Becoming an Automotive Technician or Mechanic in New York
In New York, many employers favor applicants with post-secondary education for automotive jobs. They typically also demand industry certification after someone is hired. For most entry-level positions in this field, the bare minimum requirement is a high school diploma or equivalent.
Requirements for becoming an Automotive Service Technician in New York
In New York, auto mechanics do not need to hold a professional license. However, they must have a valid driver’s license and be eligible to work in the United States. Hiring managers usually demand that applicants have a higher education and hands-on experience, so it is advisable that people seeking an entry-level position have some experience working as a mechanic or automotive technician.
The following topics may be covered in an automotive technology program or apprenticeship:
- Engine repair
- Brake systems
- Suspension systems
- Air conditioning
- Automotive steering
- Electronic systems
- Hydraulic pressures
- Diesel technology
- Basic maintenance and auto repair
- Heating systems
- Electrical systems
- Engine performance
- Manual drive train
- Automatic transmissions
- Manual transmissions
ASE Certification
The National Institute of Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) is a certification organization that evaluates technicians on their knowledge and skills. To become certified, applicants must pass at least one ASE exam in the specialty they wish to pursue. A valid driver’s license is also required for certification. Additionally, applicants may need to show proof of two years of work experience in the specialty field in which they wish to be certified. ASE certifications are valid for five years. After that, technicians must recertify to maintain their status.
Auto mechanic training in New York
New York employs more than 32,000 automotive service technicians and mechanics, making it one of the largest markets for this trade in the country (BLS May 2025 OEWS data). If you want to work on cars, trucks, or collision repair, the state has a wide range of ASE-accredited programs to choose from. ASE accreditation means the ASE Education Foundation, the recognized quality standard for automotive training in the US, has reviewed the program and confirmed it meets industry requirements.
This page lists every ASE-accredited program available in New York: 22 post-secondary programs you can enroll in as an adult, 8 manufacturer-sponsored programs that pair college study with paid dealer work, and 28 secondary programs for current high school students. The listings come directly from the ASE Education Foundation directory.
Wages for automotive careers in New York
Pay varies depending on which type of work you do. Here is how the four main roles compare, using BLS May 2025 OEWS data.
Automotive service technicians and mechanics
This is the core role most students train for. In New York, the median wage is $54,120 a year. The bottom 10 percent earn around $35,470, and the top 10 percent earn $91,490. The 25th percentile sits at $45,550, and the 75th percentile sits at $73,320. There are 32,020 people working in this role across the state.
Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists
Diesel work pays more than general automotive work in New York. The median wage is $70,100, with a mean of $70,740. The 10th percentile starts at $48,360, and the 90th percentile reaches $90,090. About 13,230 people hold this role in the state. If you are interested in medium or heavy-duty trucks, programs at schools like New York Automotive and Diesel Institute or Capital Region Career and Technical School cover this specialty.
Automotive body and related repairers
Collision repair techs in New York earn a median of $47,670. The mean is $55,500, which shows that high earners pull the average up. The 10th percentile is $37,580, and the 90th percentile reaches $81,970. Around 8,530 people work in this field statewide.
Automotive glass installers and repairers
This is a smaller specialty, with 660 workers in New York. The median wage is $50,240, and the 90th percentile reaches $77,160. The 25th percentile starts at $45,790.
How pay progresses over a career
Across all four roles, the gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is large. For general automotive technicians, that gap is more than $56,000 per year. Experience, ASE certifications, and specialization in high-demand systems (like electric vehicles or diesel) all move you toward the higher end of those ranges. Diesel and truck mechanics start higher and maintain a wage premium over general techs throughout a career.
Working as an Auto Mechanic in New York
Auto mechanics in New York also have the opportunity to earn additional certifications and further their education in order to increase their earning potential and set themselves apart from other professionals in the field. With continuing education and professional experience, auto mechanics in New York can become master technicians or move into management roles.
Q&A with an Expert
An interview with the Associate Professor and Chair of the Automotive Trades Department at SUNY College of Technology in Alfred, NY.
Kent Johnson
Q: What type of degree/certificate do mechanics in New York typically need?
A: When prospective students come here to see our program, I generally tell them that they should visit as many schools as possible to determine what is important to them. Alfred State offers a two-year AOS (Associates of Occupational Studies) degree. This is primarily a hands-on degree in that the students spend 4.5 hours daily working in the labs, and 1.5 hours daily in the classroom focused on vehicle repair related topics. Some schools offer AAS degrees (Associates of Applied Science) which include liberal arts requirements, but typically offers less hands-on lab practice, and some schools offer shorter certificate programs. There are pros and cons to all three, so it really depends on what is important to the individual and what job they are trying to get.
Q: What are the preferred qualities/skills of an auto mechanic?
- They need to be well trained with a desire to continue learning
- They need to be thinkers and problem solvers
- They need strong work ethics
- They need to be able to communicate and they need people skills
- They need to be focused on professionalism
These are all qualities that the automotive department at Alfred State works very hard to instill in our students.
How to Enroll in an Automotive School in New York?
Every auto mechanic needs training, and earning a degree or diploma from one of the many reputable auto mechanic programs in New York is a great way to get training that you know will measure up to the standards of any shop in the industry. Start your search for auto mechanic schools in New York, by browsing the listings below and finding out what’s available at programs near you.
Manufacturer-sponsored programs in New York
All 8 manufacturer-sponsored programs available in New York are listed below. These programs are different from a standard certificate. You attend college classes and work at a franchised dealership at the same time. The dealer pays you during your training. You also earn manufacturer-specific certification, which carries weight when you apply for jobs at brand dealerships. These are the highest-value training options on this page if your goal is to work for a specific brand.
All 8 manufacturer-sponsored programs in New York:
| Institution | Location | Program | Series | Accreditation expires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erie Community College | Orchard Park | Ford ASSET | Automobile | January 2026 |
| Erie Community College | Orchard Park | Mopar CAP | Automobile | January 2026 |
| Monroe Community College | Rochester | GM ASEP | Automobile | June 2027 |
| Monroe Community College | Rochester | Toyota T-TEN | Automobile | June 2027 |
| SUNY Morrisville | Morrisville | Ford ASSET | Automobile | April 2029 |
| Suffolk County Community College | Selden | GM ASEP | Automobile | December 2026 |
| Suffolk County Community College | Selden | Toyota T-TEN | Automobile | December 2026 |
| Suffolk County Community College | Selden | Honda PACT | Automobile | December 2026 |
Ford ASSET, GM ASEP, Toyota T-TEN, Honda PACT, and Mopar CAP are each run in partnership with a specific manufacturer. Admission usually requires sponsorship from a local dealer for that brand. Contact the college’s automotive department first; they can tell you which dealers in your area are active sponsors.
Note the accreditation expiry dates. Programs at Erie Community College and Suffolk County Community College expire in 2026. That does not mean the programs are closing, but you should confirm current status directly with the college before you apply.
All post-secondary programs in New York
All 22 post-secondary automotive programs in New York are listed below. These are programs open to adult learners. Community colleges generally cost less per credit hour than private technical institutes, though you should contact each school directly for current tuition information.
| Institution | Location | Series | Program | Accreditation expires | Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alfred State College of Technology | Wellsville | Automobile | General | January 2030 | alfredstate.edu |
| Apex Technical School | Long Island City | Automobile | General | June 2028 | apextechnicalschool.com |
| Bronx Community College of CUNY | Bronx | Automobile | General | June 2029 | bcc.cuny.edu |
| Columbia-Greene Community College | Hudson | Automobile | General | November 2029 | sunycgcc.edu |
| Erie Community College | Orchard Park | Automobile | Ford ASSET | January 2026 | ecc.edu |
| Erie Community College | Orchard Park | Automobile | Mopar CAP | January 2026 | ecc.edu |
| Hudson Valley Community College | Troy | Automobile | General | June 2028 | hvcc.edu |
| Hudson Valley Community College | Troy | Collision Repair and Refinishing | General | February 2029 | hvcc.edu |
| Lincoln Technical Institute | Whitestone | Automobile | General | December 2029 | lincolntech.com |
| Monroe Community College | Rochester | Automobile | GM ASEP | June 2027 | monroecc.edu |
| Monroe Community College | Rochester | Automobile | Toyota T-TEN | June 2027 | monroecc.edu |
| New York Automotive and Diesel Institute | Jamaica | Automobile | General | March 2030 | nyadi.edu |
| New York Automotive and Diesel Institute | Jamaica | Collision Repair and Refinishing | General | March 2030 | nyadi.edu |
| New York Automotive and Diesel Institute | Jamaica | Medium/Heavy Duty Truck | General | March 2030 | nyadi.edu |
| SUNY Canton College of Technology | Canton | Automobile | AYES | May 2030 | [email protected] (contact by email) |
| SUNY Morrisville | Morrisville | Automobile | Ford ASSET | April 2029 | morrisville.edu |
| State University of New York at Delhi | Delhi | Automobile | General | September 2028 | delhi.edu |
| Suffolk County Community College | Selden | Automobile | GM ASEP | December 2026 | sunysuffolk.edu |
| Suffolk County Community College | Selden | Automobile | Toyota T-TEN | December 2026 | sunysuffolk.edu |
| Suffolk County Community College | Selden | Automobile | General | December 2026 | sunysuffolk.edu |
| Suffolk County Community College | Selden | Automobile | Honda PACT | December 2026 | sunysuffolk.edu |
| Western Suffolk BOCES | Northport | Automobile | General | May 2031 | wilsontech.org |
How to read the accreditation expiry dates
An accreditation expiry date is the point at which the program must apply for renewal. It is not a closing date. Programs routinely renew. That said, if a program expires within the next year or so, confirm its current status with the school before you apply. Western Suffolk BOCES holds the longest runway in this list, with accreditation through May 2031.
Choosing between a community college and a private technical school
Community colleges generally cost less per credit hour than private technical institutes. The tradeoff is that community college programs often run on a semester calendar and take two years to complete an associate degree. Private schools like Apex Technical School and Lincoln Technical Institute often run on shorter, more intensive schedules. Both types carry ASE accreditation if they appear on this list, so the quality standard is the same. What differs is schedule, location, and cost structure.
Programs for current high school students
If you are in high school right now, you have access to a separate set of ASE-accredited programs designed specifically for your age group. These are not open to adult career-changers; they are part of the Career and Technical Education (CTE) system and run through BOCES centers and high schools across the state.
Thirteen of the 28 programs below carry the AYES designation. AYES stands for Automotive Youth Educational Systems. It is a structured pipeline, not a general shop class. AYES programs connect you with franchised dealerships while you are still in high school. You get hands-on work at the dealership, manufacturer-specific exposure, and a direct path into a dealer apprenticeship or a post-secondary program after graduation. No other training pathway gets you in front of a hiring dealer this early.
If you are in a school district served by one of the AYES programs below, this is worth looking into before you graduate. Spots are limited, and some programs require you to apply through your school counselor in your sophomore or junior year.
All 28 secondary automotive programs in New York (13 are AYES programs):
| Institution | Location | Series | Program | Accreditation expires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barry Tech Center | Westbury | Automobile | AYES | March 2027 |
| Belmont Career and Technical Education Center | Belmont | Automobile | General | May 2026 |
| Capital Region Career and Technical School | Albany | Automobile | AYES | May 2030 |
| Capital Region Career and Technical School | Albany | Medium/Heavy Duty Truck | AYES | September 2026 |
| Dutchess County BOCES, Career and Technical Institute | Poughkeepsie | Automobile | General | August 2029 |
| Eastern Suffolk BOCES, Edward J. Milliken Technical Center | Oakdale | Automobile | AYES | June 2029 |
| Ellicottville Career and Technical Education Center | Ellicottville | Automobile | General | January 2025 |
| F. Donald Myers Education Center | Saratoga Springs | Automobile | General | September 2026 |
| Gerald R. Claps Career and Tech Center | Levittown | Automobile | General | June 2027 |
| H.B. Ward Career and Technical Center | Riverhead | Automobile | AYES | June 2027 |
| Monroe #2 – Orleans BOCES | Spencerport | Automobile | General | May 2027 |
| OCM BOCES | Syracuse | Automobile | General | February 2029 |
| Oneida-Herkimer-Madison BOCES | New Hartford | Automobile | AYES | July 2030 |
| Oneonta Job Corps | Oneonta | Automobile | General | June 2029 |
| Onondaga-Cortland-Madison BOCES, Cortlandville Campus | Cortland | Automobile | General | April 2030 |
| Orange-Ulster CTEC | Goshen | Automobile | General | April 2030 |
| Orange-Ulster CTEC | Goshen | Collision Repair and Refinishing | General | July 2029 |
| Orleans Niagara BOCES / Niagara Career and Tech Center | Sanborn | Automobile | AYES | August 2024 |
| Questar III – Donald R. Kline Technical School | Hudson | Automobile | General | December 2029 |
| Rockland BOCES | West Nyack | Automobile | AYES | May 2030 |
| Southern Adirondack Education Center | Hudson Falls | Automobile | General | February 2027 |
| Southern Westchester BOCES | Valhalla | Automobile | AYES | May 2027 |
| Thomas A. Edison Career and Technical Education High School | Jamaica | Automobile | AYES | August 2027 |
| Tompkins-Seneca-Tioga BOCES | Ithaca | Automobile | General | February 2029 |
| W.D. Ormsby Educational Center | East Aurora | Automobile | AYES | June 2028 |
| Wilson Technological Center | Dix Hills | Automobile | AYES | December 2029 |
| Wilson Technological Center | Dix Hills | Collision Repair and Refinishing | AYES | August 2027 |
| Wilson Technological Center – North Shore Campus | Northport | Automobile | General | February 2029 |
Two programs to check on before you apply
Ellicottville Career and Technical Education Center had an accreditation expiry of January 2025, and Orleans Niagara BOCES / Niagara Career and Tech Center had an expiry of August 2024. Both dates have passed. Contact these schools directly to confirm whether their accreditation has been renewed before you make any plans around them.
What AYES actually means for you
In an AYES program, you spend part of your school week in the classroom and part of it at a participating dealership. The dealership gives you real shop experience on customer vehicles, under supervision. When you finish the program, you have a documented work history with a franchised dealer before you even graduate high school. That record carries weight when you apply to manufacturer-sponsored post-secondary programs like Ford ASSET or GM ASEP, which look for students with exactly this kind of structured dealership exposure.
You also graduate with an ASE Student Certification in most AYES programs, which tells any employer you understand the basics and that you trained at a school that meets a national standard.
How to choose the right program for your situation
The right program depends on where you are in your education and what kind of work you want to do.
If you are still in high school and your district has an AYES program nearby, start there. The dealership connection and early certification give you a real head start. You can follow it with a post-secondary program after graduation if you want an associate degree.
If you have already graduated and want to work on passenger cars, any of the 22 post-secondary programs on this page meet the ASE quality standard. A community college program typically takes two years and ends with an associate degree. A private technical school may be faster.
If you know which brand you want to work on and you want paid training, look at the manufacturer-sponsored programs. Ford ASSET is available at Erie Community College and SUNY Morrisville. GM ASEP is available at Monroe Community College and Suffolk County Community College. Toyota T-TEN is at Monroe and Suffolk. Honda PACT is at Suffolk. Mopar CAP is at Erie. Each of these programs requires a dealer sponsor, so the first step is contacting the college’s automotive department to find a sponsor near you.
If diesel and truck work appeals to you, New York Automotive and Diesel Institute in Jamaica has ASE-accredited programs in both medium/heavy duty truck and automobile series. The wage data shows diesel mechanics earn a median of $70,100 in New York, compared to $54,120 for general automotive technicians. That gap is worth factoring into your decision.
Next steps
Use the tables above to find programs within a reasonable distance of where you live. Visit each school’s website to check current enrollment dates, program length, and application requirements. For manufacturer-sponsored programs, contact the college’s automotive department directly to ask about dealer sponsorship availability in your area. The ASE Education Foundation directory, the source for all listings on this page, is updated periodically, so confirm accreditation status with the school if you are applying close to an expiry date shown above.
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*This list may contain out-of-state and online schools that accept students from New York.
Sources:
- Occupational Outlook Handbook, Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/installation-maintenance-and-repair/automotive-service-technicians-and-mechanics.htm
- BLS May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor
- ASE Education Foundation Accredited Programs Directory, https://www.aseeducationfoundation.org
- Kent W Johnson, Alfred State Staff Directory, http://www.alfredstate.edu/users/johnsokw