| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Private for-profit career school; all programs on campus (the hybrid online versions ended 1 June 2024) |
| Campus | 1, in San Antonio, Texas |
| Credentials | Diplomas of 720 to 940 clock hours |
| Typical length | As few as 9 to 11 months |
| Accreditation | ACCSC, renewed for five years from August 2025; the school says it is also accredited by ACCET and approved by the Texas Workforce Commission |
| Federal aid | Yes: Pell Grants and Direct Loans |
| Founded / owner | Opened in 2007 as a branch campus of the Institute for Business & Technology (San Jose, California), a subsidiary of Mikhail Education Corp. |
| Facts checked | October 2026 |
Lamson Institute: a San Antonio branch of a California career school
Lamson Institute is a private for-profit school with one campus in San Antonio. It is not a separate college: it is a branch campus of the Institute for Business & Technology (IBT), a California corporation whose main campus is in San Jose and which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Mikhail Education Corp. IBT began in 1965 as the California Academy of Drafting, and Lamson started classes in San Antonio in August 2007.
Every current program is a diploma of 720 to 940 clock hours, taught in person, in healthcare support, the electrical and HVAC trades, and fitness training. The school dropped its hybrid online versions on 1 June 2024, has stopped enrolling new students in Vocational Nursing, and no longer offers its cybersecurity associate degree or its medical billing and coding program.
Six diploma programs
All six programs are taught at the San Antonio campus. Tuition is the latest federal figure, for 2024-25; see the cost section below.
| Program | Credential | Length | Format | Prepares for | Tuition and fees, 2024-25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medical Assistant | Diploma, 720 clock hours | As few as 9 months | 560 classroom hours plus a 160-hour externship | NCCT NCMA | $14,750 |
| Lab Assistant, EKG Technician/Phlebotomist | Diploma, 720 clock hours | As few as 9 months | 560 classroom hours plus a 160-hour externship | NCCT PH1, ML1 and EKG1 | $15,500 |
| Dental Assisting | Diploma, 940 clock hours | As few as 11 months | On campus | Texas Registered Dental Assistant pathway (school’s description) | No federal figure found |
| Electrical Technician | Diploma, 720 clock hours | As few as 9 months; 6-week modules | On campus | None named by the school | $15,650 |
| Commercial Refrigeration, Heating & Air Conditioning (HVAC) | Diploma, 840 clock hours | As few as 10 months; 6-week modules | On campus | EPA 608 | $17,010 |
| Personal Fitness Trainer | Diploma, 800 clock hours | As few as 10 months | On campus | NASM CPT, CNC and CES preparation | No federal figure found |
We found no programmatic accreditation for Medical Assistant, Dental Assisting or the lab program. Dental Assisting is the newest program: it was not offered during 2024, the period covered by the school’s 2025 ACCET report, and it has no row in the 2025 ACCSC report. Vocational Nursing still appears in the 2026 catalog, which says Lamson is not currently enrolling new students in it.
What the main programs cover
Medical Assistant
The program is seven 80-hour classroom modules, MA101 to MA701, followed by a 160-hour externship (EXT801) at a San Antonio-area medical facility, for 720 clock hours in all. Modules last four weeks each. One module covers insurance and basic CPT and ICD coding, but the program does not lead to a billing or coding credential. The program prepares students for the National Certified Medical Assistant exam from NCCT, and Lamson pays for the first attempt. The unpaid externship can last up to eight weeks, at a site the school arranges.
Lab Assistant, EKG Technician/Phlebotomist
This one diploma covers three jobs. Its seven 80-hour classroom modules, LA101 to LA701, include phlebotomy and EKG work, and the 720 hours end with a 160-hour externship. The externship requires at least 50 successful venipunctures and 10 skin punctures. The program prepares students for three NCCT exams, PH1 (phlebotomy), ML1 and EKG1, and Lamson pays the first attempt at each. CPR is part of the program.
Dental Assisting
Dental Assisting runs 940 clock hours, the longest program at the school, and can be completed in as few as 11 months. The program requires a background check, a drug screen and an x-ray order from a dentist. The school describes the program as an “RDA Pathway”, meaning a route toward registration as a Texas Registered Dental Assistant. Because the program is new, it has no completion or placement figures in the school’s 2025 reports, and we found no federal tuition figure for it.
Electrical Technician
Electrical Technician is 720 clock hours in six-week modules, finished in as few as 9 months. Teaching covers residential and commercial wiring and the National Electrical Code; the school’s book list, effective 19 December 2025, is built on the 2023 NEC and Delmar textbooks and costs students $446. Applicants need a valid driver’s licence. Like the other programs, it meets Monday to Thursday for five hours a day, in a day session (8:00 am to 1:00 pm) or an evening session (5:45 to 10:45 pm).
Commercial Refrigeration, Heating & Air Conditioning (HVAC)
The HVAC diploma is 840 clock hours in six-week modules, completed in as few as 10 months, and it prepares students for EPA 608 certification. Applicants need a valid driver’s licence, as for Electrical. HVAC and Electrical had the most starts in the school’s 2025 ACCSC report, which counted 127 HVAC starts for December 2022 to November 2023 and 138 Electrical starts for March 2023 to February 2024, against 66 for the lab program and 44 for Medical Assistant.
Cost and paying for it
Lamson charges one price per program, with no in-state or out-of-state rates. Lamson does not publish current prices on a tuition page online; its charges are set out in the schedule of student charges in the 2026 catalog. The figures below are the latest federal ones, for 2024-25. Confirm current prices with the school before you budget.
| Program (federal data, 2024-25) | Tuition and fees | Books and supplies |
|---|---|---|
| Medical Assistant | $14,750 | $1,000 |
| Lab Assistant, EKG Technician/Phlebotomist | $15,500 | $1,000 |
| Electrical Technician | $15,650 | $1,500 |
| HVAC | $17,010 | $1,000 |
These figures come from federal (IPEDS) data as listed by CollegeTuitionCompare; no federal figure was found for Dental Assisting or Personal Fitness Trainer. The average net price is $25,901 a year, according to federal data shown on Niche.
According to the catalog, modular tuition is due at registration unless other arrangements are made, and it is guaranteed for the enrollment term. Students who cancel within 72 hours or within the first three class days get a full refund, less up to $100; after that refunds are pro rata, and nothing is refunded after 75% of the program.
Lamson takes federal aid: Pell Grants and Direct Loans. In 2023-24, 78% of first-time, full-time students received a Pell Grant. The school also accepts AmeriCorps awards, vocational rehabilitation funding and WIOA workforce contracts, and it is approved by the Texas Veterans Commission for veterans’ benefits. No named scholarships with amounts were found.
Admissions and schedule
Applicants must be 18, or 17 with written parent approval if they turn 18 before graduating, and need a high-school diploma, a GED or a higher degree. Admission involves an interview and a campus tour, a Social Security card and photo ID, and the EduReady assessment with a minimum score of 75 (waived for applicants with an associate degree). Electrical and HVAC also require a driver’s licence, and Dental Assisting a background check and drug screen.
Programs start monthly. Classes meet Monday to Thursday for five hours a day, in a day session from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm or an evening session from 5:45 to 10:45 pm, with up to 30 students in a class. The school can grant advanced standing for up to 49% of a program’s clock hours.
Accreditation and outcomes
Lamson is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges, which renewed its accreditation for five years effective August 2025, according to an ACCSC public notice of November 2025. The school says it is also accredited by ACCET and approved by the Texas Workforce Commission.
The school files outcome figures with both agencies, and they measure different things. The 2025 ACCET report covers calendar 2024; completion is completers divided by students scheduled to complete, and placement is graduates placed divided by completers eligible for placement.
| Program | ACCET: completion, 2024 | ACCET: placement, 2024 | ACCSC: graduation / employment (cohort) |
|---|---|---|---|
| HVAC | 80% (94 of 117) | 80% (64 of 80) | 82% / 78% (127 starts, Dec 2022 to Nov 2023) |
| Electrical Technician | 85% (119 of 140) | 76% (78 of 102) | 83% / 71% (138 starts, Mar 2023 to Feb 2024) |
| Lab Assistant, EKG Technician/Phlebotomist | 88% (36 of 41) | 81% (25 of 31) | 83% / 74% (66 starts, Mar 2023 to Feb 2024) |
| Medical Assistant | 71% (22 of 31) | 84% (16 of 19) | 66% / 79% (44 starts, Mar 2023 to Feb 2024) |
| Personal Fitness Trainer | – | – | 100% / 0% (1 start, 2023) |
The ACCSC columns come from the school’s 2025 ACCSC graduation and employment report, filed in October 2025, which does not define its terms on the page.
The federal graduation rate is 80% (206 of 259) for full-time, first-time students who started between September 2021 and August 2022, measured at 31 August 2024, and full-time retention was 88% for the fall 2023 group, according to the school’s student right-to-know disclosures.
Federal earnings data on Niche show 92% of students employed one year after graduating and median earnings of $41,848 five years after. We found no published pass rates for the NCCT or EPA 608 exams.
Before you enroll
- These are diplomas, and the school has no articulation agreements, so do not count on the hours transferring to a college degree.
- Vocational Nursing is not taking new students, so Lamson currently has no route to a nursing licence. Its cybersecurity degree and billing and coding program are also gone.
- There is no online option: the hybrid versions of HVAC, Electrical, Medical Assistant and the lab program ended on 1 June 2024.
- Personal Fitness Trainer had one student in its 2023 cohort, and the 2025 ACCSC report shows 0% employment for it. Ask for current figures before enrolling.
- The Electrical program names no state licence or certification exam, and Medical Assistant had the lowest ACCSC graduation rate of the main programs, 66%. The medical externships are unpaid.
One campus on NW Loop 410
The campus is at 5819 N.W. Loop 410, Suite 160, San Antonio, TX 78238, in Exchange Plaza at NW Loop 410 and Bandera Road, with about 55,000 square feet. All six current programs are taught there.
Externships and career help
The Medical Assistant and lab programs include a 160-hour externship of up to eight weeks, unpaid, at one site per student arranged by the school. The school has a career services department, and the catalog describes a Graduate Employment Gift: a one-time $100 check once a graduate has worked 30 days in a verified career-related job. The catalog also lists a tool kit as a graduation gift.
Facts checked October 2026.
Programs & Courses
Healthcare
- Medical Assistant (Diploma, 720 clock hours)
- Lab Assistant, EKG Technician/Phlebotomist (Diploma, 720 clock hours)
- Dental Assisting (Diploma, 940 clock hours)
Skilled Trades
- Electrical Technician (Diploma, 720 clock hours)
- Commercial Refrigeration, Heating & Air Conditioning (HVAC) (Diploma, 840 clock hours)
Fitness
- Personal Fitness Trainer (Diploma, 800 clock hours)
Campus Locations
San Antonio, TX 5819 N.W. Loop 410, Suite 160, San Antonio, TX 78238