FAA Certification
Students who satisfactorily complete the required sections of the aviation curriculum are qualified to apply for FAA certification and associated ratings. In order to secure this FAA certification, applicants must pass written, oral, and practical examinations. These examinations are administered by an FAA designated third party. A fee is charged at the time of the examination. Passing exams is an important step, but the FAA reviews additional factors, such as criminal history, substance-related incidents, or security matters, before issuing a certificate.
The school’s Certificate of Completion certifies the student has successfully met the educational objectives in accordance with required standards under 14 CFR Part 147. Students in the Airframe and Powerplant Technician program are eligible to receive three (3) Certificates of Completion ‑ General, Airframe, and Powerplant ‑ provided all required courses within each section are completed with a passing grade (2.0 grade point average or above/1.7 grade point average or above at Canton ).
Note: A student presenting the Certificate of Completion for General, Airframe, or Powerplant may take the written examination for each section upon completion of the corresponding curriculum. FAA Written Airman Knowledge Testing (AKT) Procedures are described in the following section.
FAA Written Airman Knowledge Testing (AKT) Procedure for General, Airframe, and Powerplant
- Contact Student Services to obtain a Certificate of Completion for General, Airframe, or Powerplant once the section is completed.
- Follow the directions in the Certificate of Completion packet provided by Student Services. To register for an FAA tracking number, go to: http://iacra.faa.gov/IACRA .
- Use your FAA tracking number to register for an account on https://faa.psiexams.com/faa/login .
- See Third Party Exam Fees section below for information about costs.
Students choosing to test for the Aircraft Maintenance General (AMG) certification prior to completion of the Airframe or Powerplant section should be aware:
- To qualify to take the AMG written test, a student must have passed all components of the curriculum in the General (Air Science) curriculum.
- If a student is not successful on their first attempt to pass the AMG written exam, per the FAA, the student may apply for retesting:
- After 30 days after the date the applicant failed the test; or
- Before the 30 days have expired if the applicant presents a signed statement from an airman holding the certificate and rating sought by the applicant, certifying that the airman has given the applicant additional instruction in each of the subjects failed and that the airman considers the applicant ready for retesting
FAA Oral and Practical Airman Knowledge Testing (AKT) Procedure for Airframe and Powerplant
- Complete two (2) 8610‑2 Airman Certificate and/or Rating applications at www.faa.gov. These forms must be completed legibly. Take these forms to the Designated Mechanic Examiner (DME) for the oral and practical tests.
- Schedule a general and airframe or a general and powerplant oral and practical test with a DME. DME contact information may be obtained from Student Services, Education, or on the FAA Designee Management System (FAA-Designee Management System).
- Present the UTI Certificate of Completion and the written Airman Knowledge Test Reports (AKTR) for General and Airframe or General and Powerplant to a DME for the oral and practical test.
- The DME will administer the oral and practical test and issue a temporary certificate upon successful completion.
- Student should provide a copy of all testing results to UTI.
DME Oral and Practical Testing
Students may choose any DME to conduct their oral and practical test(s). UTI maintains a list of DMEs in the area, including those who participate in UTI’s voucher payment process. However, students are not obligated to select a DME from this list and may choose any authorized DME for their testing needs. Refer to Third Party Exam Fees section below for more information.
Early FAA Oral and Practical Exams
In accordance with 14 CFR 65.80, whenever UTI demonstrates to an FAA inspector that a student has made satisfactory progress at the school and is prepared to take the oral and practical tests prescribed by 14 CFR 65.79, that student may take those tests during the final subjects of training in the approved curriculum, before meeting the applicable experience requirements for 14 CFR 65.77 and before passing each section of the written tests prescribed by 14 CFR 65.75.
Additional UTI requirements for early testing: a student may request to take their final oral and practical (O&P) exams before completion of the last written exams. To qualify for early oral and practical testing, a student must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 and be approved by the Education Director. Students wishing to take an early oral and practical exam must submit UTI’s Request for Early Testing. Early oral and practical exams can be taken 45 days prior to the last day of scheduled training and must be completed prior to the last day of scheduled training.
Third Party Exam Fees
UTI will fund the cost of third‑party professional licensing exam fees (up to the specified maximum amount outlined in the Tuition Chart) provided the exam is completed within 120 calendar days from the student’s graduation and the student satisfies at least one of the following:
1. Achieves a GPA of 3.0 or higher in the completed section(s) for which the student wishes to take the third‑party licensing exam;
2. Passes all embedded practice tests within the curriculum (with an 85% or better score) for the applicable section(s);
3. Takes a “full question study” in the school’s test prep software and passes with a minimum of 85% in the area(s) for which the student wishes to take the third‑party licensing exam: General, Airframe, and/or Powerplant; or
4. Participate in a total of 16 hours of one‑on‑one tutoring with an Aviation instructor or qualified LRC staff in the specific section being tested.
Students are responsible for fees and costs associated with third-party exams if the above criteria is not met, if exams are taken beyond 120 calendar days from their graduation date, or after a student's voluntary or involuntary withdrawal from UTI.
Tuition Chart Disclaimer:
UTI will subsidize the cost of third-party exam fees up to $2000, subject to the conditions outlined in the catalog. Exam fees may exceed subsidized amounts. UTI will subsidize the cost of one written exam retake fee. However, the maximum amount covered will not exceed a cumulative amount of $2000.