Aveda Institutes
Aveda Institute Chicago, on North Clark Street, is run by The Institute of Beauty and Wellness, which also runs the Aveda schools in Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It teaches two programs, 1,500-hour cosmetology and 750-hour esthiology; the Wisconsin schools add massage, nails and, at Madison, barbering.
- 2828 N Clark St Chicago, IL 60657
Aviation Institute of Maintenance
AIM Chicago opened in September 2021 in a building of about 138,000 square feet on South Ashland Avenue. It teaches the Aviation Maintenance Technician (A&P) certificate on day or evening shifts; AIM’s HVAC program page also names Chicago, but the campus page does not list HVAC, so ask before applying. AIM refers students to EDUrent for housing help. In AIM’s 2025 report, 50% of available A&P graduates were employed in the field.
- 3711 S Ashland Ave Chicago, IL 60609
City Colleges of Chicago
Malcolm X College on the Near West Side is City Colleges of Chicago’s health sciences college. It teaches nursing (RN and practical nursing), radiography, mammography, CT, surgical technology, respiratory care, physical therapist assistant, dental hygiene, mortuary science, EMT, paramedic and fire service, pharmacy technology, phlebotomy, medical assisting, patient care technician, billing, coding and health information technology, lab and sterile processing. Most health programs have selective admission. Its RN program is ACEN “Accredited with Conditions”, and its first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate was 80% in 2025.
Malcolm X College West Campus, formerly the West Side Learning Center, also teaches Malcolm X’s Medical Assisting advanced certificate. A $19.5 million expansion, due to open in fall 2026 according to a June 2026 report, adds healthcare certificates including nursing, patient care technician, medical assisting and community health worker.
Kennedy-King College teaches many of City Colleges of Chicago’s building trades. Its main campus teaches Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (HVAC), Automotive Technology, Auto Body Reconstruction and Repainting, Basic Nursing Assistant, Addictions Studies, Cybersecurity and Networking, and includes the Washburne Culinary & Hospitality Institute (740 W. 63rd St), with culinary, baking, hospitality and bar programs and the student restaurant Sikia. Construction and welding are taught at its Dawson Technical Institute.
Dawson Technical Institute is Kennedy-King College’s construction and trades site. It teaches Combination Welder, Construction Carpentry, Construction Masonry, Plumbing and Fire Protection, Overhead Electrical Line Worker, Gas Utility Worker and Highway Construction Careers, and lists Construction Management. Students may qualify for the Workforce Empowerment Initiative (WEI) grant, which makes trades certificates tuition-free after other aid, offers job placement help, and can help with transport, tools and supplies.
Olive-Harvey College on the Far South Side teaches Automotive and Diesel Technology, Aviation Maintenance (general courses here, advanced courses at the Aviation Institute of Maintenance), Barbering, Cannabis and Cybersecurity, and runs City Colleges’ CDL, forklift and supply chain programs. Navistar donated diesel equipment in 2019.
Olive-Harvey College lists a South Campus at 3055 E. 92nd St in City Colleges’ 2026 catalog. Olive-Harvey’s CDL, forklift, supply chain and logistics training, with auto and diesel labs, is based in its 103,000-square-foot Transportation, Distribution and Logistics Center, opened in 2019; we could not confirm that this center is the South Campus, so ask Olive-Harvey where your classes meet.
Richard J. Daley College on the Southwest Side teaches City Colleges’ electrical construction program and many of its manufacturing programs: Electrical Construction Technology (tied to the IBEW Local 134 apprenticeship), Communications Technology, Welding Engineering Technology, CNC, Mechatronics (the system’s only mechatronics AAS), Manufacturing Technology, CAD Engineering Technology, Data Center Operations, Industrial Supervision and Sustainable Urban Horticulture.
The Arturo Velasquez Institute is Daley College’s satellite site on S. Western Ave. It offers credit certificates and degrees, adult education, and continuing-education courses such as 3D printing and CAD. Our check did not confirm which of Daley’s credit programs meet here, so ask Daley before enrolling.
Harry S Truman College on the North Side teaches Cosmetology and Barbering (with teacher training), Automotive Technology, CAD Technology, Biotechnology and Cloud Computing, along with Criminal Justice and Child Development. It is the only City College with cosmetology. Federal data shown on Niche give it a 38% graduation rate, the highest of the seven colleges.
Wilbur Wright College on the Northwest Side teaches CNC, Manufacturing Technology and a mechatronics advanced certificate, Cannabis, Cloud Computing, AI and machine learning, and Law and Paralegal Studies. Its Occupational Therapy Assistant AAS stopped admitting new students in Summer 2025. CNC machining is also taught at Wright’s Humboldt Park Campus.
Wright College’s Humboldt Park Campus (the Humboldt Park Vocational Education Center) teaches CNC machining. Its CNC Machining basic certificate is 16 credits, taken in one semester of morning classes or two semesters of evening classes, according to a 2017 program sheet. CNC is on the Future Ready list, which covers tuition for eligible Chicago residents.
Harold Washington College, in the Loop, is City Colleges of Chicago’s downtown college and mainly teaches transfer programs. Its career programs include an Architecture AAS, Accounting, a Human Resources basic certificate, Law and Paralegal Studies, business and IT certificates, and Child Development.
- 1900 W. Jackson Blvd Chicago, IL 60612
- 4624 W. Madison St Chicago, IL 60644
- 6301 S. Halsted St Chicago, IL 60621
- 3901 S. State St Chicago, IL 60609
- 10001 S. Woodlawn Ave Chicago, IL 60628
- 3055 E. 92nd St Chicago, IL 60617
- 7500 S. Pulaski Rd Chicago, IL 60652
- 2800 S. Western Ave Chicago, IL 60608
- 1145 W. Wilson Ave Chicago, IL 60640
- 4300 N. Narragansett Ave Chicago, IL 60634
- 1645 N. California Ave Chicago, IL 60647
- 30 E. Lake St Chicago, IL 60601
Dental Academy of Chicago
Dental Assisting of Chicago (DAOC), founded in 2015, specializes in hands-on training for dental and dermatology clinical assistants. The school offers two main programs: a 12-week chairside dental assistant course and a 14-week dermatology assistant program, both with flexible class schedules. With small class sizes of up to 24 students, DAOC provides personalized instruction in a full dental facility. While the school has received approval from the Illinois Board of Higher Education, it is not accredited by the U.S. Department of Education. Tuition costs range from $6,000 to $6,800 depending on the program.
- Address 25 E Washington St #510 Chicago, IL 60602
DeVry University
DeVry’s Chicago campus in the Ravenswood area is at 1900 W Lawrence Ave, Suite 100 (773.929.8500). It is one of three DeVry sites in Illinois, the state where the university is headquartered. DeVry’s Chicago page describes hybrid study that combines online courses with in-person class weeks, held on weekday evenings.
The Chicago Loop campus occupies Suite 1950 at 200 W Adams St in downtown Chicago (312.372.4900). It is a separate site from DeVry’s Ravenswood campus on Lawrence Avenue. DeVry’s page points students to paid parking nearby. As at other DeVry campuses, onsite classes are typically held Monday to Friday, 6 to 10 pm.
- 1900 W Lawrence Ave, Ste 100 Chicago, IL 60640
- 200 W Adams St, Ste 1950 Chicago, IL 60606
HVAC Technical Institute
This is HVAC Technical Institute’s only campus, on Chicago’s Southwest Side about five minutes from Midway Airport, according to the school. The building has about 26,000 square feet, roughly 16,000 of it lab and shop space where students do their practical work; the school describes no externship. The HVAC/R program runs day and night sections in English and a Spanish-language night section, and the Electrical Technician program runs by day and by night. Classes are capped at 24 students for HVAC/R and 28 for Electrical.
- 4400 W. 46th Street Chicago, IL 60632
Illinois Media School
Illinois Media School’s O’Hare campus on W Higgins Road is the school’s Illinois main campus. It teaches Radio & TV Broadcasting, Digital Media Production, Sports Broadcasting and Film & Video Production. The program page also lists Audio Production here, but the campus’s 2026 outcome report has no audio row, so ask whether it runs. The school lists nine audio studios, a TV studio with master control, a podcast studio, 12 editing stations and two internet radio stations. Tuition is $18,495 for 8-month programs (the cost table shows $18,875) and $12,175 for emphasis programs, plus a $125 fee (October 2026).
The downtown Chicago campus on West Washington opened as a branch of Illinois Media School in 2010. It teaches Radio & TV Broadcasting, Digital Media Production, Sports Broadcasting and Audio Production. Film & Video Production is in its catalog, but the campus reported no film students in its 2025 accreditor report. The school lists 23 editing stations, 10 radio studios, a TV studio and two internet radio stations. Tuition is $18,695 for 8-month programs and $12,175 for emphasis programs, plus a $125 fee (October 2026). This is the campus on USA Today’s 2025 vocational-school list, the school says.
- 8501 W Higgins Rd, Suite 450 Chicago, IL 60631
- 9 West Washington Chicago, IL 60602
Midwestern Career College
Midwestern’s main campus on North LaSalle Street in the Loop has the widest program list: associate degrees in Radiography, Diagnostic Medical Sonography, Non-Invasive Cardiovascular Sonography, MRI Technology, Surgical Technology, Information Technology and Business Administration, and certificates in Medical Assisting, Clinical Medical Assisting, Sterile Processing, Phlebotomy and Electroneurodiagnostic Technology. It is the only campus with the new Practical Nursing program, approved by the Illinois State Board of Nursing, and it also runs the school’s four ESL programs.
The Wacker Drive campus in downtown Chicago, an extension of the LaSalle main campus, is the school’s business campus. It teaches associate degrees in Accounting, Business Administration and Marketing, which run on two 16-week semesters a year, and also offers the four ESL programs. There are no health programs here.
- 203 N. LaSalle Street Chicago, IL 60601
- 100 S. Wacker Dr., LL1-50 Chicago, IL 60606
Paul Mitchell Schools
Paul Mitchell The School Chicago, on South Halsted Street, sits on the University of Illinois Chicago campus, and its page mentions access to housing options and discounted campus parking. It teaches cosmetology (1,500 or 1,600 hours), 750-hour esthetics and cosmetology and barber teacher programs; its 1,500-hour barbering program is currently not enrolling. It is run by U.P. Academy of Hair Design, Inc.
- 1225 S Halsted Street Chicago, IL 60607
SAE Institute
SAE Institute Chicago opened in 2013 in a 19,000-square-foot space with eight studios and an 82-seat theater. It teaches audio and entertainment business, each as a 12-month diploma or 16-month AAS. ACCSC placed the campus on Warning in September 2026 over graduation and employment rates; in its latest reported cohorts, 58% of audio diploma and 65% of audio AAS students graduated. The audio diploma totals $28,014 (catalog effective Aug 2026).
- 820 N. Orleans St, Suite 125 Chicago, IL 60610
Tricoci University of Beauty Culture
The Chicago Northwest campus on North Harlem Avenue, in the Norwood Park area near O’Hare, has its own catalog. It teaches Cosmetology, Esthetics and Instructor Training, and is the only Tricoci campus that advertises full-time barbering: the 1,500-hour barber program takes about 10 months here, and licensed cosmetologists can take the 500-hour barber crossover. Students train in the campus’s public salon.
The Chicago Northeast campus is on North Sheridan Road in Rogers Park. It markets Cosmetology and Esthetics; the Illinois catalog also approves the 500-hour barber crossover for licensed cosmetologists and teacher training here, so ask the campus which of those are running.
- 5321 North Harlem Avenue Chicago, IL 60656
- 6458 North Sheridan Road Chicago, IL 60626
University of Aesthetics & Cosmetology
The University of Aesthetics & Cosmetology, established in 1996, offers accredited programs in aesthetics, cosmetology, and instructor training at its Downers Grove and Chicago campuses. With tuition ranging from $5,133 to $20,425, the school provides flexible class schedules and hands-on learning to prepare students for careers in the beauty industry. Accredited by MSA-CESS and NACCAS, the school has a 100% acceptance rate.
- 1357 N Milwaukee Ave Chicago, IL 60622
DeVry University
Lisle is DeVry’s main campus for accreditation purposes: the Higher Learning Commission lists 4225 Naperville Road, Suite 400 as its main-campus address. DeVry says the campus is “uniquely located within our DeVry University Corporate Office” (630.428.9086). It is one of three DeVry sites in Illinois, with two more in Chicago; onsite classes are typically held on weekday evenings.
- 4225 Naperville Rd, Suite 400 Lisle, IL 60532
Universal Technical Institute
The Lisle campus in suburban Chicago teaches Automotive, Diesel, Electrical, HVACR, Industrial Maintenance, Robotics, Welding and Wind Turbine programs. Manufacturer add-ons include BMW, Daimler Truck and Ford, and Peterbilt’s manufacturer-paid technician program is also offered here.
- 2611 Corporate West Dr Lisle, IL 60532
CAAN Academy of Nursing
The Matteson campus is CAAN’s only location, in Suite 420 of 4747 Lincoln Mall Drive in Chicago’s south suburbs, with nursing skills labs in Suites 400 and 405 of the same building. Both programs are taught here in person, Monday to Friday, in AM or PM cohorts: the 59-week Practical Nursing certificate and the 60-week LPN-to-RN associate degree for licensed Illinois LPNs. Clinical hours take place at partner healthcare agencies that the school does not name.
- 4747 Lincoln Mall Dr Suite 420 Matteson, IL 60443