Most career training in the Little Rock area runs through one public college, UA – Pulaski Technical College, which teaches nursing, allied health, the building and transportation trades, aviation maintenance and culinary arts at sites in North Little Rock and Little Rock. Around it are a short-course healthcare school downtown, a Paul Mitchell beauty school and a one-week course center for working technicians. This page compares the 4 schools, what they cost and which license each trade leads to.
Little Rock at a glance
- Schools listed
- 4, all open to adults
- Where
- Little Rock and North Little Rock
- Public college
- UA – Pulaski Technical College (UA-PTC)
- Shortest career course
- 90-hour nursing assistant course, 3 weeks by day (AECC)
- Federal aid at
- 2 of the 4: UA-PTC and Paul Mitchell
- Workforce funding
- WIOA for AECC’s nursing assistant, medical assistant and pharmacy tech courses
Facts checked October 2026. Sources are linked in each section and in each school’s profile.
Little Rock Trade Schools and Career Colleges
Listed alphabetically, not ranked. Each card links to a full profile with programs, outcomes and sources. Pick a trade to filter the list; each trade’s pay, length and license are in Trades and licensing.
Open to adults (4 schools)
AECC Career School
Short certificates for nursing assistants (90 hours, 3 weeks by day or 4 at night), clinical medical assistants and pharmacy technicians, plus an evening cybersecurity course taught only at Little Rock.
- Length
- 90 to 144 hours (3 to 12 weeks)
- Accredited
- None; licensed by the Arkansas Division of Higher Education
- Federal aid
- No; WIOA funding for the three health programs
Cost: $1,599 (CNA), $1,899 (pharmacy tech), $2,800 (medical assistant), $2,995 (cybersecurity) (2026 catalog)
View school profile →Paul Mitchell The School Little Rock
Teaches 1,500-hour cosmetology, 600-hour aesthetics and a 600-hour master instructor program. It is run by PMHS-LR, LLC, which also runs the Paul Mitchell school in Norman, Oklahoma.
- Length
- Cosmetology 1,500 hours; aesthetics 600 hours
- Accredited
- NACCAS (Paul Mitchell schools are accredited school by school)
- Federal aid
- Yes
Cost: Not published; ask the school for its catalog price
Ultimate Technical Academy
One-week, lab-heavy courses for people who already work in the trades: five HVAC courses, one for electricians and one in plumbing. It is extra training, not a way into the trade, and no course leads to a license.
- Length
- 5 days per course
- Accredited
- None
- Federal aid
- No
Cost: $1,650 per course, including materials and lunch
View school profile →University of Arkansas – Pulaski Technical College (UA-PTC)
The Little Rock area’s public two-year college: practical nursing, dental assisting, surgical technology, respiratory therapy, paramedic, HVACR, welding, automotive, diesel, collision repair, an evening electrical lineworker program, FAA Airframe and Powerplant training and ACF-accredited culinary programs.
- Length
- One-semester certificates to two-year AAS degrees
- Accredited
- Yes (HLC, with monitoring)
- Federal aid
- Yes
Cost: $224.80 per credit in-state with mandatory fees, plus a program fee of up to $205 a credit in most career programs (fall 2026)
View school profile →No schools on this page match. Try another trade, or see all Arkansas trade schools.
AECC also has a Pine Bluff campus (CNA, medical assistant and pharmacy tech). Pine Bluff also has Northern Technical College (barbering) and the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, and Hot Springs Beauty College teaches cosmetology in Hot Springs. See all Arkansas trade schools for the rest of the state.
- Check accreditation and aid. AECC and Ultimate Technical Academy are not accredited and take no federal aid; AECC’s three health courses are approved for WIOA funding.
- Ask UA-PTC which campus you will attend. Health programs are at the main campus in North Little Rock, culinary, collision repair and lineworker at Little Rock–South, and aviation at the Aerospace Technology Center, but the college’s pages do not say where welding, HVACR, automotive, diesel or cosmetology meet.
- Add the program fee. UA-PTC charges $224.80 a credit with mandatory fees, then up to $205 a credit more depending on the program.
- There is no RN program on this page. UA-PTC teaches practical nursing (LPN) only; see Arkansas nursing programs.
More in Arkansas: All Arkansas trade schools · Arkansas licensing at a glance
Where to start, by goal
| Your goal | Schools to consider | Why they may fit |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest-cost accredited credential | UA-PTC | $224.80 a credit in-state with mandatory fees (fall 2026), plus a program fee; takes federal aid |
| HVAC | UA-PTC (HVACR AAS, technical certificate or certificate of proficiency); Ultimate Technical Academy (if you already work in HVAC) | UA-PTC adds a $40-a-credit program fee; Ultimate’s one-week courses cost $1,650 each |
| Electrical lineworker | UA-PTC (H-VOLT, Little Rock–South) | Evenings Monday to Thursday and Saturdays; 16 seats a term; NCCER credential; $200-a-credit program fee |
| Welding | UA-PTC | Technical certificate or certificate of proficiency; $55-a-credit program fee |
| Automotive, diesel or collision | UA-PTC | Diesel is ASE Education Foundation accredited; collision repair is at Little Rock–South |
| Aircraft mechanic (A&P) | UA-PTC (Aerospace Technology Center, North Little Rock) | AAS in Aviation Maintenance or separate Airframe and Powerplant certificates; $45-a-credit program fee |
| Class A CDL | UA-PTC (Tractor and Trailer Operation) | The only CDL program among the Little Rock schools we profile; ask for its length and start dates |
| Practical nurse (LPN) | UA-PTC | Main campus; $100-a-credit program fee. Check its NCLEX-PN results first (see Nursing and healthcare) |
| Quick healthcare job | AECC | CNA in 3 weeks for $1,599; pharmacy tech in 8 weeks for $1,899; medical assistant in 12 weeks for $2,800 |
| Dental assisting | UA-PTC | CODA-accredited, nine months full time, August start |
| Surgical tech, respiratory therapy or paramedic | UA-PTC | Programmatically accredited (CAAHEP for surgical technology and paramedic, CoARC for respiratory therapy) |
| Cosmetology | Paul Mitchell (North Little Rock); UA-PTC | 1,500 hours for an Arkansas cosmetology license |
| Culinary or baking | UA-PTC (Little Rock–South) | American Culinary Federation “Exemplary” accreditation through 2030; $200-a-credit program fee |
These match goals to published program features. They are not rankings.
Costs and financial aid
These are the prices each school published, with the year. They exclude books, tools, and exam and license fees unless noted.
| Route | Example | Cost | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public college (in-state) | UA-PTC tuition plus mandatory fees | $224.80 per credit; about $6,744 for 30 credits, before program fees | Fall 2026 |
| Public college program fees | UA-PTC: dental assisting; HVAC; automotive and diesel; practical nursing; culinary and lineworker | $15; $40; $50; $100; $200 per credit | Fall 2026 |
| Short healthcare course | AECC CNA; pharmacy tech; medical assistant | $1,599; $1,899; $2,800 | 2026 catalog |
| Course for working technicians | Ultimate Technical Academy | $1,650 per one-week course | 2026 |
Paul Mitchell’s North Little Rock price is not in our profile, so ask the school for its catalog. Out-of-state students pay $377.80 a credit with fees at UA-PTC.
Paying for training
- Federal aid: UA-PTC and Paul Mitchell take Pell Grants and federal loans through the FAFSA. AECC and Ultimate Technical Academy take none.
- Workforce funding (WIOA): AECC’s CNA, medical assistant and pharmacy technician courses are on Arkansas’s WIOA training-provider list (renewal due 22 December 2026). Ask an Arkansas Workforce Center whether you qualify.
- Payment plans: AECC lets students pay in full, in two payments or in partial payments; most of its website prices are about 3% above the catalog’s, so get your price in writing. Ultimate Technical Academy offers installments only to group members.
Trade pathways and licensing
How each trade works in Little Rock, how long training takes, what it pays and which license you need. Pay is the Little Rock–North Little Rock–Conway metro median annual wage for all experience levels (BLS 2025, via O*NET OnLine). The full state rules are in Arkansas licensing at a glance.
HVAC
Anyone who handles refrigerant needs federal EPA 608 certification, and Arkansas’s HVACR Licensing Board issues HVACR licenses, which ask for two years of recent, verifiable experience.
- Length
- One-semester certificates to a two-year AAS; one-week courses for working techs
- Little Rock median pay
- $48,000 (HVAC mechanics)
- License
- EPA 608 (federal); Arkansas HVACR license after 2 years of experience
Schools on this page: UA-PTC (HVACR AAS, technical certificate or certificate of proficiency; $40-a-credit program fee) and Ultimate Technical Academy (five one-week HVAC courses with optional NATE testing on site; the EPA exam costs $75 extra).
UA-PTC’s pages do not say which campus teaches HVACR, so confirm before you apply. Ultimate Technical Academy is not accredited, takes no federal aid and is meant for people already working in the trade. Sources: our UA-PTC and Ultimate Technical Academy profiles; HVACR license application.
Electrical, lineworker and plumbing
Arkansas licenses journeyman electricians and plumbers after a registered apprenticeship and an exam. Lineworkers train for utility jobs instead, and UA-PTC runs an evening program with nine utility partners.
- Length
- Lineworker certificates on evenings and Saturdays; about four years (8,000 hours) for a journeyman electrician
- License
- Journeyman electrician (Board of Electrical Examiners); journeyman plumber (Department of Health); NCCER credential for lineworkers
Schools on this page: UA-PTC (H-VOLT lineworker technical certificate or certificate of proficiency at Little Rock–South: Monday to Thursday 5:30 to 10 pm and Saturdays 7 to 3:30, 16 seats a term) and Ultimate Technical Academy (one-week courses for working electricians and plumbers).
UA-PTC’s lineworker program takes students first come, first served, requires a weight of 300 lb or less and adds a $200-a-credit program fee. None of the four schools here runs an electrical or plumbing apprenticeship, and Ultimate Technical Academy’s courses lead to no license. Sources: our UA-PTC and Ultimate Technical Academy profiles; Board of Electrical Examiners experience form.
Welding
Arkansas does not license welders; employers hire on the strength of welding tests, so ask which tests a program includes.
- Length
- Certificate of proficiency or technical certificate
- Little Rock median pay
- $47,440
- Certification
- Employer or AWS welding tests
Schools on this page: UA-PTC (Welding Technology; $55-a-credit program fee).
UA-PTC’s pages do not say which campus teaches welding. Source: our UA-PTC profile.
Automotive, diesel and aviation
UA-PTC teaches automotive, diesel and collision repair, and trains FAA Airframe and Powerplant mechanics at its own Aerospace Technology Center in North Little Rock.
- Length
- Certificates of proficiency to a two-year AAS
- License
- ASE tests (optional); FAA A&P certificate for aircraft mechanics
Schools on this page: UA-PTC (automotive and diesel, $50 a credit in program fees; collision repair at Little Rock–South, $58; aviation maintenance at the Aerospace Technology Center, $45).
The diesel program is accredited by the ASE Education Foundation (medium/heavy truck, since November 2023). The college does not say whether automotive and diesel classes meet at the main campus or Little Rock–South, so ask. Source: our UA-PTC profile.
CDL and truck driving
First-time truck drivers must finish federal entry-level driver training before the CDL skills test. UA-PTC is the only Little Rock school we profile with a CDL program.
- Length
- Ask UA-PTC
- Little Rock median pay
- $57,050 (tractor-trailer drivers)
- License
- Arkansas Class A CDL
Schools on this page: UA-PTC (Tractor and Trailer Operation).
Our profile has no length or price for UA-PTC’s CDL program, so ask for both. NWTI in Springdale runs a 4-week Class A course; see Arkansas CDL programs.
Nursing and healthcare
Little Rock’s public option for nursing is UA-PTC’s practical nursing (LPN) program; it has no RN program. Short private courses train nursing assistants, medical assistants and pharmacy technicians.
- Length
- 3 weeks (CNA) to a two-year AAS
- Little Rock median pay
- $59,240 LPN; $35,370 nursing assistant; $38,110 medical assistant; $45,140 dental assistant; $60,910 surgical technologist; $38,860 pharmacy tech
- License
- NCLEX-PN (Arkansas State Board of Nursing); state CNA exam; national exams for assistants and technologists
Schools on this page: UA-PTC (practical nursing, CNA, dental assisting, surgical technology, respiratory therapy, EMT, paramedic; occupational therapy assistant taught at Baptist Health College Little Rock) and AECC (CNA, clinical medical assistant, pharmacy technician).
UA-PTC’s first-time NCLEX-PN pass rate was below the Arkansas average every year from 2022 to 2025: 79.4% against 92.0% in 2025. Its radiography program has not taken applications since May 2025. AECC is not accredited, publishes no completion or pass rates, and describes no externship for its medical assistant or pharmacy technician courses. Sources: our UA-PTC and AECC profiles.
Cosmetology
Arkansas requires 1,500 training hours for a cosmetology license, plus written and practical exams. Aesthetics takes 600 hours.
- Length
- 1,500 hours (cosmetology); 600 hours (aesthetics)
- Little Rock median pay
- $27,790 (cosmetologists)
- License
- Arkansas Department of Health, Cosmetology
Schools on this page: Paul Mitchell The School Little Rock (cosmetology, aesthetics, master instructor) and UA-PTC (cosmetology technical certificate and two certificates of proficiency; $50-a-credit program fee).
Paul Mitchell schools are separately owned, and several across the network disclose NACCAS probation, so ask the North Little Rock school for its own accreditation status, total cost and licensure results. NACCAS’s federal recognition was also awaiting a final Education Department decision in 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest trade school in Little Rock?
For an accredited credential, UA – Pulaski Technical College: $224.80 per credit hour in-state with mandatory fees for fall 2026, plus a program fee in most career programs, with federal aid available. AECC’s nursing assistant course costs $1,599 and can be WIOA-funded, but AECC is not accredited and takes no federal aid.
Can I become an RN in Little Rock?
Not at the schools on this page. UA-PTC teaches practical nursing (LPN) only, so an RN means a second program. The Arkansas page lists RN programs at NWACC, UA Northark and Arkansas Tech.
How long does trade school take in Little Rock?
From 3 weeks for AECC’s day nursing assistant course to two years for a UA-PTC associate degree. UA-PTC’s dental assisting certificate takes nine months, and its EMT certificate one semester.
Is there an electrician program in Little Rock?
Among the schools we profile, UA-PTC trains electrical lineworkers for utilities, and Ultimate Technical Academy runs a one-week course for working electricians. A journeyman electrician license in Arkansas needs 8,000 hours in a registered apprenticeship and an exam.
Does Little Rock have a cosmetology school?
Yes. Paul Mitchell The School Little Rock in North Little Rock teaches 1,500-hour cosmetology and 600-hour aesthetics, and UA-PTC has a cosmetology technical certificate. Arkansas requires 1,500 hours for a cosmetology license.
Facts checked October 2026. School facts come from each school’s profile on this site, where the original sources are linked. Pay figures are Little Rock–North Little Rock–Conway metro median annual wages from BLS 2025 data, via O*NET OnLine.