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Aircraft mechanic school in Illinois

10 aircraft mechanic programs with results and funding that can make them free

5 schools offer these aviation maintenance programs, and Illinois has approved every one for workforce funding. Each shows how past students did; Illinois files no usable prices.

Aircraft mechanics and avionics technicians inspect, test and repair aircraft and their systems. Most train at an FAA-approved aviation maintenance technician school, some in a two-year degree, and most are certified by the FAA; employers often prefer mechanics with both the airframe and powerplant (A&P) ratings.1 For the FAA mechanic certificate you must be at least 18, read, write, speak and understand English, and pass written, oral and practical tests.2

In Illinois, 5 of the 10 programs take students without a high school diploma, 3 ask for a diploma or equivalent and 2 ask for earlier courses first.

By kind, the 10 programs here are aviation maintenance (associate degree, 3 programs), airframe or powerplant only (3 programs), A&P certificate or diploma (3 programs) and aircraft structures and assembly (1 program).

See the 10 programs

How much does aircraft mechanic school cost in Illinois?

Not reported

Illinois files no usable prices, so none can be shown.

In the typical program

Finished the program
Not reported
None of the 10 programs report it
Working 6 months later
Not enough data
1 program reports it; a typical figure needs 5
Earned a year, estimated
Not enough data
1 program reports it; a typical figure needs 5
Length
46 to 80 weeks

Source: US Department of Labor, program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025). Only programs approved for workforce funding are listed; other schools in Illinois may also offer aircraft mechanic school. How these figures are made

Is there free aircraft mechanic school in Illinois?

Who qualifies, and other ways to pay: financial aid, grants and the GI Bill

All 10 aircraft mechanic programs in Illinois approved for WIOA funding

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10 programs

How to pay for aircraft mechanic school in Illinois

WIOA funding can pay for aircraft mechanic school in Illinois

Every program on this page is approved for it. Whether you qualify, how much your local area pays and how to apply are on our page Does WIOA pay for job training?

Financial aid and grants for aircraft mechanic school

Most students can get federal student aid for college, career school or trade school. A Federal Pell Grant, unlike a loan, usually doesn't have to be repaid. Ask the school whether its program qualifies.78

GI Bill for aircraft mechanic school

Veterans, service members and qualified dependents can use GI Bill benefits for non-college training programs.9

The program list does not show which programs accept these. Ask the school.

Aircraft mechanic school in Rockford, Chicago, Springfield and other Illinois cities

Choosing an area filters the program list above.

Other training in Illinois

How aircraft mechanic school compares with the rest of transportation and logistics: Transportation and logistics training in Illinois

Where the Illinois aviation maintenance program numbers come from

Which Illinois aviation maintenance programs are on this list?

These are the aviation maintenance programs Illinois approved for WIOA funding (public workforce funding under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act), as reported to the US Department of Labor for program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025). Each state keeps its approved programs on an eligible training provider list (ETPL).10 The list here covers programs approved as of June 30, 2025. Schools that never applied for approval are missing, so this is a part of what Illinois offers.

How the prices and results of Illinois aviation maintenance programs are measured

Prices are tuition and required fees for someone paying without workforce funding, as the school reported them; check the current price with the school. Results describe students who left each program in recent years, so they are no guarantee, and the yearly earnings are the reported quarter times four, an estimate. A program without a "Trained with WIOA funding" line may still take WIOA students. Where a field was left empty or withheld, the page says "Not reported", and "Left out" where a figure was filed but failed one of our checks; nothing is estimated to fill a gap. Where the numbers come from explains each figure in full.

How reliable are the Illinois figures?

The US Department of Labor's own results site lists Illinois among the states with "known data quality concerns".11 We leave out the share who finished for Illinois: only a few programs report it, and those at a typical 11%. We leave out prices for Illinois: the state files a code in place of each price, so no price can be shown.

Sources for the facts about aircraft mechanic school in Illinois

Show the 11 sourcesHide the sources
  1. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Aircraft and Avionics Equipment Mechanics and Technicians
  2. Electronic Code of Federal Regulations: 14 CFR part 65, subpart D, Mechanics
  3. US Department of Labor, TrainingProviderResults.gov: About This Site
  4. US Department of Labor: WIOA Adult Program
  5. Code of Federal Regulations, title 20, part 680, sections 680.220, 680.230 and 680.310: career services before training, other grants such as Pell Grants first, and limits on Individual Training Accounts (GovInfo, 2024 edition)
  6. US Department of Labor: American Job Centers
  7. US Department of Education, Federal Student Aid: Eligibility for Federal Student Aid
  8. US Department of Education, Federal Student Aid: Don't Miss Out on Federal Pell Grants
  9. US Department of Veterans Affairs: GI Bill benefits for non-college degree programs
  10. US Department of Labor, Training and Employment Guidance Letter 8-19, Attachment I: Requirements for Training Providers, Program Eligibility, and the State Eligible Training Provider (ETP) List
  11. US Department of Labor, TrainingProviderResults.gov: search page, note on states with known data quality concerns