| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Private, for-profit career school (Austin Career Institute, LLC), founded 2012; campus-based, with hybrid options |
| Locations | 2 campuses in Austin, TX: the main campus and the East Extension |
| Credentials | Four diplomas; one 80-hour phlebotomy short course |
| Program length | 720 to 771 clock hours, about 30 to 32 weeks at 24 hours a week |
| Accreditation | Council on Occupational Education (COE), since 2018; reaffirmation review under way |
| State approval | Texas Workforce Commission licences S4226 and S59320; Texas Veterans Commission |
| Federal aid | Yes (not for the phlebotomy course) |
| Total price (catalog, Aug 2026) | $15,995 Medical Assistant; $19,995 each for HVAC-R, Electrical and Welding |
| Students | 102 in fall 2024, all full-time (IPEDS) |
| Facts checked | October 2026 |
A small Austin trade school with four diplomas
Austin Career Institute (ACI) is a privately held, for-profit career school founded in 2012 and first licensed by the Texas Workforce Commission in 2013. It teaches four diploma programs: Medical Assistant, Residential & Commercial HVAC-R, Advanced Electrical & Renewable Energy Technician, and Welding. HVAC-R is also taught in Spanish. Classes meet at the main campus on Cameron Road and at the East Extension on East Highway 290, a former office building whose remodel was registered with the state in 2025 and that is now the only place ACI teaches welding.
The school is small: federal data count 102 students in fall 2024 and 226 completions in 2024-25; completions outnumber fall enrollment because programs last about 30 weeks and start on a rolling basis. Electrical accounted for 124 of those awards, HVAC-R for 85 and medical assisting for 17.
ACI’s programs and where they are taught
All four main programs lead to a diploma, according to ACI’s catalog. The website calls the trade programs certificate or certification programs, but industry credentials such as EPA 608 and the NRCMA are separate exams. Every diploma program meets 24 hours a week.
| Program | Credential | Clock hours | Length | Delivery | Campus | Prepares for | Total price (Aug 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medical Assistant | Diploma | 771 (includes 150-hour externship) | About 32 weeks | Traditional or hybrid | Main campus | NRCMA exam (ACI pays for one attempt) | $15,995 |
| Residential & Commercial HVAC-R (English or Spanish) | Diploma | 720 | About 30 weeks | Traditional or hybrid | Main campus | EPA 608 (training and testing included); TDLR Registered ACR Technician (can apply) | $19,995 |
| Advanced Electrical & Renewable Energy Technician | Diploma | 720 | About 7.5 months | Traditional or hybrid; night and evening classes | Main campus and East Extension | TDLR Apprentice Electrician licence (can apply) | $19,995 |
| Welding | Diploma | 720 | About 30 weeks | In person only | East Extension | No industry certification named | $19,995 |
| Phlebotomy Technician | Short course (not in the catalog) | 80 | 7 weeks | – | – | NRCPT exam (NAHP) | Not published; cash pay only |
Solar is part of the electrical diploma, not a separate credential. Billing and coding is a topic inside the Medical Assistant diploma, not a program of its own. The 80-hour phlebotomy course is advertised on ACI’s home page but is not in the catalog; it is cash pay only, with no financial aid.
What the main programs cover
Medical Assistant
The 771-hour diploma splits into 311 hours of lecture, 310 hours of lab and a 150-hour work-based externship that every student must complete to graduate; the catalog rates it at 34.33 semester credits. Office procedures and billing and coding are among the topics. Classes run traditional or hybrid on flexible schedules over about eight months. The program prepares students for the NRCMA exam, set by NAHP. ACI pays for one attempt, and the exam is given in English only.
Residential & Commercial HVAC-R
The 720-hour diploma has 348 lecture hours and 372 lab hours (35.52 semester credits), taught as courses CRT101 to CRT106. EPA 608 training and testing are included in the program. ACI advertises morning, evening and weekend classes, traditional or hybrid. The Spanish track starts every month and includes English-as-a-second-language instruction. Graduates can apply to TDLR for registration as an ACR technician.
Advanced Electrical & Renewable Energy Technician
This 720-hour diploma (35.52 semester credits) runs about 7.5 months, with night and evening classes that include online components. Topics include residential, commercial and industrial wiring, conduit bending, the National Electrical Code, load calculations, service sizing, and solar installation and troubleshooting. It is the only program taught at both campuses, and the largest by completions. Graduates may apply to TDLR for an apprentice electrician licence.
Welding
Welding, added in recent years, is taught only at the East Extension, in person, with no hybrid option. Its 720 hours divide into 348 hours of lecture and 372 hours of lab (35.52 semester credits), over about 30 weeks at 24 hours a week. The catalog does not name an American Welding Society or other industry certification as part of the program, so ask how student welds are tested and which credential, besides the diploma, a graduate leaves with.
Cost: one price per program
ACI’s catalog revised 1 August 2026 lists one total price per program. It is the same for traditional and hybrid classes and for every student, with no in-state or out-of-state rate. Each total includes a $100 non-refundable registration fee and books and supplies.
| Program (catalog revised 1 Aug 2026) | Registration | Tuition | Books and supplies | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medical Assistant | $100.00 | $15,775.65 | $119.35 | $15,995.00 |
| HVAC-R | $100.00 | $19,683.00 | $212.00 | $19,995.00 |
| Advanced Electrical & Renewable Energy Technician | $100.00 | $19,284.05 | $610.95 | $19,995.00 |
| Welding | $100.00 | $19,776.77 | $118.23 | $19,995.00 |
Prices have risen: federal data put tuition and fees for the largest program, electrical, at $14,395 in 2023-24, $17,395 in 2024-25 and $18,345 in 2025-26. Students who cancel within 72 hours of signing (excluding weekends and holidays) or within the first three scheduled class days get a full refund, though ACI may keep up to $100; refunds are pro-rated after that. Students who pay the school directly are charged interest, disclosed on the enrollment agreement; the rate is not published.
ACI takes federal student aid. In 2023-24, 68% of full-time beginning students received Pell grants and 66% took federal loans. The school is approved by the Texas Veterans Commission for GI Bill benefits, and 44 students used the Post-9/11 GI Bill in 2023-24.
Admissions and schedule
Applicants must be at least 17, have a high-school diploma or GED, and speak English or Spanish. They complete an application, meet an admissions representative and sign an enrollment agreement. Diploma classes meet 24 hours a week, and the school is open from early morning to 11 p.m. on weekdays and also opens on weekends. The Spanish HVAC-R track starts monthly. ACI has no student housing.
Accreditation and results
ACI has been accredited by the Council on Occupational Education since 19 February 2018, and College Navigator lists its next review date as 31 December 2029. The school’s own site says it is a candidate for reaffirmation of accreditation and invites public comment. The Texas Workforce Commission licenses the main campus as S4226 and the East Extension as S59320.
Federal data show an 86% graduation rate within 150% of normal time for full-time, first-time students who started in 2021-22, and 80% within normal time. No cohort default rate is published, because too few borrowers were in repayment.
For students whose training was paid for under the federal WIOA program, figures for program year 2023 that tradecolleges.org says it reproduces from US Department of Labor training-provider data list completion rates of 83% in HVAC-R, 71% in Medical Assistant and 69% in electrical. Those figures cover WIOA-funded students only, not all ACI students. ACI publishes no pass rates for the NRCMA or EPA 608 exams; for retention and placement rates it points students to the Texas Workforce Commission’s career schools directory.
Before you enroll
- Texas does not require schooling for TDLR apprentice electrician or ACR technician registration. The diplomas prepare students for the work; they are not a condition of the registration.
- Welding is taught only at the East Extension and only in person, and the school names no welding certification that comes with it.
- The NRCMA exam for medical assistants is given in English only, and ACI pays for one attempt.
- The phlebotomy course is not in the catalog, is cash pay only and gets no federal aid. Ask whether it is approved by the Texas Workforce Commission before paying.
- Tuition and fees for electrical rose about 27% between 2023-24 and 2025-26, and the 2026-27 catalog total is $19,995.
Two Austin campuses
| Campus | Address | Programs taught there |
|---|---|---|
| Main campus | 7215 Cameron Rd, Austin, TX 78752 | Medical Assistant; HVAC-R in English and Spanish; Advanced Electrical & Renewable Energy Technician |
| East Extension | 7900 E. Highway 290, Austin, TX 78724 | Welding; Advanced Electrical & Renewable Energy Technician |
The East Extension is converted office space: a Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation registration from March 2025 describes a $500,000 remodel of 12,920 square feet into an adult trade school. ACI has no fully online programs.
Facts checked October 2026.
Programs & Courses
Trade diplomas
- Advanced Electrical & Renewable Energy Technician (diploma, 720 hours; solar installation included; eligible to apply for TDLR Apprentice Electrician)
- Residential & Commercial HVAC-R, in English or Spanish (diploma, 720 hours; EPA 608; eligible to apply for TDLR Registered ACR Technician)
- Welding (diploma, 720 hours; East Extension, in person only)
Healthcare
- Medical Assistant (diploma, 771 hours including a 150-hour externship; NRCMA exam)
- Phlebotomy Technician (80-hour short course, cash pay; NRCPT exam)
Campus Locations
Austin, TX 7215 Cameron Rd, Austin, TX 78752
Austin, TX 7900 E. Highway 290, Austin, TX 78724