| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Private, for-profit career school; hybrid (online lectures, campus labs), with some programs fully online |
| Campus taking new students | 1: York, PA (Lancaster and Altoona take no new students; both have programs in teach-out) |
| Credentials | Diplomas and Associate in Specialized Technology (AST) degrees |
| Typical length | Diplomas as few as 5 to 12 months; AST degrees as few as 20 months |
| Accreditation | ACCSC; York renewed for 4 years from November 2025 |
| Federal aid | Yes (FAFSA code 014765 for York); the CDL program is not approved for federal aid |
| Students | 642 full-time at York (IPEDS, 2024) |
| Founded / owner | 1967 in York (formerly York Technical Institute); owned by Porter and Chester Institute since 2013-14 |
| Facts checked | October 2026 |
YTI Career Institute: a York trade school now run from one campus
YTI Career Institute was founded in York in 1967, to train entry-level draftsmen, and was formerly called York Technical Institute. Porter and Chester Institute (PCI) announced in December 2013 that it was acquiring YTI, and YTI’s corporate address is now PCI’s office in Rocky Hill, Connecticut, which has no classrooms.
Today YTI trains for skilled trades, healthcare support jobs and veterinary technology. Most programs are hybrid: lectures are online and labs are on campus. Cybersecurity and Entrepreneurship are fully online, and CDL training is on site. YTI moved many programs to online and hybrid delivery from 2023, and it now enrolls new students only at York; its Lancaster and Altoona campuses are teaching out their last programs. YTI awards diplomas and Associate in Specialized Technology degrees; the Pennsylvania Department of Education authorized its associate degrees in 1987.
Programs taking new students at York
| Program | Credential | Length | Delivery | Prepares for | 2024-25 tuition and fees (IPEDS) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HVACR | Diploma | As few as 12 months | Hybrid | EPA Section 608, OSHA 30 | $22,255 |
| Electrical Technology | Diploma | As few as 10 months | Hybrid | OSHA 10 | $18,128 |
| Plumbing | Diploma | As few as 12 months | Hybrid | OSHA 30 | – |
| Diesel Technician | Diploma | As few as 8 months | Hybrid | ASE Heavy Truck (optional) | – |
| Electronics Engineering Technology | AST | As few as 20 months | Hybrid | CET | – |
| CDL Training | Diploma | 5 months, Mon–Thu 4–10 pm | On campus | CDL permit after the first 3-week class; entry-level driver training | – (no federal aid) |
| Medical Assisting | Diploma | As few as 10 months, incl. 10-week externship | Hybrid | CCMA, CPR | – |
| Dental Assisting | Diploma | As few as 10 months, incl. 280-hour externship | Hybrid | DANB RHS and ICE exams | – |
| Expanded Function Dental Assisting | Diploma | About 5 months (200 hours) | Online lectures, labs every other Friday/Saturday | Pennsylvania EFDA exam | – |
| Veterinary Technician | AST | As few as 20 months | Online lectures and simulated labs, two externships | VTNE | $30,688 |
| Cybersecurity | AST | As few as 20 months | 100% online, self-paced | CompTIA Security+, CySA+ | – |
| Entrepreneurship | Diploma | 10 months | 100% online | – | – |
All twelve programs enroll through the York campus, and each had a 19 October 2026 start date. Tuition figures are federal IPEDS data for 2024-25 and appear only where a figure was found for that program; YTI’s program and financial-aid pages do not give tuition.
Several programs on YTI’s site no longer take new students: Medical Billing and Coding, Computer Aided Drafting and Design, Computer and Data Management, the Medical Assistant AST degree (replaced by the diploma), Culinary Arts/Restaurant Management, Pastry Arts and Respiratory Therapy. Diesel Technician started in June 2025 and CDL training in July 2026.
What the main programs cover
HVACR, electrical and plumbing
The three building-trades diplomas share one format: lectures online and hands-on work in the York labs. Electrical Technology is the shortest, at as few as 10 months, and includes OSHA 10 training. HVACR and Plumbing each take as few as 12 months and include OSHA 30; HVACR adds EPA Section 608 refrigerant certification, which YTI’s page lists as Section 608A. For Electrical and HVACR, YTI includes the first test fee for these certifications. Electronics Engineering Technology is a longer degree of as few as 20 months that prepares for the CET exam.
Diesel Technician and CDL training
YTI added a Diesel Technician diploma in June 2025. Its program page gives a length of as few as 8 months, although the launch announcement said 10, and students can choose to prepare for the ASE Heavy Truck exams. CDL training, added in July 2026, is a five-month evening program held on site from 4 to 10 pm, Monday to Thursday, built on entry-level driver training. Students can get a CDL permit after the first three-week class. YTI does not say whether it trains for a Class A or Class B licence.
Dental assisting and expanded functions
New dental assistants take the hybrid diploma of as few as 10 months, which ends with a 280-hour daytime externship in the final term. The Expanded Function Dental Assisting diploma is for working assistants: it is 200 hours and 9 quarter credits over about five months, with online lectures and labs every other Friday or Saturday. Applicants need two years of chairside experience, a current RHS credential and CPR. The program is approved by the Pennsylvania State Board of Dentistry and leads to the Pennsylvania EFDA exam.
Veterinary Technician
The Veterinary Technician degree is a hybrid distance program: lectures and simulated labs are 100% online, and students complete two externships at approved veterinary sites near where they live. The AST degree takes as few as 20 months and, in federal data, carries 108 credit hours. The program was first accredited by AVMA-CVTEA on 4 April 2014 and holds full accreditation. It prepares students for the Veterinary Technician National Exam (VTNE), and YTI’s recent first-time pass rate is low (see the results below).
Online Cybersecurity and Entrepreneurship
Both online programs are self-paced at about 25 to 30 hours of work a week and begin with a laptop setup week. Cybersecurity is an AST degree of as few as 20 months that prepares for CompTIA Security+ and CySA+, and it requires 18 IT credits or a year of IT work before entry. Entrepreneurship is a 10-month diploma with courses in leadership, marketing, financial and personnel management, compensation administration and venture management. YTI’s program pages do not say which states its online programs accept students from.
Tuition and paying for it
YTI does not publish 2026-27 tuition on its program or financial-aid pages; its FAQ says tuition varies by program and campus, and its net price calculator is based on projected 2023-24 costs. The most recent figures we found are federal IPEDS data for 2024-25, compiled by CollegeTuitionCompare. They run from about $18,000 for Electrical Technology to about $31,000 for Veterinary Technician before aid. YTI is a private school, so there is no in-state or out-of-state rate.
| Program (2024-25) | Tuition and fees | Books and supplies |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical Technology | $18,128 | $1,952 |
| HVACR | $22,255 | $1,573 |
| Veterinary Technician | $30,688 | $3,491 |
After grants and scholarships, the average net price at York was $14,757 a year in 2024, according to Data USA. YTI takes federal student aid (FAFSA code 014765 for York), but the CDL program is not approved for federal aid. The Pennsylvania State Grant applies only to Pennsylvania residents in 21-month programs. YTI and Porter and Chester say they awarded more than 1,000 Imagine America scholarships in 2024; the scholarship pages give no amounts. For veterans, YTI’s site links to the VA’s GI Bill page.
Admissions and schedule
YTI says new sessions start on a regular basis, and every program taking students at York listed a 19 October 2026 start. Two programs have their own entry rules: Cybersecurity needs 18 IT credits or one year of IT work experience, and Expanded Function Dental Assisting needs two years of chairside experience, a current RHS credential and CPR. Hybrid programs combine online lectures with scheduled campus labs; the online programs are self-paced at 25 to 30 hours a week; and CDL classes run in the evening, Monday to Thursday.
Accreditation and results
YTI Career Institute-York is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC), which renewed its accreditation for four years from November 2025.
The Veterinary Technician program holds full accreditation from the AVMA Committee on Veterinary Technician Education and Activities, with its next evaluation in 2030. The Expanded Function Dental Assisting program is approved by the Pennsylvania State Board of Dentistry. YTI’s dental assisting page does not mention CODA accreditation.
| Measure | Result | Period and source |
|---|---|---|
| Veterinary Technician, first-time VTNE pass rate | 24.55% of 81 first-time candidates | 1 Jan 2023 – 31 Dec 2025, three-year rate, YTI’s Veterinary Technician page |
| Graduation rate, York | 45% within 150% of normal time | IPEDS, 2024 (Data USA) |
| Full-time enrollment, York | 642 | IPEDS, 2024 |
The VTNE rate means about three in four first-time candidates in 2023-2025 did not pass, although the program keeps full accreditation. YTI’s catalog has a page of graduation and employment rates by program; ask admissions for the current figures for your program.
Before you enroll
- Only the York campus takes new students. If you see YTI listed in Lancaster or Altoona, those campuses are teaching out their last programs.
- Just under a quarter of first-time Veterinary Technician candidates passed the VTNE over 2023-2025. Ask how the program is helping current students prepare.
- Tuition is not on YTI’s program or financial-aid pages. In 2024-25 tuition and fees ran about $18,000 to $31,000 per program before aid, so get a written cost for your program and start date.
- The CDL program is not approved for federal student aid, so federal loans and Pell Grants can’t be used for it.
- Cybersecurity is not an entry-level program: you need IT credits or IT work experience first.
York campus, and the two campuses teaching out
York, at 1405 Williams Road in Springettsbury Township with a York mailing address, has been YTI’s home since 1995 and is the only campus enrolling. It holds the labs for the hybrid trade and health programs and runs the online programs.
Lancaster moved in 2023 from Hempland Road to a smaller building at 380 Centerville Road, in East Hempfield Township. Its only programs, Culinary Arts/Restaurant Management and Pastry Arts, no longer take new students, and Culinary Arts is being taught out.
Altoona, at 3200 Pleasant Valley Boulevard, offers only Respiratory Therapy, which no longer takes new students and is in teach-out. ACCSC placed YTI Career Institute-Altoona on Warning on 9 June 2026, requiring it to submit a teach-out plan and agreement and to show it gets approval before making substantive changes, and the Respiratory Therapy program has been on CoARC Probationary Accreditation since 3 November 2023.
Career help and externships
YTI’s Career Services helps with résumés, interview preparation, employer connections and job searches. Externships are built into Medical Assisting (10 weeks), Dental Assisting (280 hours) and Veterinary Technician (two placements). YTI’s site does not mention student housing.
What students say
On Niche, YTI Career Institute-York is rated 3.97 out of 5 from 235 reviews, with an overall grade of C (Niche, checked October 2026). Reviewers praise the flexibility of online study for working parents, helpful admissions and other staff, and individual instructors they found dedicated. The most common complaints are high tuition and billing disputes, including bills after a dismissal; poor coordination, with labs not ready and externship problems; and instructor turnover that left students teaching themselves. Many short positive York reviews were posted in early 2024, with another cluster in April 2020, so weigh the average with that in mind.
Facts checked October 2026.
Programs & Courses
Skilled Trades
- HVACR (Diploma)
- Electrical Technology (Diploma)
- Plumbing (Diploma)
- Diesel Technician (Diploma)
- Electronics Engineering Technology (AST)
Transportation
- CDL Training
Healthcare
- Medical Assisting (Diploma)
- Dental Assisting (Diploma)
- Expanded Function Dental Assisting (Diploma)
Veterinary Services
- Veterinary Technician (AST)
Online Computer and Business Programs
- Cybersecurity (AST)
- Entrepreneurship (Diploma)
Campus Locations
York, PA 1405 Williams Road, York, PA 17402