The school
report card.
UTI charges $40,000 for an automotive program. The median grad earns $33,600 in year one. The union apprenticeship up the street pays you $18/hr to learn the same job. These are the numbers the enrollment counselor won't show you.
Every number on this page comes from College Scorecard (U.S. Dept. of Education), the NSLDS Cohort Default Rate database (FSA), CFPB consumer complaint data, or BLS wage statistics. We link the sources. We show the math.
Side by side.
Cost and earnings ranges reflect program data from reviewed schools and BLS apprentice wage data (May 2024). Union apprenticeship income reflects Year 1 IBEW/UA rates in mid-size markets.
For-Profit Schools.
314 schoolsSorted by verdict — FAIL first, then ZONE, then PASS. High debt relative to earnings, elevated default rates, and documented regulatory problems are the main disqualifiers.
Proceed with caution.
62 schoolsMixed signals. Some have real strengths — employer partnerships, lower-than-average debt, better-than-average outcomes. But none are without meaningful risks. Read the full report card before deciding.
For-profits that cleared the bar.
252 schoolsReasonable cost, reasonable debt, employer-recognized credentials, real outcomes. These are the benchmarks every trade school should be measured against.
Community Colleges & Public Schools.
1106 schoolsCommunity colleges and public institutions offering the same trade programs — usually for $4,000–$8,000 total with regional accreditation. These are the clean baseline that for-profit schools should be measured against.
What about community colleges?
Community colleges offer the same HVAC, electrical, welding, and plumbing programs as for-profit trade schools — usually for $4,000–$8,000 total. They have regional accreditation (the real kind). Their federal loan default rates are typically under 4%. Their credits transfer to state universities.
The main limitation is waitlists. High-demand trade programs at community colleges can have 6–18 month waits. That wait is usually worth it. While you wait, consider applying to a union apprenticeship — you'll get paid while you find out if you got in.