Memphis has two public routes into a trade: TCAT Memphis, where a full-time trimester costs $1,541, and Southwest Tennessee Community College, at $197 a credit. Moore Tech, a nonprofit trade college since 1939, teaches HVAC, welding, electrical, automotive, machining and plumbing for $9,900 a year. Concorde and Remington teach health programs, and Roadmaster teaches Class A CDL in Millington. This page compares the 6 Memphis-area schools we have profiled.
Memphis at a glance
- Schools listed
- 6: 2 public colleges, 1 nonprofit trade college, 2 health and career colleges and 1 CDL school
- Lowest-cost route
- TCAT Memphis ($1,541 a trimester) and Southwest ($197 a credit); Tennessee Promise and Reconnect can cover the tuition left after other grants
- Skilled trades
- Moore Tech: HVAC, welding, industrial electricity, automotive, machining, property maintenance and plumbing, by day or two nights a week
- Nursing and health
- Practical nursing at TCAT Memphis; RN degrees at Southwest (86% first-time NCLEX-RN, 2024) and Concorde (18 programs)
- Licensed trades
- Contractors on jobs of $25,000 or more; Shelby County also requires a home improvement license for remodeling jobs of $3,000 to $24,999
- Local median pay
- Electricians $60,890; HVAC mechanics $56,780; truck drivers $63,070; aircraft mechanics $92,180; registered nurses $81,500 (Memphis area, BLS 2025)
- More in Tennessee
- All Tennessee trade schools
Facts checked October 2026. Sources are linked in each section and in each school’s profile.
Memphis Trade Schools and Vocational Schools
Grouped by type, not ranked. Each school links to a full profile with programs, outcomes and sources. Each trade’s pay, length and license are in Trades and licensing.
Public colleges (2)
Southwest Tennessee Community College
Southwest is Memphis’s public community college. Health programs at the Union Avenue campus include an ACEN-accredited nursing degree with an evening and weekend track, paramedic training (100% National Registry pass rate in 2023-25) and pharmacy technology; Macon Cove has machining certificates, automotive service and engineering technology. Nursing graduates passed the NCLEX-RN at 86% in 2024, but only 48% of the program’s students graduated.
- Length
- Two semesters (machining and pharmacy certificates); associate degrees 60 to 70 credits
- Accredited
- The Commission on Colleges and Universities (formerly SACSCOC); reaffirmed June 2025
- Federal aid
- Yes; Tennessee Promise and Reconnect
Cost: $197 a credit for Tennessee residents ($342 out of state), plus fees (2026-27); health courses add $25 a credit
View school profile →Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT)
TCAT Memphis is one of the 22 public colleges of applied technology, teaching full-time clock-hour certificates and diplomas. It is one of four TCATs with aviation maintenance and also teaches avionics; it has announced an aviation-related campus in Millington. Its Electronics Technology and Electric Vehicle Production programs train for manufacturing work, not electrician or car repair jobs.
- Length
- Diplomas about a year (a full-time trimester is 432 hours); truck driving and some certificates shorter
- Accredited
- Council on Occupational Education, each college separately
- Federal aid
- Yes, through each college; Tennessee Promise, Reconnect and the Wilder-Naifeh grant
Cost: $1,541 a full-time trimester in tuition and fees, about $4,623 for three (2026-27); books, tools and program fees extra
View school profile →Trade college (1)
Moore Tech (William R. Moore College of Technology)
Moore Tech teaches seven trades: HVAC, welding, automotive service, industrial electricity, machining, property maintenance and plumbing. Day students (8:30 to 3:30) earn an associate degree or diploma; night students attend two evenings a week for a certificate. It is small, with 461 students in fall 2023, and accepts Pell Grants and Tennessee Promise but not federal loans.
- Length
- 1 or 2 years
- Accredited
- Council on Occupational Education, since 1971
- Federal aid
- Pell Grants yes; federal loans no
Cost: $9,900 tuition and fees, books included (2025-26 College Financing Plan); tools $225 to $400
View school profile →Health and career colleges (2)
Concorde Career College
Memphis has the widest program range of any Concorde campus, 18 programs: a registered nursing degree (AAS), Concorde’s only occupational therapy assistant program, dental hygiene, sonography, radiologic technology (JRCERT-accredited here), respiratory therapy, PTA, sleep technology and massage. Students treat patients in on-campus dental hygiene, massage, sleep and occupational therapy clinics.
- Length
- About 9 to 10 months (diplomas such as dental assisting and massage) to 21 months (RN degree)
- Accredited
- Council on Occupational Education
- Federal aid
- Yes; GI Bill accepted
Cost: Concorde publishes its tuition sheets only as images; ask the campus for the total in writing
View school profile →Remington College
The Memphis campus teaches construction and building maintenance (a diploma or the longer AOS), culinary programs (diploma and associate) and patient care technician, an 8-month diploma that includes EKG and phlebotomy. It does not teach medical assisting.
- Length
- About 8 months (patient care technician); diplomas under a year, associate degrees longer
- Accredited
- ACCSC
- Federal aid
- Yes
Cost: Patient care technician $9,975 (2026); ask the campus for other programs
View school profile →Truck driving school (1)
Roadmaster Drivers School
Roadmaster’s only Tennessee location, which it calls its Memphis school, teaches Class A CDL with on-site skills testing. Its location page describes a 180-hour course of four to five weeks. It is authorized by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission and listed on the FMCSA Training Provider Registry.
- Length
- About 4 to 5 weeks (180 hours on its Tennessee page)
- Accredited
- None; THEC-authorized
- Federal aid
- No
Cost: No Tennessee price published; $7,495 tuition in its Florida and California catalogs (2025-26)
View school profile →No profiled schools on this page match. The public colleges below may still teach it, or see all Tennessee trade schools.
Public colleges elsewhere in West Tennessee: Jackson State Community College; Dyersburg State Community College; TCAT Jackson; TCAT Crump; TCAT Henry/Carroll; TCAT Northwest. Concorde also has a campus in Southaven, Mississippi. Strayer University has two Tennessee campuses, Nashville (3rd Avenue South) and Shelby in Memphis (Appling Farms Parkway); its business, IT, criminal justice and health administration degrees are taken online, with the campuses used for advising and some in-person courses. Its Chattanooga and Knoxville campuses are no longer in its catalog.
- A certificate is not a license. Tennessee licenses contractors on jobs of $25,000 or more; for smaller electrical and plumbing jobs, check whether Memphis and Shelby County or the state issues your permit.
- Moore Tech takes Pell Grants and Tennessee Promise but not federal loans, so plan how you will cover any gap.
- Southwest’s nursing program reported a 48% graduation rate for 2024, against an 86% NCLEX-RN pass rate.
- Roadmaster does not take federal aid and publishes no Tennessee price; ask for the total in writing.
More in Tennessee: All Tennessee trade schools
Where to start, by goal
| Your goal | Schools to consider | What it leads to |
|---|---|---|
| HVAC, welding or electrical | Moore Tech (day or night) and TCAT Memphis | EPA 608 for HVAC; contractor license at $25,000 |
| Machinist | Moore Tech; Southwest (machining and CNC certificates, as little as two semesters) | NIMS credentials |
| Truck driver | Roadmaster (Millington, about 4 to 5 weeks); TCAT truck driving | Tennessee commercial driver’s license |
| Aircraft mechanic | TCAT Memphis (aviation maintenance, avionics) | FAA A&P certificate |
| Nurse (LPN or RN) | TCAT practical nursing; Southwest and Concorde (RN degrees) | NCLEX-PN or NCLEX-RN and a Tennessee nursing license |
| Dental hygiene, imaging or therapy | Concorde (dental hygiene, radiography, sonography, respiratory, OTA, PTA) | National boards and Tennessee licenses |
| Paramedic | Southwest (100% National Registry pass rate, 2023-25) | National Registry and Tennessee EMS license |
These match goals to published program features. They are not rankings.
Costs and financial aid
TCATs charge one flat rate a trimester and community colleges charge by the credit, with no separate in-district rate; private schools charge by the program. These are the prices each school published, with the date.
| Route | Example | Cost | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| TCAT | All TCATs except Chattanooga | $1,541 a full-time trimester in tuition and fees, about $4,623 for three; books, tools and program fees extra | 2026-27 |
| Community college | Southwest | $197 a credit for Tennessee residents, $342 out of state, plus fees | 2026-27 |
| Nonprofit trade college | Moore Tech | $9,900 a year in tuition and fees, books included; tools $225 to $400 | 2025-26 |
| Health college | Remington; Concorde | Remington patient care technician $9,975; Concorde publishes its tuition only as images, so ask | 2026 |
| CDL course | Roadmaster | No Tennessee price published; $7,495 tuition in its Florida and California catalogs | 2025-26 |
Books, tools, uniforms, program fees and licensing exam fees are often extra. Ask any school for the total in writing before you sign. School prices are from our school profiles, where the original sources are linked.
Paying for training
- Tennessee Promise: a last-dollar scholarship that covers tuition and mandatory fees not paid by other grants at any of the 13 community colleges and 22 TCATs, for students starting right after a Tennessee high school. You apply in your senior year, file the FAFSA, attend a meeting and do community service each year.
- Tennessee Reconnect: the same last-dollar help for adults who want an associate degree, technical degree or diploma at a community college, or a diploma or certificate at a TCAT. It pays what is left of tuition and mandatory fees after Pell and other state aid.
- Wilder-Naifeh Technical Skills Grant: up to $2,000 a year ($667 a trimester in 2026-27) for TCAT certificate and diploma students, with no grade or income requirement. File the FAFSA.
- HOPE Scholarship: $1,600 a semester at a community college (2026-27) for recent Tennessee graduates with a 21 ACT or a 3.0 high school GPA; also usable at eligible four-year and private colleges such as South College.
- Federal aid: the public colleges and most private colleges on this page take Pell Grants and federal loans through the FAFSA. Moore Tech takes Pell Grants and Tennessee Promise but not federal Direct Loans; Roadmaster does not take federal aid.
Trade pathways and licensing
How each trade works in Tennessee, how long training takes, what it pays and which license you need. Pay is the Memphis-area median annual wage for all experience levels (BLS 2025, via O*NET OnLine).
HVAC, welding, electrical and plumbing
Tennessee licenses contractors, not every tradesperson. Electricians and plumbers need a limited licensed electrician (LLE) or limited licensed plumber (LLP) license by exam for their own jobs under $25,000 where the state issues permits (many cities run their own licensing), and a contractor license for jobs of $25,000 or more. HVAC contractors need a license (CMC-C trade exam) at $25,000 and up, and HVAC technicians need federal EPA 608 certification to handle refrigerants. Remodelers need a home improvement license for home jobs of $3,000 to $24,999 in nine counties, including Davidson, Shelby, Knox and Hamilton. Welders and carpenters need no state license.
- Length
- 1 or 2 years at Moore Tech; about a year for TCAT diplomas
Schools on this page: Moore Tech (all four trades, plus machining and property maintenance) and TCAT Memphis.
A school certificate is not a license. Tennessee contractor exams are run by Prov from 1 July 2026, and the board lists licensed exam prep providers on its site. Sources: Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors license pages; our school profiles.
Step-by-step guides: HVAC schools in Tennessee · Welding schools in Tennessee · Plumbing schools in Tennessee · How to become an electrician in Tennessee
Truck driving, automotive and aviation
Tennessee has no license for auto technicians or welders; ASE and AWS certifications are the usual credentials. Truck drivers need a commercial driver’s license after federal entry-level driver training from a provider on the FMCSA registry, and aircraft mechanics need the FAA’s A&P certificate.
- Length
- About 4 to 5 weeks (Class A CDL) to 2 years (automotive degree)
Schools on this page: Roadmaster (Millington); Moore Tech (automotive, ending with a dealership internship); Southwest (automotive, and a pilot degree with FAA Part 141 provisional certification); TCAT Memphis (aviation maintenance, avionics).
Sources: our school profiles.
Nursing and healthcare
Nurses are licensed by the Tennessee Board of Nursing after the NCLEX. Every TCAT runs a board-approved practical nursing program; in 2025 their first-time NCLEX-PN pass rates ranged from 79% to 97%, against a state average of 87.89%. Check each program’s approval, accreditation and recent pass rate before you apply. Medical and dental assistants usually earn national certification.
- Length
- About 8 months (patient care technician) to 21 months (Concorde RN degree)
Schools on this page: Practical nursing at TCAT Memphis; RN degrees at Southwest and Concorde; imaging, dental hygiene and therapy at Concorde; patient care technician at Remington.
At Southwest, JRCERT withdrew radiologic technology’s accreditation in 2023, and a new PTA program is only a candidate for accreditation; check any program’s current status. Sources: our school profiles.
Step-by-step guides: How to become a surgical tech in Tennessee
Frequently asked questions
What are the best trade schools in Memphis?
It depends on the trade. For HVAC, welding, electrical, automotive, machining and plumbing, Moore Tech and TCAT Memphis are the main options; Southwest Tennessee Community College adds machining, automotive, nursing and paramedic programs. Concorde has 18 health programs, and Roadmaster teaches CDL in Millington. We list schools by type, not by rank.
How much does trade school cost in Memphis?
TCAT Memphis costs $1,541 a full-time trimester and Southwest $197 a credit for Tennessee residents (2026-27), and Tennessee Promise or Reconnect can cover the tuition left after other grants. Moore Tech lists $9,900 a year in tuition and fees with books (2025-26).
Is Moore Tech a good school?
Moore Tech is a nonprofit, COE-accredited trade college that has trained Memphis tradespeople since 1939. It is small (461 students in fall 2023), offers day and night schedules, and accepts Pell Grants and Tennessee Promise but not federal loans. Check its program results and tools list before you enroll.
Where can I get CDL training near Memphis?
Roadmaster Drivers School on Singleton Avenue in Millington teaches Class A CDL with on-site skills testing in about four to five weeks; it does not take federal aid. TCATs also teach truck driving.
How do I become an electrician in Tennessee?
Most Tennessee electricians start as an apprentice or helper with an electrical contractor, often while taking a TCAT electrical program or, in the Knoxville area, through the union’s four-year paid apprenticeship. To do jobs of your own under $25,000, you need the state’s limited licensed electrician (LLE) license by exam where the town uses the state for permits, or the local license where the city runs its own; jobs of $25,000 or more need an electrical contractor license from the Board for Licensing Contractors.
Facts checked October 2026. School facts come from each school’s profile on this site, where the original sources are linked; public college links from the Tennessee Board of Regents. Licensing rules are from the Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors (contractor, LLE, LLP and home improvement license pages), read November 2026, with aid amounts from the College Foundation of Tennessee and tnreconnect.gov. Pay figures are Memphis-area median annual wages from BLS 2025 data, via O*NET OnLine.