25 accredited programs at 18 schools in Minnesota, ranked for 2027: automotive, diesel, collision repair and aviation maintenance. Dakota County Technical College in Rosemount, MN has the highest score, and bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists here earn a median $66,840.
By Trevor Rupe, Contributor at Savo Media Group Updated
At a Glance
25 ranked programs at 18 schools in Minnesota: 16 automotive, 3 diesel, 3 collision repair and 3 aviation maintenance.
Dakota County Technical College in Rosemount, MN scores highest, 69.1 out of 100 (diesel).
BLS reports a May 2025 median of $58,390 for automotive service technicians and mechanics (SOC 49-3023) in Minnesota.
Published prices run from $4,738 a year (Pine Technical & Community College) to $27,836 a year (Dunwoody College of Technology).
17 of 18 ranked mechanic schools in Minnesota are public institutions.
Top Mechanic Schools in Minnesota
These mechanic schools in Minnesota run in score order. Ranks are this state’s; each card also gives the national rank in its trade.
Rank 1
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
Diesel technician pay in Minnesota
$66,840median, BLS May 2025
Graduate earnings
$60,744median four years after completing, associate’s level; school-wide across its mechanic programs
Why it ranks here
Ranked #4 of 76 diesel programs nationally. Earns its place with a price toward the low end of ranked diesel programs ($6,679 a year) and graduates earning a median $60,744.
16 ranked automotive programs at 16 schools in Minnesota. Dakota County Technical College (Rosemount, MN) leads and stands #21 of 415 nationally, in the top quarter, on a score of 66.3. Pine Technical & Community College is the lowest priced at $4,738 a year, against $27,836 a year at Dunwoody College of Technology. Automotive programs are taught in Rosemount, MN, Anoka, MN, Minneapolis, MN, Brooklyn Park, MN, Fergus Falls, MN and Saint Cloud, MN, and 10 more cities. The largest, in Brooklyn Park, MN, awarded 72 credentials in 2024-25. BLS reports a May 2025 median of $58,390 for automotive service technicians and mechanics (SOC 49-3023) in Minnesota, $7,770 above the national median of $50,620.
3 ranked diesel programs at 3 schools in Minnesota. Dakota County Technical College (Rosemount, MN) leads and stands #4 of 76 nationally, in the top quarter, on a score of 69.1. Hennepin Technical College is the lowest priced at $5,940 a year, against $6,679 a year at Dakota County Technical College. Diesel programs are taught in Rosemount, MN, Saint Cloud, MN and Brooklyn Park, MN. The program graduated 58% of its students within 150% of normal time and awarded 22 credentials in 2024-25. BLS reports a May 2025 median of $66,840 for bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists (SOC 49-3031) in Minnesota, $5,070 above the national median of $61,770.
3 ranked collision repair programs at 3 schools in Minnesota. The best placed is St Cloud Technical and Community College (Saint Cloud, MN), #20 of 59 nationally and in the upper half, scoring 60.1. St Cloud Technical and Community College is the lowest priced at $6,124 a year, against $27,836 a year at Dunwoody College of Technology. Collision repair programs are taught in Saint Cloud, MN, Minneapolis, MN and White Bear Lake, MN. The largest, in White Bear Lake, MN, awarded 17 credentials in 2024-25. BLS reports a May 2025 median of $60,970 for automotive body and related repairers (SOC 49-3021) in Minnesota, $6,080 above the national median of $54,890.
3 ranked aviation maintenance programs at 3 schools in Minnesota. The best placed is Minneapolis Community and Technical College (Minneapolis, MN), #63 of 148 nationally and in the upper half, scoring 55.0. Lake Superior College is the lowest priced at $5,785 a year, against $6,289 a year at Northland Community and Technical College. Aviation maintenance programs are taught in Minneapolis, MN, Duluth, MN and Thief River Falls, MN. The largest, in Duluth, MN, awarded 37 credentials in 2024-25. BLS reports a May 2025 median of $81,980 for aircraft mechanics and service technicians (SOC 49-3011) in Minnesota, $2,110 above the national median of $79,870.
BLS counts 11,980 wage and salary jobs for automotive service technicians and mechanics in Minnesota, a thinner market than the national average. The medians below describe each occupation in the state, not the graduates of the mechanic schools in $Minnesota above.
BLS median pay in Minnesota by occupation, May 2025
Occupation
Median
Lowest 10%
Highest 10%
Jobs
U.S. median
Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics SOC 49-3023
$58,390
under $38,310
over $83,180
11,980
$50,620
Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists SOC 49-3031
$66,840
under $49,810
over $90,520
7,300
$61,770
Automotive Body and Related Repairers SOC 49-3021
$60,970
under $41,500
over $92,900
2,910
$54,890
Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians SOC 49-3011
$81,980
under $52,100
over $133,020
2,390
$79,870
Largest metropolitan areas for automotive service technicians and mechanics: Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI at $60,490 (7,180 jobs), Sioux Falls, SD-MN at $59,190 (720 jobs) and Duluth, MN-WI at $52,640 (650 jobs).
For bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists: Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI at $73,730 (4,290 jobs) and Sioux Falls, SD-MN at $61,700 (620 jobs).
For automotive body and related repairers: Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI at $62,200 (1,830 jobs) and Sioux Falls, SD-MN at $50,310 (240 jobs).
For aircraft mechanics and service technicians: Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI at $90,050 (2,110 jobs) and Sioux Falls, SD-MN at $74,150 (80 jobs).
Mechanic Salary in Minnesota has the full percentiles, every metropolitan area BLS publishes and the five mechanic trades side by side.
For 2027, Dakota County Technical College in Rosemount, MN has the highest score of the 25 ranked programs in Minnesota, 69.1 out of 100. Among the mechanic schools in Minnesota, the leaders by trade are Dakota County Technical College (automotive), Dakota County Technical College (diesel), St Cloud Technical and Community College (collision repair) and Minneapolis Community and Technical College (aviation maintenance). 17 of the 18 ranked schools with a recorded control are public.
Which mechanic schools in Minnesota are accredited?
The 18 ranked mechanic schools in Minnesota hold ASE Education Foundation accreditation in automotive, diesel and collision repair and FAA Part 147 certification for aviation maintenance, and each met the federal entry bar for the ranking.
How much do mechanics make in Minnesota?
In the Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2025 estimates, Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics in Minnesota earn a median of $58,390, $7,770 above the national median of $50,620; Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists earn a median of $66,840, $5,070 above the national median of $61,770. These are medians for wage and salary workers in the occupation, not starting pay.
How much do mechanic schools in Minnesota cost?
Among the mechanic schools in Minnesota with a published price, tuition and fees run from $4,738 a year at Pine Technical & Community College (Pine City, MN) to $27,836 a year at Dunwoody College of Technology (Minneapolis, MN). The median across the state is about $6,249 a year.
Sources for Minnesota Mechanic School Rankings
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.
