Most Affordable Aviation Maintenance Schools (2027)

The most affordable aviation maintenance schools by program cost are Chaffey College ($2,208), College of Alameda ($2,208), and West Los Angeles College ($2,292). All three are public community colleges, priced at resident rates.

Costs on this list run from $2,208 to $61,800, with a median of $10,000. 15 of the 85 schools come in under $5,000 for the whole program at resident rates.

For each of these affordable aviation maintenance schools, the card shows the comparable cost, the arithmetic behind it, and where the school lands in our best aviation maintenance schools ranking, which weighs cost alongside graduation rate, program size, and access.

1. #1

   Chaffey College

   Rancho Cucamonga, California, Community College

   $2,208 IPEDS

   Basis

   $1,104 in-state tuition a year x 2 academic years = $2,208. 2-year curriculum Length source: chaffey.edu

   Graduation Rate

   36% (IPEDS)

   Overall

   #9 overall, score 67.0 of 100

3. #2

   College of Alameda

   Alameda, California, Community College

   $2,208 IPEDS

   Basis

   $1,104 in-state tuition a year x 2 academic years = $2,208. Two years full-time Length source: alameda.edu

   Graduation Rate

   33% (IPEDS)

   Overall

   #19 overall, score 63.7 of 100

4. #3

   West Los Angeles College

   Culver City, California, Community College

   $2,292 IPEDS

   Basis

   $1,196 in-state tuition a year x 1.92 academic years = $2,292. twenty-three-month Length source: wlac.edu

   Graduation Rate

   28% (IPEDS)

   Overall

   #36 overall, score 57.0 of 100

6. #4

   Tulsa Technology Center

   Tulsa, Oklahoma, Technical College

   $2,688 School price

   Basis

   The school's own price, total program (adult tuition). Source: tulsatech.edu

   Includes

   technology fee $168, books ~$241, tools/supplies/certifications ~$2,970 (estimated, separate from tuition)

   Overall

   #33 overall, score 58.3 of 100

7. #5

   San Diego Miramar College

   San Diego, California, Community College

   $2,760 IPEDS

   Basis

   $1,104 in-state tuition a year x 2.5 academic years = $2,760. 2.5 years to complete Length source: sdmiramar.edu

   Graduation Rate

   48% (IPEDS)

   Overall

   #1 overall, score 74.6 of 100

9. #6

   Mt. San Antonio College

   Walnut, California, Community College

   $2,760 School price

   Basis

   The school's own price, total program, in-state (A.S. degree, 60 units). Source: mtsac.edu

   Includes

   does not include books or other additional materials

   Graduation Rate

   45% (IPEDS)

   Overall

   #10 overall, score 66.5 of 100

10. #7

    Gavilan College

    San Martin, California, Community College

    $2,888 IPEDS

    Basis

    $1,444 in-state tuition a year x 2 academic years = $2,888. over two years Length source: gavilan.edu

    Graduation Rate

    42% (IPEDS)

    Overall

    #8 overall, score 67.0 of 100

12. #8

    Broward College

    Pembroke Pines, Florida, Community College

    $3,116 IPEDS

    Basis

    $1,968 in-state tuition a year x 1.58 academic years = $3,116. Traditional track: 18-19 months Length source: broward.edu

    Graduation Rate

    39% (IPEDS)

    Overall

    #3 overall, score 73.8 of 100

13. #9

    Pima Community College

    Tucson, Arizona, Community College

    $3,216 IPEDS

    Basis

    $2,412 in-state tuition a year x 1.33 academic years = $3,216. Airframe and Powerplant: 16 months full-time Length source: pima.edu

    Graduation Rate

    28% (IPEDS)

    Overall

    #54 overall, score 52.8 of 100

15. #10

    Sacramento City College

    McClellan, California, Community College

    $3,220 School price

    Basis

    The school's own price, total program, California resident (as of Fall 2022). Source: scc.losrios.edu

    Includes

    17 units per semester for 4 semesters

    Graduation Rate

    33% (IPEDS)

    Overall

    #17 overall, score 63.8 of 100

A school's own price counts when it covers the whole program for both the Airframe and Powerplant ratings. Per-credit rates, annual rates, low estimates, and prices for a single rating are not used, because they are not whole-program figures.

For the other schools, we multiply IPEDS in-state tuition for one academic year by the program length the school publishes. Months are divided by 12, semesters by 2, and quarters by 3. When a school gives a range, we use the longer end. The quote on each card is the school's own wording of that length.

These 38 schools post a whole-program price on their own websites. It is the most direct comparison on this page, but the prices still cover different things.

The next ten schools after the top 10, cheapest first. The last column is each school's overall score in our overall school ranking.

The scoring rules match our ranking methodology. Schools without a comparable cost can still appear in the overall ranking of FAA-approved schools, scored on the factors they have figures for.