| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Public technical college run by Aurora Public Schools; campus-based |
| Campus | 1, in Aurora in the Denver metro area |
| Credentials | Certificates; some stack into an AAS awarded by the Community College of Aurora |
| Programs | More than 25 certificate programs, according to the college |
| Students | 1,060 in fall 2024, all full-time; adults and high-school juniors and seniors |
| Accreditation | Council on Occupational Education; ACEN (Practical Nursing), CODA (Dental Assisting), ASHP (Pharmacy Technician), CoARC consortium (Respiratory Therapy) |
| Typical length | 2 or 4 semesters for most certificates |
| Federal aid | Pell Grants, FSEOG and work-study (school code 012875); no federal student loans |
| 2026-27 tuition | $137 per credit hour for Colorado residents, $274 for non-residents, plus fees |
| Facts checked | October 2026 |
Pickens Tech: Aurora Public Schools’ technical college for adults and teens
Pickens Technical College is a public technical college operated by Aurora Public Schools under the district’s Board of Education, and one of Colorado’s area technical colleges. It is not one of the Colorado Community College System’s colleges, although the system authorizes its credits for transfer, and several certificates stack into an associate degree at the Community College of Aurora.
Every program admits adults. Practical Nursing and Advanced Respiratory Care are for adults only, most other programs also take high-school juniors and seniors from Aurora Public Schools and other districts, and evening sections are for adults only. Fall 2024 enrollment was 1,060, all full-time.
Certificate programs at Pickens Tech
The college lists more than 25 certificate programs in health, skilled trades, beauty and culinary arts, design, business and natural sciences. The table shows the main ones, with credits from each program page.
| Program | Credential | Length / starts | Schedule | Prepares for / accreditation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Practical Nursing (LPN) | Certificate, 38.5 credits | 2 semesters; August and January starts | Full day; adults only | NCLEX-PN; ACEN accredited |
| Advanced Respiratory Care | AAS from the Community College of Aurora; 52 credits at Pickens | 4 semesters | Daytime; adults only | NBRC RRT; CoARC consortium |
| Dental Assisting | Certificate, 46 credits | 1 year full-day or about 18 months half-day | Morning or afternoon | CODA accredited |
| Pharmacy Technician | Certificate, 30.5 credits | 2 semesters | Morning or afternoon | PTCE; ASHP accredited |
| Master Automotive Service Technician | Certificate, 58 credits | 4 semesters | Morning or afternoon | ASE student certification |
| Non-Structural Repair Technician | Certificate, 26 credits | 2 semesters | Morning only | I-CAR curriculum |
| Motorcycle Service Technology | Certificate, 51 credits | 4 semesters | Day; adult evening section | – |
| Welding | Certificate, 35 credits | 2 semesters | Day; adult evenings Mon–Thu | AWS plate test on site |
| Heating & Air Conditioning | Certificate, 35 credits | 2 semesters | Day; adult evenings Mon–Tue | EPA (ESCO Institute), OSHA 10 |
| Construction Technology | Certificate, 55 credits | 4 semesters | Morning or afternoon | – |
| Facilities Maintenance Technician | Certificate, 31 credits | 2 semesters | Morning or afternoon | OSHA 10 |
| Barber | Certificate, 50 credits | Billed over 4 semesters | Beauty schedule | – |
| Cosmetology | Certificate, 61 credits | 4 semesters; fall and spring starts | Beauty schedule | Colorado State Board exam |
| Esthetician | Certificate, 24 credits | 2 semesters | Beauty schedule | Colorado esthetician licensing exam |
| Culinary Arts | Certificate, 30 credits | 2 semesters | Morning or afternoon | Food-safety exam |
| Multimedia Graphic Design | Certificate, 48 credits | 4 semesters | Afternoon, then morning | – |
| Veterinary Assistant | Certificate, 30 credits | 2 semesters | – | – |
| Cyber Technician | Certificate, 31 credits | 2 semesters | Morning or afternoon | CompTIA A+, Network+ |
Four programs carry programmatic accreditation from accrediting agencies: ACEN for Practical Nursing, CODA for Dental Assisting, ASHP for Pharmacy Technician and CoARC for the respiratory therapy degree, which Pickens runs with the Community College of Aurora. The college also lists NATEF certification through the ASE Education Foundation for Master Automotive. Several certificates, including automotive, can be extended to an AAS by adding general-education credits at the Community College of Aurora.
The college also lists Medical Assisting, Diesel Technology, Advanced Manufacturing, Electronics Technician, Refinishing Technician, Nail Technician, Marketing and Hospitality, Small Business Management, Photographic and Video Technology and Environmental Horticulture. Cyber Technician is an IT support certificate built around CompTIA A+ and Network+, with two security courses. The Nurse Aide program is not enrolling students. Online courses, IT bootcamps and military online learning are non-credit and do not lead to a Pickens certificate.
What the main programs cover
Practical Nursing
The 38.5-credit certificate takes two semesters of full days, 7:50 a.m. to 2:55 p.m., Monday to Friday, with clinicals on top. It is open only to adult students. Applicants submit a packet by the first Monday of April for an August start or the first Monday of October for a January start, and the TEAS entrance test is part of the process. Accepted students pay a $1,000 acceptance fee. Graduates take the NCLEX-PN to become licensed practical nurses.
Advanced Respiratory Care
This is a two-year program run with the Community College of Aurora, which awards the AAS in Respiratory Therapy. Students take 52 credits at Pickens and at least 19.5 at CCA, so they must enroll as CCA Respiratory Therapy students. Before applying they finish the general-education prerequisites, including BIO 201 with a C or better, and then go through a selective interview. Classes run from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., three days a week in the first year and two in the second, plus clinicals.
Dental Assisting
The 46-credit certificate runs over four semesters, finished in one year by full-day students or about 18 months by half-day students, with morning and afternoon sections and fall and spring starts. Students practise in the college’s on-site clinic and complete three clinical internship courses in private dental offices. Some courses require students to be 18. The college also offers an Expanded Duty Dental Assisting certificate. An entrance exam is required, and the program is CODA-accredited.
Master Automotive Service Technician
The 58-credit certificate runs over four semesters, in morning or afternoon blocks; there is no evening section. Alongside ASE student certification, students train with SP/2, Ford, Hunter, Snap-on and Subaru material. Applicants take the college’s entrance exam. Students who add 15 credits of general education at the Community College of Aurora can finish an AAS. Collision repair and motorcycle service are separate certificates taught in the same trades area.
Welding
The 35-credit certificate takes two semesters. Coursework covers structural shielded metal arc welding I and II, an introduction to gas tungsten arc, gas metal arc, flux-cored arc I and II, layout and fabrication, and blueprint reading, following American Welding Society SENSE concepts. Students can take the AWS plate certification test on site. Morning and afternoon sections are open to high-school students and adults, and adults can also attend an evening section from 5:30 to 10:00 p.m., Monday to Thursday.
Construction Technology
The 55-credit certificate, also called Advanced Construction Methods, runs over four semesters in morning or afternoon blocks. It concentrates on carpentry: framing, roofs, trim, drywall, flooring and tile, plus estimating and blueprint reading. It does not cover electrical or plumbing work. Students who want broader building repair skills can take the shorter Facilities Maintenance Technician certificate instead, which adds plumbing, electrical, appliance and HVAC basics and OSHA 10.
Tuition and how students pay
Pickens charges by the credit hour, with one rate for Colorado residents and a rate twice as high for everyone else, according to the college’s 2026-27 tuition table, updated in April 2026. A per-credit fee is added: $60 for the first credit and $10 for each additional credit.
| 2026-27 | Colorado resident | Non-resident |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition per credit hour | $137 | $274 |
| Per-credit fee | $60 for the first credit, $10 for each additional | Same |
| Example: 10 credits, tuition and fees | $1,520 | $2,890 |
| Example: 34 credits, tuition and fees | $5,048 | $9,706 |
| Acceptance fee (2025-26 catalog) | $100, non-refundable; $1,000 for Practical Nursing | |
To pay the resident rate, a student must have lived in Colorado for at least 12 continuous months before classes start, according to the 2025-26 catalog; military members on PCS orders and veterans or their dependents with a DD214 or Certificate of Eligibility may also qualify. Program charges, kits and materials come on top. For example, the Barber certificate comes to about $10,829 for a Colorado resident, including a $500 per-semester program charge, an $817 kit and $387 in materials, according to the college’s March 2026 cost sheet. College Navigator gives 2024-25 tuition and fees of $5,140 a year in-state and $9,250 out-of-state.
Pickens takes federal student aid (school code 012875) through Pell Grants, FSEOG and work-study, but it does not take part in any federal student loan program, as its financial aid page states. The catalog names the Colorado Student Grant, and the college awards merit-based and case-by-case scholarships without published amounts. The school certifies veterans for VA education benefits, but not every program is eligible.
Open enrollment for most programs, with fall starts
Most programs admit students who apply and complete the steps: a free online application, the FAFSA, a free 25-question entrance exam where the program requires one, registration and the $100 acceptance fee. The entrance exam applies to Medical Assisting, Pharmacy Technician, Veterinary Assistant, Dental Assisting, Master Automotive, Barber, Cosmetology, Esthetician and Nail Technician; college coursework or test scores can replace it. Practical Nursing and Advanced Respiratory Care are selective. High-school students can enroll from their junior year.
All programs start in fall; Cosmetology and Dental Assisting also start in spring, and Practical Nursing in January. Day classes run Monday to Friday from 8:40 to 11:30 a.m. or 12:10 to 3:00 p.m., and the beauty programs from 8:40 a.m. to 12:40 p.m. or 1:15 to 5:15 p.m. Evening sections, 5:30 to 10:00 p.m. and for adults only, are offered in Welding, HVAC and Motorcycle Service.
Accreditation and results
Pickens is accredited by the Council on Occupational Education. Practical Nursing is accredited by ACEN, Dental Assisting by CODA and Pharmacy Technician by ASHP.
The respiratory therapy AAS is listed under CoARC number 200431 as a consortium program in the CoARC 2025 report on accreditation, and graduates are eligible for the NBRC’s RRT credential.
| Measure | Result | Period and source |
|---|---|---|
| Practical Nursing, NCLEX-PN eventual pass rate (not first attempt) | 84.4% | 2022–2024, the program’s ACEN disclosure |
| Practical Nursing, completion rate | 91.2% | 2022–2024, the program’s ACEN disclosure |
| Pharmacy Technician, first-time PTCE pass rate | 49% | Graduates from February 2020 to March 2023, according to the program page |
| Graduation rate | 76% within 150% of normal time (58% for the fall 2020 cohort) | Full-time, first-time students starting in fall 2021, College Navigator |
| Retention | 67% | Full-time beginners, fall 2023 to fall 2024, College Navigator |
The nursing pass rate is an eventual rate, counting graduates who passed on any attempt, so it is not comparable with a first-time pass rate. The federal graduation rate covers full-time students starting for the first time.
Before you enroll
- Pickens does not offer federal student loans. Pell Grants, FSEOG and work-study are available, but plan how to cover the rest, including kits and program charges.
- Respiratory therapy means enrolling at two colleges. The degree comes from the Community College of Aurora, and you must finish CCA’s prerequisites before you apply.
- The published results need care: the 84.4% nursing figure counts graduates who passed the NCLEX-PN on any attempt, and the pharmacy technician first-time PTCE pass rate was 49% for 2020–2023 graduates. Ask each program for its latest first-time results.
- The Barber page gives the program’s length as both two semesters and two years, while the cost sheet bills four semesters, and the page does not mention Colorado licensing. Ask before you enroll.
- Cyber Technician is an IT support certificate, not a cybersecurity degree, and the Nurse Aide program is not enrolling students.
One campus on Airport Boulevard
Every program is taught at 500 Airport Blvd, Aurora, CO 80011, in the Denver metro area, across Buildings A, B and E. Respiratory therapy students also take general-education courses at the Community College of Aurora.
Clinicals, internships and student clubs
Work experience is built into several programs: clinicals in Practical Nursing, Pharmacy Technician and Advanced Respiratory Care, and internships in Dental Assisting and Veterinary Assistant. Students can join SkillsUSA, DECA, HOSA and FBLA chapters.
What students say
On Niche, Pickens Technical College is rated 4.13 out of 5 from 54 reviews, with an overall grade of B- (checked 12 October 2026). Reviewers praise hands-on, job-ready training in automotive, motorcycle and HVAC; instructors who use their contacts with employers to help students find work; supportive teachers and a diverse student body; and the choice of morning, midday and evening classes. Complaints include instructor turnover in some programs, slow responses from administration and financial aid, and little campus life, with dated computers and library. The reviews are spread over several years with no obvious burst.
Facts checked October 2026.
Programs & Courses
Health
- Practical Nursing (LPN)
- Advanced Respiratory Care (AAS with the Community College of Aurora)
- Dental Assisting
- Expanded Duty Dental Assisting
- Pharmacy Technician
- Medical Assisting
Skilled Trades
- Master Automotive Service Technician
- Non-Structural Repair Technician (collision)
- Refinishing Technician
- Motorcycle Service Technology
- Diesel Technology
- Welding
- Heating & Air Conditioning Service Technology
- Construction Technology
- Facilities Maintenance Technician
- Advanced Manufacturing
- Electronics Technician
Human Services
- Barber
- Cosmetology
- Esthetician
- Nail Technician
- Culinary Arts
Arts & Technology
- Multimedia Graphic Design
- Photographic & Video Technology
- Cyber Technician (IT support)
Business & Marketing
- Marketing and Hospitality
- Small Business Management
Natural Sciences
- Veterinary Assistant
- Environmental Horticulture
Online (non-credit)
- Online Learning courses
- Online IT Bootcamps
- Military Online Learning
Campus Locations
Denver (Aurora), CO 500 Airport Blvd, Aurora, CO 80011