| Fact | Northwest Lineman College |
|---|---|
| Type | Private, for-profit, non-degree lineworker school; campus programs only for individual students |
| Campuses | 4 in 4 states: Meridian, ID; Oroville, CA; Denton, TX; Edgewater, FL |
| Credential | Electrical Lineworker Program Certificate of Completion |
| Program length | 15 weeks, 480 clock hours; three terms a year |
| Accreditation | ACCSC at the California campus only; Idaho not accredited by ACCSC; Texas and Florida name no accreditor |
| Federal aid | No: eligible, but NLC does not take part; students use private loans or WIOA |
| Founded / owner | 1993 in Meridian, Idaho; owned by Quanta Services since 2018 |
| Total cost | $21,730.20 to $27,048 per term at the four campuses (2024 to April 2025 figures; the Idaho figure includes the CDL course) |
| Facts checked | 12 October 2026 |
A lineworker school owned by Quanta Services
Northwest Lineman College (NLC) is a private, for-profit school that trains electrical lineworkers, the crews who build and repair power lines. It was founded in Meridian, Idaho, in 1993 and has been owned by Quanta Services, a large utility contractor, since 2018, according to Quanta’s announcement of the purchase. The Texas and Florida campuses also use the name Northwest Lineman Center. Individual students can enroll in one program, the 15-week Electrical Lineworker Program, taught in person at four campuses in Idaho, California, Texas and Florida. NLC’s other training, including distance-learning courses and an apprenticeship program, is sold to employers. Since the first term of 2025 every campus has required graduates to hold a Class A commercial driver’s license, and NLC does not take federal student aid.
One program for individual students
| Program | Credential and hours | Length | Delivery | Prepares for | Sample cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical Lineworker Program | Certificate of Completion; 480 clock hours (197 lecture, 283 lab) | 15 weeks | In person, all four campuses | Lineworker apprenticeships; no state license applies | $21,784.10 total (Denton, TX, 2024/25) |
| Class A CDL training (add-on) | Prepares for the Class A CDL, a graduation requirement | 20 hours (Idaho), 26 hours (California) | With a third-party CDL school | Class A CDL with air brakes | $3,395 to $3,600 (Idaho and California, 2025/26) |
| Crane Operator Certification (add-on) | NCCCO test preparation | 60 hours | During the ELP | NCCCO crane operator test | $2,440 to $2,515 with test fee (2025/26) |
| Applied Mathematics (add-on) | Course | Not stated | Online in Florida | Not stated | $250 (2025/26) |
Hours, course names and add-on prices come from the 2025/26 catalog for the Idaho and California campuses. The ELP has no externship: all field training takes place on the campus training yard. It counts for 20 credits toward an associate of applied science in Utility Line and Management Technology at Lamar Institute of Technology, and a year of verified job experience adds 14 more. Employers can also enroll workers in NLC’s distance-learning Power Delivery Programs, including a Telecommunications Lineworker Certification, at $695 to $790 per module per trainee (2026/27), but these are not open to individuals. NLC offers no gas program.
What the Electrical Lineworker Program covers
Classroom courses
The academic side starts with orientation, Essentials for Success and an introduction to NLC’s Capacity Model. It continues with Electrical Grid I and II, Rigging, Working on Lines and Equipment, Transformers, Smart Grid and Electrical Devices, and Career Planning and Strategies, and includes a behavior assessment and the OSHA 10-Hour ET&D course. Students need at least 70% in each academic class to graduate. The 2025/26 catalog allows up to 76 students per instructor in the classroom.
Field competencies and certifications
Field work covers Climbing I to III, Equipment I and II, Distribution I and II, Underground I, Transmission I and II, groundman work, fiber overlashing, transformers, live-line equipment, overhead secondary, material identification, general line construction and chainsaw safety. All competencies must be finished before the final week. Students earn certifications in First Aid, CPR, pole-top, enclosed-space and aerial-lift rescue, digger derrick safety, climbing and chainsaw safety. The catalog allows up to 20 students per instructor in the field.
The Class A CDL requirement
Graduates must hold a Class A CDL with air brakes; the rule is waived for DACA, international and U.S. territory students and DoD SkillBridge interns. Students can arrive with a license or take NLC’s optional add-on course, run with Impact CDL Training, a third-party school: 20 hours in Idaho and 26 in California. Students taking the course must get a commercial learner’s permit before CDL training starts; NLC recommends at least 14 days before the term. Truck rental, the skills test and DMV fees cost extra.
Attendance and graduation rules
Classes meet Monday to Thursday, with some Fridays, which the program page says are for preparation and study. Students may miss no more than five days and must be assessed as “meets” or “exceeds expectations” as well as passing grades. The optional 60-hour crane course prepares for the NCCCO operator test, with the test fee included in its price. Each term is a complete program: students start and finish within the same 15 weeks.
Cost by campus and term
NLC sets prices by campus and term, with no in-state or out-of-state rates. The ELP is one 15-week term, so each figure below is the cost of the whole program. NLC’s tuition page, updated in September 2026, lists prices by year, term and campus, but we could not read its figures in October 2026, so these are the newest totals we could confirm; confirm the current price with the campus before signing.
| Campus | Period | Tuition | Total required cost | What the total includes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denton, TX | 2024/25 Term 3 and 2025 Term 1 | $17,500 | $21,784.10 | $100 application, $850 lab and materials, $3,080 tools and shirts, sales tax |
| Edgewater, FL | 2024/25 Term 3 and 2025 Term 1 | $17,500 | $21,730.20 | Same fees, tools and shirts, sales tax |
| Oroville, CA | 2024 Terms 1 and 2 | $19,000 | $23,341.60 | Fees, tools and shirts |
| Meridian, ID | Listing updated April 2025 | $18,835 | $27,048 | $950 fees, $3,763 tools and shirts, and the $3,500 CDL course |
The Texas and Florida totals are from NLC’s 2024/25 catalog for those campuses, which adds that optional courses raise them to $27,489.10 in Texas and $27,700.20 in Florida.
The California total is from the 2024 catalog filed with California’s bureau; with optional courses it came to $29,406.60.
The Idaho figure is from the IdahoWorks training-provider listing, updated 15 April 2025, which shows the same price for in-state and out-of-state students.
In the 2025/26 Idaho and California catalog, the CDL course costs $3,500 in Idaho and $3,600 in California for Term 1, and $3,395 and $3,495 in Terms 2 and 3, including a $75 drug test. About $550 for truck rental and the skills test, a $225 online permit-prep course and DMV fees are extra. The required tool kit is $2,512.96 plus a $59 kitting service and at least four NLC safety shirts.
No federal aid: how students pay
NLC is eligible for federal student aid but chooses not to take part, its California filings say, so there are no federal grants or loans and no net price calculator. At Oroville, private loans from lenders such as Sallie Mae, Campus Door and Meritize made up 62% of the school’s income in the 2024 report year; other students used WIOA workforce funding or the California Department of Rehabilitation. The Idaho program is on the state’s eligible training-provider list, so WIOA funding can be used there.
NLC says one in five of its students are veterans, and the catalog waives the CDL rule for DoD SkillBridge interns. A local newspaper reported in 2019 that the Florida campus had been approved for VA education benefits; ask each campus whether it currently accepts the GI Bill.
Admission requirements and class times
- At least 18 by the start of the term.
- A high school diploma or GED, and high-school-level English.
- A weight of 270 lb or less, because of fall-protection equipment limits.
- A medical release, proof of medical insurance, and a drug test that includes marijuana.
- No felony conviction, a valid driver’s license and eligibility for a Class A CDL.
NLC is not open enrollment: applicants who do not meet these requirements are not admitted. The ELP starts three times a year, and each start is a full program. Classes meet Monday to Thursday and sometimes Friday: 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in Idaho, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in California, and 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in Texas and Florida in the 2024/25 catalog. Enrollment, including any add-on funding, must be completed by the second day of the term.
Accreditation and state approval by campus
Accreditation differs by campus. The Oroville, California campus is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC), which renewed it for five years effective April 2025, according to ACCSC’s March 2026 notice of commission actions. NLC’s own catalog says the Idaho campus is not accredited by ACCSC, and the Texas and Florida catalogs and campus pages name no accreditor.
California’s Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education licenses the Oroville campus, and the Denton campus holds a Certificate of Approval from the Texas Workforce Commission (school number S3713). For the Idaho and Florida campuses, ask NLC which state agency authorizes them.
After a 19 March 2026 inspection of the Oroville campus, the bureau issued a Notice to Comply over missing disclosures in the catalog, the enrollment agreement and the website, with no fine.
Employment and completion rates
NLC reports that 74% of graduates available for work, 3,960 of 5,383, were employed in the field, on its statistics page. The figure covers all four campuses for its cohort of 1 October 2019 to 30 September 2022, and NLC does not define “employed in field”. The same page counts 7,036 students in that period, 1,359 of them veterans.
California requires the Oroville campus to report its own rates under state definitions, and they are lower. In the bureau’s 2024 annual report, 877 students started; 84.49% completed on time and 31.14% of graduates available for work (232 of 745) were employed in the field, 51 of them by NLC or an affiliated employer. The same report’s salary table lists more graduates than that, so treat the placement figure with caution.
NLC’s California performance fact sheet gives placement of 45% for the 2020 cohort and 54% for 2021, counting graduates employed in the field within six months and documented by the school. No licensing exam applies, so there are no pass rates.
| Measure | Campuses | Cohort or report | Rate | Reported by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employed in field | All four | Oct 2019 to Sep 2022 cohort | 74% | NLC |
| On-time completion | Oroville, CA | 2024 annual report | 84.49% | NLC to California’s bureau |
| Placement in field | Oroville, CA | 2024 annual report | 31.14% | NLC to California’s bureau |
| Placement in field | Oroville, CA | 2021 cohort | 54% | NLC to California’s bureau |
| Placement in field | Oroville, CA | 2020 cohort | 45% | NLC to California’s bureau |
Before you enroll
- The job numbers depend on who reports them. NLC’s 74% employment rate is a four-campus figure with no definition of “in field”; the only figures filed with a regulator, for Oroville, show 31.14% placement in the 2024 report and 45% and 54% for the 2020 and 2021 cohorts. Ask the campus you are considering for its own placement data and how it is counted.
- Only the California campus is accredited. The catalog says the Idaho campus is not accredited by ACCSC, and the Texas and Florida campuses name no accreditor. The catalog names a credit pathway of 20 credits toward an associate degree at Lamar Institute of Technology.
- There is no federal aid. Totals run from about $21,700 to $27,000 (the Idaho figure includes the CDL course), and at Oroville private loans made up 62% of the school’s income in the 2024 report year, so compare loan terms before you sign.
- The Class A CDL is required to graduate. If you don’t have one, budget for the add-on course, truck rental, the skills test and DMV fees, and get your learner’s permit before the term.
- The screening is strict: the 270 lb weight limit, a drug test that includes marijuana and the no-felony rule apply at every campus.
NLC’s four campuses
- Boise (Meridian), ID: 7600 S Meridian Rd, Meridian, ID 83642
- Oroville, CA: 2009 Challenger Ave, Oroville, CA 95965
- Dallas (Denton), TX: 5110 Dakota Ln, Denton, TX 76207
- Daytona Beach (Edgewater), FL: 501 Pullman Rd, Edgewater, FL 32132
All four campuses teach the same Electrical Lineworker Program and offer CDL, crane and applied-mathematics add-ons, though the CDL course differs by campus; they differ in accreditation, state approval, prices and class times. The Texas and Florida campuses have smart-grid and transformer labs. NLC’s training for employees at customer sites and its distance-learning programs are not campuses.
Housing and career help
At the Idaho, Texas and Florida campuses, NLC partners with Collegiate Housing Services to help students find housing; the campus pages do not say the housing is required. The California campus says it does not offer or work with any housing. The ELP includes a career planning course, and NLC’s 2024/25 catalog says 98% of students interview with employers before graduating, without saying how that is measured. Quanta, NLC’s owner, is itself a large employer of lineworkers.
What students say
We could not confirm 25 or more student reviews of NLC on any review site we checked, the minimum we need for a summary, so we do not give a rating or review themes here.
Facts checked October 2026.
Programs & Courses
Electrical Lineworker Program
- Electrical Lineworker Program (15-week certificate)
Optional add-on courses (taken during the ELP)
- Class A CDL training (optional add-on to the ELP)
- Crane Operator Certification prep (60 hours)
- Applied Mathematics
Campus Locations
Boise (Meridian), ID 7600 S Meridian Rd, Meridian, ID 83642
Oroville, CA 2009 Challenger Ave, Oroville, CA 95965
Dallas (Denton), TX 5110 Dakota Ln, Denton, TX 76207
Daytona Beach (Edgewater), FL 501 Pullman Rd, Edgewater, FL 32132