevor Rupe, Contributor at Savo Media Group Updated
At a Glance
280 programs awarded 9,602 associate’s degrees in automotive fields in 2024-25.
The median program charges about $4,794 a year in tuition and fees.
135 other ranked automotive programs award certificates only and are on the full automotive ranking.
BLS reports a May 2025 median of $50,620 for automotive service technicians and mechanics (SOC 49-3023).
The list covers only the programs that awarded an automotive technology associate degree in 2024-25.
The Top 10 Automotive Associate Degrees
Each of these programs awarded an automotive technology associate degree in 2024-25. The 25 highest-scoring programs of 280. Each score is out of 100 and comes from the method below.
Rank 1
Automotive Technology
De Anza College
Cupertino, CA
Score80.6
ASE Accredited Program
Public
Associate in Science (A.S.)
Cost
$1,571a year, in-state
Graduation rate
68%within 150% of normal time
Awards
201in 2024-25
Why it ranks here
Earns its place with a price toward the low end of ranked automotive programs ($1,571 a year, in-state), a 68% graduation rate and 201 awards in 2024-25, among the larger automotive programs. Awarded 56 associate’s degrees in 2024-25.
Source: IPEDS 2024-25 (provisional) and the ASE accreditation list.
Rank 2
Automotive Technology
Pasadena City College
Pasadena, CA
Score76.6
ASE Accredited Program
Public
Associate in Science
Honda PACT
Cost
$1,180a year, in-state
Graduation rate
48%within 150% of normal time
Awards
171in 2024-25
Why it ranks here
Scores well on a price toward the low end of ranked automotive programs ($1,180 a year, in-state) and 171 awards in 2024-25, among the larger automotive programs. Awarded 30 associate’s degrees in 2024-25.
Source: IPEDS 2024-25 (provisional), College Scorecard and the ASE accreditation list.
Rank 4
Automotive Service Technology
Tarrant County College District
Fort Worth, TX
Score75.1
ASE Accredited Program
Public
AAS
Mopar CAP
Toyota T-TEN
Cost
$1,863a year, in-district
Graduation rate
34%within 150% of normal time
Graduate earnings
$70,953median four years after completing, certificate level; school-wide across its mechanic programs
Awards
87in 2024-25
Why it ranks here
Earns its place with a price toward the low end of ranked automotive programs ($1,863 a year, in-district), graduates earning a median $70,953 and 87 awards in 2024-25. Awarded 21 associate’s degrees in 2024-25.
Graduate earnings: four years after finishing, certificate level; school-wide, covering its mechanic programs
Source: IPEDS 2024-25 (provisional), College Scorecard and the ASE accreditation list.
Rank 5
Automotive and Related Technology
Los Angeles Trade Technical College
Los Angeles, CA
Score74.2
ASE Accredited Program
Public
Automotive and Related Technology
Cost
$1,238a year, in-state
Graduation rate
35%within 150% of normal time
Graduate earnings
$54,643median four years after completing, certificate level; school-wide across its mechanic programs
Awards
251in 2024-25
Why it ranks here
Scores well on a price toward the low end of ranked automotive programs ($1,238 a year, in-state) and 251 awards in 2024-25, among the larger automotive programs. Awarded 19 associate’s degrees in 2024-25.
Graduate earnings: four years after finishing, certificate level; school-wide, covering its mechanic programs
Source: IPEDS 2024-25 (provisional), College Scorecard and the ASE accreditation list.
Rank 6
Automotive Technology
Chabot College
Hayward, CA
Score73.9
ASE Accredited Program
Public
Automotive Technology
Cost
$1,150a year, in-state
Graduation rate
47%within 150% of normal time
Awards
111in 2024-25
Why it ranks here
Stands out for a price toward the low end of ranked automotive programs ($1,150 a year, in-state) and 111 awards in 2024-25. Awarded 9 associate’s degrees in 2024-25.
Source: IPEDS 2024-25 (provisional) and the ASE accreditation list.
Rank 7
Automotive Technology
Saddleback College
Mission Viejo, CA
Score73.9
ASE Accredited Program
Public
Associate of Science
Cost
$1,156a year, in-state
Graduation rate
48%within 150% of normal time
Awards
96in 2024-25
Why it ranks here
Earns its place with a price toward the low end of ranked automotive programs ($1,156 a year, in-state) and 96 awards in 2024-25. Awarded 14 associate’s degrees in 2024-25.
Source: IPEDS 2024-25 (provisional) and the ASE accreditation list.
Rank 8
Automotive Service Technology
Los Angeles Pierce College
Woodland Hills, CA
Score73.0
ASE Accredited Program
Public
Automotive Service Technology
Mopar CAP
Cost
$1,238a year, in-state
Graduation rate
46%within 150% of normal time
Awards
82in 2024-25
Why it ranks here
Scores well on a price toward the low end of ranked automotive programs ($1,238 a year, in-state) and 82 awards in 2024-25. Awarded 17 associate’s degrees in 2024-25.
Source: IPEDS 2024-25 (provisional) and the ASE accreditation list.
Rank 9
Automotive Technology
Cypress College
Cypress, CA
Score71.1
ASE Accredited Program
Public
Associate in Science, 73 units
Toyota T-TEN
Cost
$1,150a year, in-state
Graduation rate
37%within 150% of normal time
Awards
258in 2024-25
Why it ranks here
Stands out for a price toward the low end of ranked automotive programs ($1,150 a year, in-state) and 258 awards in 2024-25, among the larger automotive programs. Awarded 9 associate’s degrees in 2024-25.
Source: IPEDS 2024-25 (provisional) and the ASE accreditation list.
Rank 10
Automotive Technology
Citrus College
Glendora, CA
Score70.3
ASE Accredited Program
Public
Associate degree
Toyota T-TEN
Cost
$1,204a year, in-state
Graduation rate
41%within 150% of normal time
Awards
76in 2024-25
Why it ranks here
Earns its place with a price toward the low end of ranked automotive programs ($1,204 a year, in-state) and 76 awards in 2024-25. Awarded 9 associate’s degrees in 2024-25.
Each program is scored out of 100 on five published measures, and the scores are absolute: no program is scaled to the top
one, so a score of 70 means the same thing on every list and every state page. This list is in score order. A program is on this list when it is a ranked automotive program and IPEDS records at least one associate’s degree it awarded in automotive technology in 2024-25.
The five scored factors and their weights
Factor
Weight
What it reads
Cost
25 of 100
What a year of tuition and fees costs, compared with every other ranked program in the same area.
Graduate Earnings
25 of 100
What the school’s graduates in mechanic and repair programs earn, from federal data.
Completion
20 of 100
The share of the school’s first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of normal time.
Track Record
15 of 100
How many credentials the program awards in a year.
Program Reputation
15 of 100
A 0 to 4 rating of how employers in the trade regard the program, made by Cloudflare’s Clef language model from the same few facts for every program.
Ties are broken by Cost, then Graduate Earnings, then school name. Scores are shown to one decimal and programs are ordered by the unrounded score, so two programs can show the same score at different ranks. How We Rank gives the formulas, the data sources and the disclosures for each figure.
Automotive Accreditation Behind This List
The ASE Education Foundation accredits programs, not whole schools, at the secondary and postsecondary levels in three areas: Automobile, Medium/Heavy Duty Truck, and Collision Repair and Refinishing. This list uses the Automobile area only. Accreditation lasts five years, and a program that does not renew comes off the Foundation’s list. On November 3, 2026, when the list was last read, every ranked program here held an unexpired accreditation.
Accreditation is not ASE certification. ASE certifies individual technicians: to earn an ASE certification a person passes an ASE test and has full-time, hands-on work experience, or a combination of formal training and experience. The ASE A-series covers eight core areas, from Engine Repair (A1) to Engine Performance (A8), and technicians certified in A1 through A8 are recognized as Master Automobile Technicians. Technicians retest every five years to keep a certification.
What the Numbers Show About Automotive Degree Programs
A program is on this list when IPEDS records at least one associate’s degree it awarded in automotive technology in 2024-25. Scores are the same national scores the automotive ranking uses, so a program’s place here is its place on that list with the certificate-only programs taken out. Where a school awards more certificates than associate’s degrees, its graduate earnings are read at the certificate level, and the card says so.
280 of the 280 programs award associate’s degrees, and the rest award certificates. 248 are at public institutions and 23 at private for-profit schools. The states with the most ranked programs are California (36), Texas (23) and Illinois (20).
Choosing an Automotive Technology Associate Degree
An automotive technology associate degree takes about two years, and each program here is accredited by the ASE Education Foundation in the Automobile area. A certificate is the shorter route, so the degree suits a student who wants the longer credential.
Compare programs on what the degree costs each year, how many students finish, and what graduates earn. Where a school awards more certificates than associate’s degrees, the card says its earnings are read at the certificate level.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a postsecondary nondegree award as the typical entry education, so an automotive technology associate degree is one route among several rather than a requirement.
An automotive technology associate degree is one route into the trade; the career guide covers the certificate route and ASE certification.
Questions About Automotive Associate Degrees
What is the best automotive technology associate degree program?
De Anza College in Cupertino, CA holds first place for 2027, on a score of 80.6 out of 100. The score weighs cost, graduate earnings, completion, track record and program reputation; How We Rank explains each.
Do I need an associate degree to work as a mechanic?
No. The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a postsecondary nondegree award as the typical entry-level education for automotive service technicians and mechanics, and says community colleges, technical institutes and high schools offer programs that may result in a certificate or an associate’s degree. An associate degree is one route; a certificate is another.
How much does automotive technology school cost?
Among the 280 programs on this list, the median reports about $4,794 a year in tuition and fees for 2024-25, from $1,144 a year, in-state at Lassen Community College in Susanville, CA to $43,400 for the 12-month program at Universal Technical Institute-Orlando in Orlando, FL. Community colleges that charge by the year sit at the low end; schools that price the whole program show that price and its length on each card, and the yearly figure is only what the cost score reads. Books, tools and living costs are not included.
What does the graduation rate on each card measure?
It is the federal graduation rate within 150% of normal time for the whole school: of the first-time, full-time students who started, the share who finished a credential within one and a half times its normal length. It is not a rate for the trade program alone, and a school with a small entering class can show a rate near 0% or 100%.
How much do automotive technicians earn?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median of $50,620 a year for automotive service technicians and mechanics (SOC 49-3023) in its May 2025 estimates, with the lowest-paid tenth earning under $34,660 and the highest-paid tenth over $81,790. Pay depends on the state, the employer and the work; each state ranking on this site shows the state’s median.
What does an automotive technology associate degree cost?
It depends on the school. The median program on this list charges the yearly figure shown at the top of the page, and each card prints its own price with its unit.
Is an automotive technology associate degree worth it?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics says a postsecondary nondegree award is the typical entry education, so an automotive technology associate degree is optional. It adds general coursework to the trade training, and the card shows each school’s graduation rate and graduate earnings so you can compare.
Sources for Automotive Associate Degrees
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.
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.
