37 accredited diesel mechanic programs that award a diesel mechanic degree, ranked for 2027 on cost, graduate earnings, completion and track record. Fox Valley Technical College (Appleton, WI) is first.
By Trevor Rupe, Contributor at Savo Media Group Updated
At a Glance
37 programs awarded 1,144 associate’s degrees in diesel fields in 2024-25.
The median program charges about $6,679 a year in tuition and fees.
39 other ranked diesel programs award certificates only and are on the full diesel ranking.
BLS reports a May 2025 median of $61,770 for bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists (SOC 49-3031).
A diesel mechanic degree here means an associate degree from a program accredited by the ASE Education Foundation in Medium/Heavy Duty Truck.
The Top 10 Diesel Mechanic Degrees
Each of these programs awarded a diesel mechanic degree in 2024-25. The 25 highest-scoring programs of 37. Each score is out of 100 and comes from the method below.
Rank 1
Diesel Equipment Technology
Fox Valley Technical College
Appleton, WI
Score78.9
ASE Accredited Program
Public
Associate Degree (AAS), 65 credit hours
Cost
$5,040a year, in-state
Graduation rate
65%within 150% of normal time
Graduate earnings
$62,822median four years after completing, certificate level; school-wide across its mechanic programs
Awards
57in 2024-25
Why it ranks here
Earns its place with a price toward the low end of ranked diesel programs ($5,040 a year, in-state), graduates earning a median $62,822 and a 65% graduation rate. Awarded 7 associate’s degrees in 2024-25.
Source: IPEDS 2024-25 (provisional), College Scorecard and the ASE accreditation list.
Rank 2
Diesel Technology
University of Northwestern Ohio
Lima, OH
Score69.2
ASE Accredited Program
Private Nonprofit
Diesel Technology - Medium/Heavy Duty, 24 months
Cost
$13,875a year
Graduation rate
54%within 150% of normal time
Graduate earnings
$58,429median four years after completing, associate’s level; school-wide across its mechanic programs
Awards
174in 2024-25
Why it ranks here
Ranked #3 of 76 diesel programs nationally. Scores well on graduates earning a median $58,429 and 174 awards in 2024-25, among the larger diesel programs. Awarded 152 associate’s degrees in 2024-25.
Source: IPEDS 2024-25 (provisional), College Scorecard and the ASE accreditation list.
Rank 3
Heavy Duty Truck Technology
Dakota County Technical College
Rosemount, MN
Score69.1
ASE Accredited Program
Public
A.A.S. Degree, 78 credit hours
Cost
$6,679a year
Graduation rate
58%within 150% of normal time
Graduate earnings
$60,744median four years after completing, associate’s level; school-wide across its mechanic programs
Awards
22in 2024-25
Why it ranks here
Ranked #4 of 76 diesel programs nationally. Stands out for a price toward the low end of ranked diesel programs ($6,679 a year) and graduates earning a median $60,744. Awarded 20 associate’s degrees in 2024-25.
Source: IPEDS 2024-25 (provisional), College Scorecard and the ASE accreditation list.
Rank 4
Diesel Equipment Technology
Gateway Technical College
Kenosha, WI
Score68.2
ASE Accredited Program
Public
Associate degree, 65 credit hours
Cost
$4,956a year, in-state
Graduation rate
51%within 150% of normal time
Graduate earnings
$61,093median four years after completing, certificate level; school-wide across its mechanic programs
Awards
24in 2024-25
Why it ranks here
Ranked #8 of 76 diesel programs nationally. Earns its place with a price toward the low end of ranked diesel programs ($4,956 a year, in-state) and graduates earning a median $61,093. Awarded 4 associate’s degrees in 2024-25.
Graduate earnings: four years after finishing, certificate level; school-wide, covering its mechanic programs
Source: IPEDS 2024-25 (provisional), College Scorecard and the ASE accreditation list.
Rank 5
Diesel Technology
Universal Technical Institute of Arizona
Avondale, AZ
Score67.8
ASE Accredited Program
Private For-Profit
Diploma
Cost
$42,145for the 45-week program (scored as $48,701 a year)
Graduation rate
70%within 150% of normal time
Graduate earnings
$60,060median four years after completing, associate’s level; school-wide, shared by 6 campuses
Awards
312in 2024-25
Why it ranks here
Ranked #9 of 76 diesel programs nationally. Scores well on graduates earning a median $60,060, a 70% graduation rate and 312 awards in 2024-25, among the larger diesel programs. Awarded 247 associate’s degrees in 2024-25.
Graduate earnings: four years after finishing, associate’s level; school-wide, shared by 6 campuses
Source: school’s published price (2026-27, read November 3, 2026), IPEDS 2024-25 (provisional), College Scorecard and the ASE accreditation list.
Rank 6
Diesel Technology
Southeast Technical College
Sioux Falls, SD
Score67.1
ASE Accredited Program
Public
Trucking Diploma
Cost
$7,650a year
Graduation rate
59%within 150% of normal time
Graduate earnings
$60,041median four years after completing, associate’s level; school-wide across its mechanic programs
Awards
23in 2024-25
Why it ranks here
Ranked #11 of 76 diesel programs nationally. Ranked on a price of $7,650 a year, graduates earning a median $60,041 and a 59% graduation rate. Awarded 19 associate’s degrees in 2024-25.
Graduate earnings: four years after finishing, associate’s level; school-wide, covering its mechanic programs
Source: IPEDS 2024-25 (provisional), College Scorecard and the ASE accreditation list.
Rank 7
Diesel Technology
Elizabethtown Community and Technical College
Elizabethtown, KY
Score64.3
ASE Accredited Program
Public
Associate in Applied Science
Cost
$4,728a year, in-state
Graduation rate
59%within 150% of normal time
Graduate earnings
$48,524median four years after completing, certificate level; school-wide across its mechanic programs
Awards
151in 2024-25
Why it ranks here
Ranked #14 of 76 diesel programs nationally. Earns its place with a price toward the low end of ranked diesel programs ($4,728 a year, in-state) and 151 awards in 2024-25, among the larger diesel programs. Awarded 10 associate’s degrees in 2024-25.
Graduate earnings: four years after finishing, certificate level; school-wide, covering its mechanic programs
Source: IPEDS 2024-25 (provisional), College Scorecard and the ASE accreditation list.
Rank 8
Diesel Technology - Truck
Southeast Community College Area
Lincoln, NE
Score64.2
ASE Accredited Program
Public
A.A.S., 70 credit hours
John Deere TECH
Cost
$3,690a year, in-state
Graduation rate
38%within 150% of normal time
Awards
70in 2024-25
Why it ranks here
Ranked #15 of 76 diesel programs nationally. Scores well on a price toward the low end of ranked diesel programs ($3,690 a year, in-state) and 70 awards in 2024-25. Awarded 16 associate’s degrees in 2024-25.
Source: IPEDS 2024-25 (provisional) and the ASE accreditation list.
Rank 9
Diesel Technology
Odessa College
Odessa, TX
Score64.0
ASE Accredited Program
Public
Associate in Applied Science
Cost
$2,688a year, in-district
Graduation rate
37%within 150% of normal time
Awards
91in 2024-25
Why it ranks here
Ranked #17 of 76 diesel programs nationally. Stands out for a price toward the low end of ranked diesel programs ($2,688 a year, in-district) and 91 awards in 2024-25, among the larger diesel programs. Awarded 23 associate’s degrees in 2024-25.
Source: IPEDS 2024-25 (provisional) and the ASE accreditation list.
Rank 10
Diesel Technology
WyoTech
Laramie, WY
Score63.5
ASE Accredited Program
Private For-Profit
Diploma, 9 months
Cost
$31,750for the 9-month program (scored as $42,333 a year)
Graduation rate
85%within 150% of normal time
Graduate earnings
$52,937median four years after completing, certificate level; school-wide across its mechanic programs
Awards
488in 2024-25
Why it ranks here
Ranked #19 of 76 diesel programs nationally. Earns its place with graduates earning a median $52,937, an 85% graduation rate and 488 awards in 2024-25, among the larger diesel programs. Awarded 67 associate’s degrees in 2024-25.
Graduate earnings: four years after finishing, certificate level; school-wide, covering its mechanic programs
Each program is scored out of 100 on five published measures, and the scores are absolute: no program is scaled to the top
one, so a score of 70 means the same thing on every list and every state page. This list is in score order. A program is on this list when it is a ranked diesel program and IPEDS records at least one associate’s degree it awarded in diesel technology in 2024-25.
The five scored factors and their weights
Factor
Weight
What it reads
Cost
25 of 100
What a year of tuition and fees costs, compared with every other ranked program in the same area.
Graduate Earnings
25 of 100
What the school’s graduates in mechanic and repair programs earn, from federal data.
Completion
20 of 100
The share of the school’s first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of normal time.
Track Record
15 of 100
How many credentials the program awards in a year.
Program Reputation
15 of 100
A 0 to 4 rating of how employers in the trade regard the program, made by Cloudflare’s Clef language model from the same few facts for every program.
Ties are broken by Cost, then Graduate Earnings, then school name. Scores are shown to one decimal and programs are ordered by the unrounded score, so two programs can show the same score at different ranks. How We Rank gives the formulas, the data sources and the disclosures for each figure.
Diesel Accreditation Behind This List
The ASE Education Foundation accredits programs, not whole schools, at the secondary and postsecondary levels in three areas: Automobile, Medium/Heavy Duty Truck, and Collision Repair and Refinishing. This list uses the Medium/Heavy Duty Truck area only. Accreditation lasts five years, and a program that does not renew comes off the Foundation’s list. On November 3, 2026, when the list was last read, every ranked program here held an unexpired accreditation.
Accreditation is not ASE certification. ASE certifies individual technicians: to earn an ASE certification a person passes an ASE test and has full-time, hands-on work experience, or a combination of formal training and experience. The ASE T-series covers medium and heavy truck systems, from Gasoline Engines (T1) to Preventive Maintenance Inspection (T8), and technicians certified in T2 through T8 are recognized as Master Medium-Heavy Truck Technicians. Technicians retest every five years to keep a certification.
What the Numbers Show About Diesel Degree Programs
A program is on this list when IPEDS records at least one associate’s degree it awarded in diesel mechanic in 2024-25. Scores are the same national scores the diesel ranking uses, so a program’s place here is its place on that list with the certificate-only programs taken out. Where a school awards more certificates than associate’s degrees, its graduate earnings are read at the certificate level, and the card says so.
37 of the 37 programs award associate’s degrees, and the rest award certificates. 23 are at public institutions and 10 at private for-profit schools. The states with the most ranked programs are Minnesota (3), Ohio (3) and Texas (3).
Choosing a Diesel Mechanic Degree
The Bureau of Labor Statistics says most diesel technicians learn on the job, so a diesel mechanic degree is one route rather than a requirement.
To compare programs, read the yearly price with its unit, the graduation rate and the graduate earnings on each card. A degree costs more in time than a certificate, and the ranking shows what each school’s graduates earn afterward.
Every program on this list awarded at least one associate degree in 2024-25. Where a school awards more certificates than degrees, the card reads its graduate earnings at the certificate level and says so, which keeps one diesel mechanic degree comparable with the next.
A diesel mechanic degree is one route into the trade; the career guide covers the on-the-job path and ASE certification.
Questions About Diesel Mechanic Degrees
What is the best diesel mechanic associate degree program?
Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton, WI holds first place for 2027, on a score of 78.9 out of 100. The score weighs cost, graduate earnings, completion, track record and program reputation; How We Rank explains each.
Do I need an associate degree to work as a diesel mechanic?
No. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says most diesel technicians learn on the job after high school, that employers may prefer candidates who completed postsecondary training in diesel engine repair, and that some community colleges and vocational-technical schools offer certificate or degree programs. An associate degree is one route; a certificate is another.
How much does diesel mechanic school cost?
Among the 37 programs on this list, the median reports about $6,679 a year in tuition and fees for 2024-25, from $1,334 a year, in-state at Fresno City College in Fresno, CA to $42,345 for the 45-week program at Universal Technical Institute-Orlando in Orlando, FL. Community colleges that charge by the year sit at the low end; schools that price the whole program show that price and its length on each card, and the yearly figure is only what the cost score reads. Books, tools and living costs are not included.
What does the graduation rate on each card measure?
It is the federal graduation rate within 150% of normal time for the whole school: of the first-time, full-time students who started, the share who finished a credential within one and a half times its normal length. It is not a rate for the trade program alone, and a school with a small entering class can show a rate near 0% or 100%.
How much do diesel technicians earn?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median of $61,770 a year for bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists (SOC 49-3031) in its May 2025 estimates, with the lowest-paid tenth earning under $44,530 and the highest-paid tenth over $88,740. Pay depends on the state, the employer and the work; each state ranking on this site shows the state’s median.
Do I need a diesel mechanic degree?
No. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says most diesel technicians learn on the job after high school, and that employers may prefer candidates who completed postsecondary training. A diesel mechanic degree is one route; a certificate is another.
How long does a diesel mechanic degree take?
An associate degree is a two-year credential at its normal length. The graduation rate on each card counts students for up to three years, so it covers those who take a little longer.
Sources for Diesel Mechanic Degrees
U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS Completions (awards July 2024 to June 2025, provisional), tuition and fees for 2024-25, graduation rates within 150% of normal time and the institutional directory.
This site earns money from sponsored school listings served by the education ad network Esyoh, which are marked as ads wherever they appear. Schools pay to appear in those listings, not in the rankings: a listing is not scored, and no listing can change a ranking. Rankings come from published records, and program details from each school’s own published pages.
