| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Public two-year college district governed by an elected Board of Regents; campus, hybrid and online classes |
| Locations | Six campuses and the Champions Circle training center, all in Texas; the Flower Mound campus closes by 31 August 2027 |
| Students | 8,101 credit students in fall 2024 (college Fact Book) |
| Credentials | Non-credit occupational skills awards, certificates, AAS degrees and AA, AS and AAT transfer degrees; 128 open awards on the state inventory (January 2025) |
| Program length | From a 100-hour nurse aide course to two-year AAS degrees |
| Tuition Fall 2026 | $112 per credit hour in-district, $132 Graham ISD, $212 other Texas, $317 out-of-state, plus a $24 per-credit book fee |
| Accreditation | Commission on Colleges and Universities (formerly SACSCOC), associate degrees; reaffirmed 2022, next review 2032 |
| Federal aid | Yes, for credit programs; not for non-credit allied health courses |
| Founded | 1924; main campus in Gainesville |
| Facts checked | October 2026 |
A Gainesville college district founded in 1924
North Central Texas College (NCTC) is a public community college district governed by its own elected Board of Regents and funded by local taxes, tuition and state appropriations; it is not owned by the state. It was founded in 1924, has its main campus in Gainesville and calls itself the oldest continuously operating two-year college in Texas. It teaches at six campuses and a training center in Fort Worth, and online: it counted 5,619 online students against a fall 2024 credit headcount of 8,101. Its career programs include an ACEN-accredited nursing degree with a college-reported 91.30% first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate in 2025, an FAA aviation maintenance degree run with US Aviation Academy, and cosmetology, equine and industrial trades. In September 2026 its board voted to close the Flower Mound campus by August 2027.
Career programs at NCTC’s campuses and training center
The state’s program inventory lists 128 open awards at NCTC (January 2025), from occupational skills awards of 9 to 12 credits to 60-credit AAS degrees, plus non-credit continuing education courses in allied health. Credit programs are paid by the credit hour; non-credit allied health courses have their own prices and are not eligible for federal aid. The table covers the main career programs; a dash means the college does not say.
| Program | Credential | Length | Where | Prepares for | Published cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Associate Degree Nursing | AAS, 60 credits | 2 years; applications March and August | Gainesville | NCLEX-RN | Per-credit tuition |
| LVN to RN Transition | AAS | 12 months | – | NCLEX-RN | Per-credit tuition |
| Vocational Nursing | Certificate, 42 credits | 12 months | Gainesville, Corinth, Bowie, Graham; online hybrid | NCLEX-PN (Texas LVN) | Per-credit tuition |
| Radiological Technology | AAS, 60 credits | As little as 2 years | Gainesville; clinical sites from Ardmore, OK, to Plano | ARRT; Texas MRT certificate | Per-credit tuition |
| Surgical Technology | AAS, 60 credits (27 prerequisite + 33 program) | 5 semesters with prerequisites; fall start; 24 seats | Gainesville | CST (NBSTSA) | $6,720 tuition to about $10,000 total (2026-27 packet) |
| EMT-Basic | Certificate | – | – | National Registry; Texas DSHS | Per-credit tuition |
| Paramedic | EMS Certificate, 39 credits; EMS (Paramedic) AAS | 3 semesters; 4 semesters | – (face-to-face or blended) | National Registry paramedic exam | Per-credit tuition |
| Fire Science | Certificate, 24 credits (Basic Fire Academy); AAS Fire Science; AAS Fire Administration | Academy: 1 semester (day) or 2 (night) | – | TCFP-approved academy | Per-credit tuition |
| Certified Nurse Aide (non-credit) | 100 hours: 60 lecture/lab + 40 clinical | – | – | State CNA exam (included) | – |
| Patient Care Technician (non-credit) | Two courses | – | Corinth (Summer 2026) | NHA CPCT/A | $1,098 (Summer 2026) |
| Phlebotomy Technician (non-credit) | Occupational skills award | – | Champions Circle (Summer 2026) | NHA CPT | $1,098 (Summer 2026) |
| Pharmacy Technician (non-credit) | 144 lecture/lab + 112 externship hours | – | Online; externship via Corinth | Texas pharmacy technician registration; NHA ExCPT | $1,698 (Spring 2026) |
| Central Service / Sterile Processing (non-credit) | Course + externship | Evening classes | Champions Circle (Fall 2026) | HSPA CRCST | $1,098 (Fall 2026) |
| Clinical Medical Assistant (non-credit) | Online course, 2 labs, externship | Fall 2026 to March 2027 | Corinth and online | Ask the college (see below) | $1,685.50 (Fall 2026) |
| Medical Coding & Insurance (non-credit) | 3 courses | – | Online | – | $1,000 (2026) |
| Welding | Basic certificate, 15 credits; certificate, 32; AAS, 60 | 16 weeks; about 42 weeks | Bowie, Gainesville, Graham | – | Per-credit tuition |
| HVAC | Basic certificate, 15 credits; certificate, 30; AAS, 60 | 1 semester; about 1 year; about 2 years | Gainesville, Champions Circle; also Bowie and Graham | EPA 608 | Per-credit tuition |
| Electrical Technician | Certificate, 15 credits | 1 semester | Gainesville, Bowie | TDLR-approved apprenticeship program; NC3 | Per-credit tuition |
| Industrial Mechatronics | AAS, 60 credits; Automation Certificate, 30 | – | Gainesville, Bowie | – | Per-credit tuition |
| Machining Technology | Basic certificate, 15 credits; certificate, 36; AAS, 60 | 16 weeks; about 42 weeks | Gainesville, Bowie | – | Per-credit tuition |
| Plumbing; Construction Management | Plumbing Basic Certificate, 15 credits; Construction Management certificate, 30; AAS, 60 | – | – | TSBPE-approved Tradesman Plumber curriculum | Per-credit tuition |
| Aviation Maintenance Technology | AAS, 60 credits; Airframe certificate, 24; Powerplant certificate, 33 | – | Denton campus and US Aviation Academy, Denton | FAA A&P eligibility | Per-credit tuition; FAFSA eligible |
| Engineering Technology (Drafting) | Basic certificate, 15 credits; certificate, 30; AAS, 60 | – | – | Autodesk certification | Per-credit tuition |
| Cosmetology; Barbering; Esthetics | Certificates of 36, 36 and 20 credits; Cosmetology AAS, 60 | – | Gainesville | TDLR operator, Class A Barber and esthetician licences | Per-credit tuition |
| Equine Science | Basic certificate, 16 credits; certificate, 31; AAS, 60 | – | Gainesville | – | Per-credit tuition |
| Cyber Security; Networking | Certificates of 15 to 42 credits; AAS, 60 | Level 1 cyber certificate about 32 weeks | Online; Flower Mound (closing by August 2027) | – | Per-credit tuition |
Programs with their own accreditation or approval are the ADN (ACEN), Radiological Technology (JRCERT, three-year award), Surgical Technology and Paramedic (both CAAHEP), Vocational Nursing (Texas Board of Nursing) and the fire academy (Texas Commission on Fire Protection). TDLR recognizes the HVAC program as a training site and approves the Electrical Technician program as an electrician apprenticeship program, and the plumbing curriculum is approved by the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners. For the Clinical Medical Assistant course, the college’s disclosure table names the NHA’s CMAA, an administrative exam, so ask which exam the course prepares for. The college’s automotive courses are taught at Bowie High School with priority for its dual-credit students, so adults should ask whether seats are open. NCTC also teaches horticulture, child development and Farm & Ranch Management, whose three awards show end dates of 31 May 2027 on the state inventory.
What the main programs cover
Associate Degree Nursing
Getting into the ADN is a separate step after college admission, and the college opens two application periods a year, each lasting the whole month: March for the fall class and August for the spring class. Nursing classes are at the Gainesville campus. Students who already hold an LVN licence can apply to the 12-month transition track instead of starting from the first semester. A BSN is not available from NCTC itself. Through a CABNET agreement, graduates finish one at Midwestern State, Texas Tech or Texas Woman’s University, and TWU’s blended option starts those courses before the ADN ends.
Radiological Technology
The most recent application window the college published ran from 21 January to 31 May 2025 for the class starting in fall 2025, with the TEAS due by 1 June, so check the dates for the next intake. The program is based at the Gainesville campus. Clinical sites are spread from Ardmore, Oklahoma, to Plano, up to two hours’ drive each way. Graduates may sit the ARRT exam and apply for a Texas Medical Board MRT certificate. The 2025 program effectiveness form on the college site is blank.
Surgical Technology
Students first complete 27 credits of prerequisite courses, then 33 credits of surgical technology courses, for five semesters in total. Selection for the fall class is made by 1 July and the class is capped at 24, so the prerequisites need to be finished in time. Classes meet in Gainesville 2424. Besides tuition, students pay for a background check and drug screen, books and AST membership and testing. Graduates sit the NBSTSA’s Certified Surgical Technologist exam.
Aviation Maintenance Technology
NCTC added this degree in partnership with US Aviation Academy, and the program launched in October 2024. Academic courses are mainly at the NCTC Denton campus. The hands-on airframe and powerplant training happens at the academy’s facility at 4850 Spartan Dr. in Denton, which the academy describes as an FAA Part 147 school. Students can earn the 24-credit Airframe certificate, the 33-credit Powerplant certificate or the full AAS, and completing the training makes them eligible for the FAA A&P exams. Students apply for federal aid through NCTC.
Welding, machining, HVAC and electrical
NCTC’s trade programs are built in layers: most start with a 15-credit basic certificate that takes one semester, then a one-year certificate, then a two-year AAS. Bowie’s 8,700-square-foot Industrial Technology Center, opened in spring 2018, teaches welding, CNC and manual machining, industrial mechanics, HVAC and electrical courses; Graham’s center teaches welding and HVAC. Courses mix face-to-face, hybrid and online sessions. The electrical certificate doubles as the second semester of the mechatronics degree, and the HVAC program is a TDLR-recognized training site.
Non-credit health courses
Continuing Education runs the short health courses in eight-week blocks. A free CASAS assessment is given only at Corinth, Bowie or Graham, and students pay once they receive an “officially enrolled” email. Several courses include an externship: 112 hours for pharmacy technician, and separate externship courses for central service and clinical medical assisting. Schedules vary: the central service class meets on Monday and Wednesday evenings, while the medical assistant labs are on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. Student fees cover a background check, drug screen and insurance.
Tuition by residency, Fall 2026
NCTC charges by the credit hour, and the rate depends on where the student lives. Each rate below already includes the $57 tuition and the $55 general use fee; the difference between rows is the out-of-district fee. The rates are unchanged since Spring 2026, and Spring 2027 rates were not yet published in October 2026.
| Residency (Fall 2026) | Per credit hour | With $24 book fee | 12 credits with book fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| In-district (Cooke County residents) | $112 | $136 | $1,632 |
| In-district branch (Graham ISD residents) | $132 | $156 | $1,872 |
| In-state (other Texas residents and contiguous Oklahoma counties under the reciprocal agreement) | $212 | $236 | $2,832 |
| Out-of-state, including international students | $317 | $341 | $4,092 |
The 12-credit column is our calculation. Lab fees are extra. Program estimates are published for Surgical Technology: $6,720 in tuition to about $10,000 in total for 2026-27, plus about $85 for a background check and drug screen, about $350 for books and about $250 for AST membership and testing (information packet, as summarized in our research). Non-credit health courses are priced per course: $1,000 for Medical Coding & Insurance, $1,098 for central service, phlebotomy or patient care technician, $1,685.50 for clinical medical assistant and $1,698 for pharmacy technician on the 2026 schedules, plus $98 in student fees (background check $45, drug screen $40, insurance $13). Niche shows a net price of $5,163 a year.
Federal aid for credit programs, payment plans for non-credit courses
NCTC takes part in federal student aid for its credit programs. College Navigator reports a three-year cohort default rate of 0.0% for FY2021. The Aviation Maintenance AAS is FAFSA eligible through NCTC even though the hands-on training is at a private partner. The college’s allied health page says of its short health courses: “There is NO FAFSA for Allied Health NONCREDIT certification classes”. Students pay for those themselves or use the college’s payment plan.
Admissions, terms and evening classes
Admission to the college is open, but several health programs have their own applications and limits. The ADN takes applications in March and August; Radiological Technology last opened from January to May with the TEAS due by 1 June; Surgical Technology selects 24 students by 1 July; and paramedic applicants must already be EMTs. Fall 2026 classes began on 24 August, with further eight-week sessions starting on 19 October and 14 December. Evening classes do exist: the fire academy runs a two-semester night class, and the central service course meets from 6 to 9 pm. Many workforce programs mix face-to-face, hybrid and online classes, the Level 2 cyber security certificate is fully online, and Game Design & Mobile Application Programming is taught online or at Corinth.
Accreditation and results
NCTC is accredited by the Commission on Colleges and Universities, the name SACSCOC took on 1 September 2026, at the associate level. It has been accredited since 1961, was last reaffirmed in 2022 and is next reviewed in 2032, and the commission lists no public sanctions.
| Program | Result | Period and source |
|---|---|---|
| Associate Degree Nursing, NCLEX-RN first-time pass rate | 91.30% | 2025; 96.88% in 2024, 93.36% in 2023 (college-reported) |
| Associate Degree Nursing, completion | 73.14% | 2025 (college-reported; definition not stated) |
| Vocational Nursing, pass rate | 100% | 2025; 98% in 2024 (college-reported; exam attempt not stated) |
| Surgical Technology, CST pass rate | 94% | 2026; 92.3% in 2025 (college-reported); job placement 92% in 2025 |
| Radiological Technology | Not published | The 2025 program effectiveness form on the college site is blank |
| College-wide graduation within 150% of normal time | 35%; 28% transferred out | Full-time first-time students starting fall 2021 (IPEDS) |
The program figures are published by the college on each program page; we could not check them against Texas Board of Nursing reports. The paramedic program publishes pass, retention and placement figures without the years they cover, so they are left out here. The IPEDS figures come from College Navigator as summarized during our research in October 2026. In web searches we found no lawsuit, settlement or regulatory action against the college from 2024 to 2026, but we did not search court dockets.
What changed from 2024 to 2026
- 14 August 2024: the Champions Circle training center opened in Fort Worth.
- September 2024: new non-credit health awards were added to the state inventory, including pharmacy technician, phlebotomy, clinical medical assistant, medical coding, central service, CNA and patient care technician, along with the Barbering Certificate and the Aviation Maintenance degree.
- October 2024: the Aviation Maintenance Technology program launched with US Aviation Academy in Denton.
- 1 September 2026: the accreditor SACSCOC became the Commission on Colleges and Universities; NCTC’s status did not change.
- September 2026: the Board of Regents voted to close the Flower Mound campus no later than 31 August 2027, after the summer term, citing enrollment trends, academic demand, operating costs and long-term sustainability (Cross Timbers Gazette, 4 September 2026). Only that campus is closing; the college continues.
Before you enroll
- Students planning to study at Flower Mound, where the networking and cybersecurity programs are taught on campus, will need to move to another Denton County location or online by August 2027.
- The short health courses cannot be paid for with federal aid. Budget $1,000 to about $1,700 per course, plus $98 in fees, and plan time for an externship.
- NCTC does not award a bachelor’s degree. The RN-to-BSN is a partner university’s degree, taken online after the ADN and the NCLEX-RN or, on TWU’s blended route, alongside NCTC nursing classes.
- The college has not published current ARRT pass or job placement rates for Radiological Technology, and its clinical sites can be two hours’ drive away.
- Open admission does not mean a seat in a health program: Surgical Technology takes 24 students a year, and the ADN and radiography have their own application windows.
What students say on Niche
On Niche, North Central Texas College has 3.89 out of 5 from 545 reviews and an overall grade of B- (checked 8 October 2026). Reviewers most often praise supportive, approachable faculty, a welcoming campus, and online, hybrid and in-person formats that fit around work and family. Complaints center on problems with the online learning platform and limited course variety at some campuses. We could not see when the reviews were written, so we could not check for bursts of reviews or reviews invited by the college, and we did not check Trustpilot or GradReports.
Sources
Checked October 2026: Campuses · Degrees · Tuition, Fall 2026 · Commission on Colleges and Universities record · ADN program · College Navigator · Cross Timbers Gazette on the Flower Mound closure · Niche
Programs & Courses
Nursing
- Associate Degree Nursing (ADN, RN)
- LVN to RN Transition
- Vocational Nursing (LVN), including online hybrid
- RN to BSN pathway with partner universities (BSN awarded by the partner)
Health Sciences
- Radiologic Technology
- Surgical Technology
- EMT-Basic
- Paramedic (EMS Certificate and AAS)
Allied Health (non-credit)
- Certified Nurse Aide (CNA)
- Patient Care Technician
- Phlebotomy Technician
- Pharmacy Technician
- Central Service / Sterile Processing
- Clinical Medical Assistant
- Medical Coding & Insurance
- EKG/Telemetry Technician (single course)
Public Safety
- Fire Science and Basic Fire Academy (day or night)
- Fire Administration
- Criminal Justice
Skilled Trades and Industrial
- Welding
- HVAC
- Electrical Technician
- Industrial Mechatronics and Automation
- Machining
- Plumbing
- Construction Management
- Engineering Technology (Drafting)
- Automotive (Bowie High School dual credit)
Aviation
- Aviation Maintenance Technology (Airframe and Powerplant, with US Aviation Academy)
Cosmetology
- Cosmetology
- Barbering and Class A Barber Crossover
- Esthetics
Agriculture
- Equine Science
- Farm & Ranch Management
- Horticulture and Landscape
Business
- Accounting and Bookkeeping
- Business Management
- Data Analytics & Management
Technology
- Cyber Security
- Networking (Cisco)
- Computer Information Systems & Technology
- Game Design & Mobile Application Programming
- Web Development
Education
- Child Development
- Associate of Arts in Teaching
Campus Locations
Gainesville, TX 1525 W. California St., Gainesville, TX 76240
Denton (Corinth), TX 1500 N. Corinth St., Corinth, TX 76208
Denton, TX 316 E. Hickory St., Denton, TX 76201
Dallas (Flower Mound), TX 1200 Parker Square Rd., Flower Mound, TX 75028
Bowie, TX 810 S. Mill St., Bowie, TX 76230
Graham, TX 928 Cherry St., Graham, TX 76450
Fort Worth, TX Bldg 1, Champions Circle, Suite 101, 3440 Hwy 114, Fort Worth, TX 76177