Methodology and data sources

• Page last updated October 23, 2026
• VA data retrieved October 23, 2026 (Comparison Tool data version 1522)

How Veteran Trade Schools is built, where every number comes from, and how to get something corrected.

Sources

• Programs: VA's GI Bill® Comparison Tool program search (the public api.va.gov service behind the Comparison Tool), for program types NCD (non-college degree) and OJT (on-the-job training and apprenticeship). Retrieved October 23, 2026, data version 1522. [VA: Comparison Tool program search]
• School details (ownership type, accreditation, GI Bill student counts, complaints, map location): VA's Comparison Tool data file, dated October 8, 2026. [VA: Comparison Tool data file]
• Benefit rules and rates: VA.gov and benefits.va.gov pages, retrieved October 23, 2026. Each guide lists its sources at the bottom with each page's own "last updated" date where VA shows one.
• Trade rules: Department of Labor (apprenticeship), FMCSA (CDL training and the Military Skills Test Waiver), EPA (Section 608) and the eCFR.

We do not add tuition, salary, job-placement, rating or review figures. VA does not publish them for these programs in a comparable way, and we will not estimate them.

What "VA-approved" means here

A program is listed if it appears in VA's Comparison Tool program search as an NCD or OJT program. That means a State Approving Agency (or VA) has approved it for VA education benefits. [VA: School and program approval] Approval is for a specific program at a specific location; it is not an endorsement of quality by VA or by us. Approval can change, so always confirm on the program's VA profile, linked from every listing.

How programs are matched to trades

VA does not tag programs by trade. We search VA's program descriptions with the terms below, then apply written include and exclude rules. When a description is ambiguous we leave it out. For example, "automotive electrical" and "diesel technician" are excluded from Electrician and Truck Driving, and nail, esthetics and instructor courses are excluded from Barber & Cosmetology. Manual overrides are kept in a reviewed file.

Counts from this run:

Locations in more than one trade are counted once per trade. Program titles are VA's descriptions, reformatted from capitals for readability.

Caution flags and closings

When VA's program data attaches a caution flag to a school, such as Heightened Cash Monitoring or an accreditation issue, we show it on the listing in VA's own words, with VA's link where VA provides one. We do not create our own flags or scores. School-closing notices are shown when VA's data marks a school as closing.

Names

Many OJT listings are small businesses registered under an owner's name. We show business-level information only; where an employer name looks like a person's name we show "Individual employer (name withheld)". The full record remains on VA's Comparison Tool.

Update frequency

We refresh VA program data weekly and rebuild the site. Each page shows when it was last updated and when VA data was retrieved. VA updates its benefit rates every year (Post-9/11 on August 1, Montgomery on October 1); we review the guides when VA publishes new rates.

Known limits

• Keyword matching can miss programs with unusual titles, or include an occasional mismatch. Tell us and we will fix it.
• OJT listings show that an employer's program is approved, not that it is hiring.
• Distances are approximate, using VA's map coordinates for each school.
• We do not cover every trade. Plumbing, carpentry, automotive and others may be added later.

Corrections

If a listing is wrong on our site but right on VA's Comparison Tool, we fix it in the next update. If VA's own data is wrong, it must be corrected at the source, through the school's certifying official or the State Approving Agency. See Corrections.

GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government website at https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.