Best Trade Schools in Arlington, Virginia

Start here to compare accredited trade schools near Arlington. This guide links to programs, state licensing steps, and related career paths so you can get job-ready quickly in Virginia.


How to Get Started in Arlington

  • Compare schools and program lengths above
  • Check your state licensing steps: Virginia
  • Explore careers: Skilled trades hub
  • Ask each school about tuition, schedules, and embedded certifications (EPA 608, NCCER, ASE)

Compare Trade Schools Near Arlington, Virginia

How We Rank Schools

We first gather the schools closest to the city or state page you are viewing, then rank that local group by BOC Score, with the highest at the top. The BOC Score is computed from federal IPEDS and College Scorecard data; schools without enough data to score appear last.

Location / proximity to this page
Defines the local group
Graduation rate
30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
25%
Average net price (lower is better)
20%
Retention rate
15%
Fully online availability
10%

Schools without enough federal outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

University of Management and Technology

Arlington, VA 1.2 miles away BOC Score 82.8
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
  • 1901 Fort Myer Drive, Suite 700 Arlington, VA 22209-1609
  • (703) 516-0035
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 8
  • Annual completions: 112
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $72,298 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#3

Marymount University

Arlington, VA 2.3 miles away BOC Score 61.4
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 55.7% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 24
  • Annual completions: 515
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $74,242 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#4

University of the Potomac-VA Campus

FALLS CHURCH, VA 2.8 miles away BOC Score 59.1
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 54.5% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 10
  • Annual completions: 82
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $107,963 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#6

Aveda Arts & Sciences Institute Lafayette-Arlington

Arlington, VA 0.6 miles away BOC Score 27.8
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
  • 671 North Glebe Road, Suite 1280 Arlington, VA 22203-2137
  • (877) 892-8332
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 4
  • Annual completions: 388
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $21,980 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#7

Strayer University-Virginia

Arlington, VA 1.2 miles away BOC Score 26.8
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 13
  • Annual completions: 343
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $68,449 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#8

DeVry University-Virginia

Arlington, VA 3.0 miles away BOC Score 13.0
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 9
  • Annual completions: 7
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $63,172 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

BOC Score, tuition, graduation rate, and median graduate earnings from federal IPEDS and U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard data. Earnings are reported across all programs at the school (all majors), not a single trade. Distance is measured from the main population center in Virginia.
#SchoolBOC Score (0–100)TuitionMedian grad earnings (all majors)Graduation rateOnlineDistance
1Not ratedContact school for pricing$32,996Not reported3 mi
250.7Contact school for pricing$84,711Not reported4 mi
327.8Contact school for pricing$21,980Not reported1 mi

Schools closest to the main population center in Virginia are gathered first, then ranked by BOC Score; distance from the main population center in Virginia is shown for reference. The BOC Score is an independent measure of school outcomes (graduation, earnings, net price, retention) expressed as a 0–100 percentile within each school's peer group; higher is better and advertising never affects it. *Online availability refers to coursework; hands-on trade training is completed in person. Read the full methodology.

Median Annual Wage by Trade - Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV's most-employed trades
Median annual wage by trade in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, BLS OEWS May 2025Paralegals $81590; Culinary workers $74900; Dental assistants $47540; Medical assistants $46640; Cosmetologists $37020.Paralegals$81,590Culinary workers$74,900Dental assistants$47,540Medical assistants$46,640Cosmetologists$37,020
Trades ranked by local employment (BLS QCEW); wages are median annual pay (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; metro area where reported, otherwise statewide).
Median annual wage by trade in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
TradeMedian annual wage
Paralegals$81,590
Culinary workers$74,900
Dental assistants$47,540
Medical assistants$46,640
Cosmetologists$37,020
Median Graduate Earnings by School - Best Trade Schools in Arlington, Virginia
Median graduate earnings by school, Best Trade Schools in Arlington, Virginia (College Scorecard)Standard Healthcare Services-College of Nursing $84711; Northern Virginia School of Therapeutic Massage $32996; Aveda Arts & Sciences Institute Lafayette-Arlington $21980.Standard Healthcare Services...$84,711Northern Virginia School of ...$32,996Aveda Arts & Sciences Instit...$21,980
Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard - median earnings of all graduates at each school (not a single program).
Median graduate earnings by school for schools serving Best Trade Schools in Arlington, Virginia
SchoolMedian graduate earnings
Standard Healthcare Services-College of Nursing$84,711
Northern Virginia School of Therapeutic Massage$32,996
Aveda Arts & Sciences Institute Lafayette-Arlington$21,980

Cost, Earnings, and Program Length in Arlington

Among the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV area’s most-employed trades (BLS QCEW 2024), median annual pay ranges from $37,020 to $81,590 per year (BLS OEWS, May 2025); the chart above compares the five with the largest local workforces. Typical culinary worker training runs 1-2 years (culinary school or apprenticeship) (TradeCareerPath program data).

Trade Schools in Nearby Cities

Virginia Trade Career Outlook

Building & Construction Trades

TradeJob Growth (2024-2034, US)
Plumber4.5%
Welder2.2%
Carpenter4.5%
Flooring Installer9.5%
Construction Worker7.3%

Construction Management & Inspection

TradeJob Growth (2024-2034, US)
Construction Manager8.7%
Home Inspector-0.8%

Electrical & Energy Systems

Mechanical, Automotive & Transportation

Healthcare: Administration & Office Support

Therapy, Rehab & Fitness

Animal Care & Training

TradeJob Growth (2024-2034, US)
Dog Trainer5.1%
Veterinary Technician9.1%
Veterinary Assistant8.7%

Beauty & Personal Care

TradeJob Growth (2024-2034, US)
Esthetician6.7%
Beauty Professional5.6%
Cosmetologist5.6%

Culinary & Hospitality Careers

TradeJob Growth (2024-2034, US)
Culinary Chef7.1%
Pastry Chef7.1%

Business & Legal Support

TradeJob Growth (2024-2034, US)
Paralegal0.2%
Digital Court Reporter-0.3%
Bookkeeper-5.8%

Job growth uses state projections when available and national projections (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034) when state data is unavailable. Median pay for each trade is shown in the comparison table above.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections (2024-2034). Projected U.S. change shown for each trade.


Next Steps


About this guide: Researched and written by the TradeCareerPath Editorial Team. Our editorial team researches and sources every trade school and career guide using federal labor and education data, including BLS OEWS and Employment Projections, DOL apprenticeship records, IPEDS, College Scorecard, and state licensing boards. We follow the editorial standards documented at /editorial-policy/.

Data sources

Figures on this page are sourced from the federal and state datasets below. Methodology: how we rank and source data.

DataProviderVintage
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsMay 2025
Employment ProjectionsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics2024-2034
Integrated Postsecondary Education Data SystemNational Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)2024
College Scorecard (school-level outcomes)U.S. Department of Educationlatest release
College Scorecard (field-of-study earnings)U.S. Department of Educationlatest release (updated 2026-06-12)
Occupational licensing requirementsCareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor)latest release (updated 2026-02-22)
Registered apprenticeship programsCareerOneStop / Apprenticeship.gov (U.S. Department of Labor)latest release (updated 2025-10-25)