How Much Does It Cost to Get Your A&P Licenses?
Posted: April 13, 2021 | Author: Jaidyn Crookston | Read Time: 7 minutes
One of the most common questions that potential aircraft maintenance technicians (AMT) students ask is “How much does it cost to get an A&P license?” For many of these students, the cost of getting a license will determine whether or not they follow their dream and become an aircraft maintenance technician or push it away and go down a cheaper route. Even though the price is a big factor in choosing a program, know that it’s something you can overcome.
Choosing an AMT Program
One of the first things you need to do when finding an AMT program is deciding whether you want to attend an AMT school that’s attached to a university or one that isn’t. There are many benefits to attending a university AMT program; the top benefit being that once you graduate from the program you’ll have an associate or bachelor’s degree on top of your A&P license. A degree isn’t required to get a job as a mechanic, but it will put you above the competition and may qualify you to earn more money in the future.
One of the differences between training at a university AMT school versus a non-university school is the price of the program. While every school will be different, university programs are typically more expensive than non-university ones. However, they do come with a lot of benefits.
Benefits of Training at a University AMT School
While the biggest benefit of a university AMT school is that you’ll finish your training with a degree, there are many other benefits as well.
One benefit of training at a university AMT school is that most university programs receive more funding than non-university ones. This is because university AMT schools are fully or partly funded by the university itself, and so have all the benefits and funding opportunities that come along with that.
Part of these funding opportunities includes university scholarships. As a university student, you’ll be eligible for a lot more scholarships and federal aid than you would otherwise. In fact, many AMT students are able to fully fund their university AMT program through scholarships, financial aid, and student loans. Some university programs can even provide tools for their students to use during training, which can potentially save them up to $3,000-4,000 in training costs.
Most university AMT programs also provide more advanced training and give their students more practical experience. This comes with getting a degree. Because having a degree is such an achievement, it makes sense that you would need to be given more training to qualify for one. Universities want to make sure that their students are doing enough work and going through enough training to earn a prestigious degree, so there will be a high emphasis on training quality and advanced procedures.
Another great thing about university AMT programs is that your training won’t take much longer than a non-university program would. Both university and non-university programs typically take about two years to complete (although this goes up to four years if you want a bachelor’s degree on top of your associate degree).
The Cost of Training at a University AMT School
One of the only downsides to training at a university AMT school is that most university programs cost more than non-university ones. One reason for this is because you’ll have to pay university tuition on top of paying for the AMT program. This means that the overall price of the program will vary depending on what school you’re attending and whether you’re paying in-state or out-of-state tuition.
Finding a program with a great reputation, quality aircraft, and lots of resources should be your goal when looking at university AMT schools.
AMT schools can cost anywhere from $8,000-$30,000 for an associate degree program and $20,000-$80,000 for a bachelor’s program. These prices don’t take tuition into consideration, since tuition will be different for every university. This is a big price range because every school is different.
The Cost of Training at a Non-University AMT School
Training to become an A&P Mechanic at a non-university AMT school will likely be cheaper than training at a university school. However, if you train at a non-university school you won’t get a degree and likely won’t have the same scholarships and financial aid that are available to university students. Most non-university AMT schools don’t have the same resources and advanced training that university programs do.
The cost to train at a non-university AMT program is typically around $20,000-50,000.
SUU Aviation
Southern Utah University Aviation is one of the highest-ranked AMT schools in the nation. With affordable prices, amazing instructors, and top-notch aircraft to learn on, SUU Aviation is a great pick for any future AMT student.
The thing that sets SUU Aviation apart, though, is that SUU Aviation was the first AMT school in the country that was authorized by the FAA to teach AMT students using an updated curriculum and new training techniques. While other AMT schools typically still teach students using old techniques and materials (because of outdated FAA regulations), students at SUU Aviation learn updated maintenance techniques and practice using modern materials and gadgets. This is a major advantage because students who graduate from SUU Aviation won’t need to be retrained by an employer or taught new techniques. This saves the employer and the new mechanic time and money.
Even though SUU Aviation comes with so many benefits, it isn’t any more expensive than most other university AMT schools. Once all tuition, fees, and books are taken into consideration, it will cost about $41,000 to earn your A&P license at SUU Aviation, as well as an associate degree.
This may sound like a lot of money, but remember that this takes into account all fees and costs of the program. This is the total price, not just the cost of the program.
Earning your A&P license is an investment. Yes, you’ll be paying a lot of money now to go through training (no matter where you decide to train), but once you start working, you’ll be able to earn that money back and lots more.
How to Fund your AMT Training
There are plenty of funding options available to you while you pursue an AMT certificate. Another advantage to attending a university AMT program is that as a university student you’ll have access to more funding opportunities than AMT students who aren’t attending a university. These extra opportunities include federal financial aid, student loans, and lots of scholarships.
Non-university AMT students will still have access to some loans and scholarships, but not nearly as many as university students will. You may even be able to get an academic scholarship through the university.
By filling out the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) each year, you may qualify for federal Pell Grants. This is money you don’t have to give back, making it a much better option than student loans. If you do end up taking out student loans, your salary as a mechanic will help you pay those back.
If you want to learn more about how to pay for your AMT school, check out this article.
Are You Looking for an AMT School?
As one of the top AMT schools in the country, and as the first AMT school authorized by the FAA to teach students using an updated curriculum, SUU Aviation is the best place to be.
Not only will you be attending a great school, you’ll be attending a school that truly cares about you. Each student gets a high-quality education and has all the support they need. You can’t go wrong with SUU Aviation, so if you want to be an aircraft maintenance technician, take the leap and apply today!
If you have any questions about how much it costs to get an A&P license or about SUU Aviation’s AMT program in general, contact the school or request information on the website. You can also come in for a tour and see the school and the great program for yourself.
Produced by SUU Aviation
The university's fleet includes 16 airplanes, 23 helicopters by the end of 2020, and state-of-the-art maintenance training facilities. SUU Aviation offers advanced and relevant flight training in the safest and most efficient way possible. The program continues to be on the cutting edge of the industry, training tomorrow's aviation leaders. With SUU Aviation, you’ll get a high-quality education and have the experience needed to get a job in the aviation industry.
Tags: Aviation
