Universal Technical Institute (UTI) is a private, for-profit school that trains technicians for automotive, collision-repair and diesel work on campuses across the United States.
This guide covers what UTI teaches, how long its programs run, what they cost, who accredits the school, how its manufacturer electives work and what published outcomes show.
Those are the numbers that decide whether UTI fits your route into a service bay.
What is Universal Technical Institute (UTI)?
Universal Technical Institute (UTI) is a private, for-profit school that trains technicians for automotive, collision-repair and diesel work.
College Scorecard, the U.S. Department of Education's college data tool, lists UTI as a private for-profit institution, and UTI is institutionally accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC), an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Admission starts with an education credential.
UTI requires a standards-based high school diploma, a state-issued GED or equivalent, an associate degree or higher, at least 60 semester credits, or a recognized home-school credential.
The catalog also screens backgrounds.
UTI will not accept applicants convicted of, or pleading guilty or no contest to, any felony within one year of the expected enrollment date, and the catalog applies further criminal-background restrictions.
The catalog notes that policy does not extend to UTI's California campuses.
Tools work differently than many new students expect.
UTI supplies the tools needed for training, except a required digital multimeter or welding kit in some programs.
Automotive, Diesel and Collision students near graduation with no outstanding obligations receive a one-time Snap-on Career Starter Tool Set Voucher, which expires 90 days after graduation.
Full-time students can also buy tools at a discount through the Snap-on Student Excellence Program while they attend UTI full time.
What programs does UTI offer for automotive and collision students?
UTI's core automotive offering in its catalog is the Automotive & EV Technology program.
The catalog lists it at 51 weeks, 61 semester credit hours and 1,387 clock hours (723 class, 664 lab).
The format is blended rather than fully online.
UTI describes the automotive program as one where students typically spend about half the day on online coursework and about half in the lab, and UTI says the program is not an online mechanic school.
The program also carries program-level recognition: UTI says its Automotive Technician program is accredited by the ASE Education Foundation, and UTI says graduates can substitute their training for one year of the two years of experience ASE requires for certification.
Collision has its own track.
UTI's Collision Repair & Refinish Technology program has a 36-week version totaling 900 clock hours (248.5 lecture, 651.5 lab) and 31.5 semester credits.
UTI's catalog says the curriculum is based on I-CAR Academy, including the I-CAR steel and aluminum welding qualification tests.
After the core automotive program, the path branches.
UTI's automotive page lists six Manufacturer-Specific Advanced Training (MSAT) programs that students can apply to once the core program is complete.
How long is UTI and how much does it cost?
Length first.
The core Automotive & EV Technology program is 51 weeks in UTI's catalog.
Adding a manufacturer emphasis stretches it: at UTI's Avondale chart, Automotive & EV Technology plus the Ford FACT emphasis totals 66 weeks and $57,125.
The GM pairing totals 63 weeks and $55,325.
Price depends on campus and start date, so read UTI's numbers as per-campus charts rather than one list price.
UTI's Avondale, Arizona chart for enrollments on or after August 1, 2026 lists the 51-week Automotive & EV Technology program (an AOS degree) at $45,750 in tuition and $46,725 total once registration, lab, equipment and laptop fees are added.
At Avondale, the tuition covers course books, one work shirt, two T-shirts and safety glasses.
One course retake is free, and each further retake costs $750.
UTI's catalog also says UTI will subsidize third-party certification exam fees up to a cumulative $2,000, subject to the conditions outlined in the catalog.
Living costs sit on top of tuition.
UTI's 2025-2026 cost-of-attendance budget for Avondale adds estimated non-tuition costs of $4,363.20 for transportation, $7,029.60 for personal and miscellaneous expenses and $467 in loan fees per 12-month year.
Living expenses are estimated at $3,597.22 for a student living with parents, or $12,847.20 off campus.
Repayment has one UTI-specific wrinkle.
Under the school's Tuition Reimbursement Incentive Program (TRIP), participating employers make all or part of a hired graduate's monthly student-loan payments.
UTI notes TRIP does not reduce the total cost of tuition, and not all employers participate.
UTI also says it awarded more than $27 million in scholarships and grants in 2025.
Is UTI accredited?
Yes, at the institutional level.
UTI is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC), an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
One program also carries its own accreditation: UTI says its Automotive Technician program is accredited by the ASE Education Foundation.
That is program-level accreditation of the school's curriculum, separate from the institutional accreditation above and separate from ASE's certifications for individual technicians.
Accreditation, prices and catalogs change — confirm before you enroll
How does manufacturer training work at UTI?
UTI's manufacturer electives are its MSAT programs, taken after the core automotive program.
UTI's automotive page lists six Automotive MSAT programs.
Separately, the catalog lists manufacturer-paid MSATs, meaning tuition is sponsored by the manufacturer under terms of employment, for Mercedes-Benz, Peterbilt, Porsche and Tesla.
Manufacturer-paid MSAT admission is selective by the catalog's own terms.
Applicants must interview successfully and meet GPA, attendance, driving-record, drug-testing, relocation and entrance-exam requirements, and MSAT applicants must have no felony convictions.
The catalog also flags the trade-off: these manufacturer-paid programs are not part of UTI's accreditation, are not regulated or approved, and their locations vary.
The catalog's individual pages show how the electives are built.
Ford FACT is a 15-week MSAT offered at UTI's Exton, Houston, Lisle, Avondale, Bloomfield, Sacramento, Rancho Cucamonga, Orlando and Mooresville campuses, and Ford requires 80% or better on each Ford course for a student to be credentialed.
GM Technician Career Training runs 12 weeks at UTI's Avondale, Arizona campus, and GM requires a minimum 80% in both classroom and lab work in each GM section.
BMW FastTrack is another 12-week elective; entry requires a 3.0 GPA, an 80% core professionalism score and a valid driver's license.
UTI's catalog says successful BMW FastTrack graduates earn 7 BMW Training Credentials, and that to receive those BMW credentials and qualify for BMW NA's tuition reimbursement, students must also pass the BMW Associate Level ASE test.
Stellantis' Mopar TEC elective runs 12 weeks at UTI's Mooresville, North Carolina campus, with at least 60% required on the Stellantis online Gateway Test and 70% in class and lab in MOPAR-TEC 1.
Each elective carries its own campus list, entry bar and credential terms, which is why the catalog for the campus you would actually attend is the document that matters.
What do UTI graduate outcomes look like?
UTI publishes graduation and employment numbers per campus, program and cohort, and that per-campus scope matters when you read them.
UTI-Avondale's disclosure, with a report date of July 1, 2025, shows its Automotive & EV Technology (AOS) cohort of 10/22-09/23 at 330 students available to graduate, 266 graduates (81%), and 184 of 251 available graduates employed (73%).
The methodology explains why the percentages look the way they do.
These disclosures use cohorts that give students 150% of program length to complete, plus at least three months to find employment.
The figures describe one campus, one program and one cohort — not a school-wide rate.
Federal College Scorecard data adds earnings context, with its own scope to keep straight.
College Scorecard reports a median of $52,873 in earnings 10 years after entry for students of Universal Technical Institute of Arizona (OPEID 008221), the UTI unit that includes Avondale, Lisle, Rancho Cucamonga, Mooresville, Long Beach and Miramar among other branches.
That median covers every program at those branches and describes federal-aid recipients only, so it is not an automotive-graduate salary.
The narrower field-of-study data is closer to the question: College Scorecard shows median earnings one year after completion of $41,147 for UTI of Arizona's vehicle maintenance and repair certificate/diploma graduates and $39,458 for its associate-degree graduates.
The field, vehicle maintenance and repair technologies (CIP 47.06), also spans diesel, collision, motorcycle and marine programs, so even this narrower figure is wider than automotive alone.
Debt belongs in the same math.
College Scorecard reports a median federal debt of $13,124 for completers at Universal Technical Institute of Arizona — about $139 a month on a standard plan — and about 87% of its students take out a federal loan.
Both are institution-level figures covering every program.
UTI sets the floor expectation itself: its catalog tells students it cannot guarantee employment or salary.
What are the alternatives to UTI?
UTI is one route into the trade, and the alternatives differ mainly in time, money and employer connection.
The no-school route exists.
BLS says postsecondary programs at high schools, community colleges and technical institutes may lead to a certificate or an associate degree, but some technicians enter without a program and learn on the job, and some complete apprenticeships that combine paid on-the-job training with instruction.
Community college is the price contrast.
NCES reports average in-district tuition and required fees for full-time undergraduates at public 2-year institutions of $3,670 in 2023-24, against $16,690 at for-profit 2-year institutions.
Those NCES averages cover all programs, not just automotive, and they leave out room and board.
Among the for-profit brands, Lincoln Tech's Indianapolis campus lists its Automotive Service Technology diploma at 55.0 semester credit hours and 1,320 instructional hours, taking approximately 57 weeks.
Its estimated educational expenses for that program total $41,126 — $37,554 of tuition plus books, uniforms, fees and $2,233 in estimated tools — effective for enrollments on or after May 1, 2026.
WyoTech, in Laramie, Wyoming, lists 2026-2027 tuition of $36,000 for all 9-month programs ($36,100 with the application fee), with Automotive Technology at $37,750 for 2027-2028.
WyoTech is accredited by ACCSC and received ACCSC's 2024-2025 School of Excellence Award.
Manufacturer programs also run through partner colleges rather than one school.
Ford's ASSET program alternates six to eight weeks in the classroom with six to eight weeks at a sponsoring Ford or Lincoln dealer over two years.
It ends in an associate degree plus up to one year of dealership experience in a paid co-op.
Ford lists ASSET at about 40 locations, select community colleges and technical schools.
Toyota's T-TEN is a partnership between community colleges, vocational schools and Toyota/Lexus dealerships, and Toyota says the typical program is two years and can lead to an associate degree, ASE certifications and Toyota/Lexus technician training certifications.
Whichever route you weigh, compare the documents that actually govern the deal: the campus catalog for length and what tuition includes, the cost-of-attendance budget for living costs, and the school's published outcomes.
Prices, terms and program names change, so read the current ones before you sign anything.
Every one of these routes ends in the same place: bays to fill.
Browse automotive technician jobs to see which shops, dealers, tire stores and fleets are hiring.
Career information, not educational, financial or legal advice. Program details, prices, admission rules and accreditation change — confirm them with the school, ACCSC, the ASE Education Foundation and any manufacturer program before you commit.