Priya had $300 in her checking account and a retail job that kept cutting her hours. A friend told her armed security pays better, and she wanted a straight number before she committed to anything. Fair enough. Here’s the straight number: the Level III course at Nighthawk Alliance is $200, and the range fee is already inside that price.
Of course, the price on a course page isn’t always the whole story. Her goal was a Level 3 Security License Texas, so she tracked every step between zero and licensed. The answers came from the academy’s own page, which beats guessing. They might save you some stress too.
The Numbers Priya Wrote Down
Course prices side by side
Anyone shopping for Level 3 Security Training Texas should start with the exact prices. Level II, the unarmed course, costs $50 and runs fully online. Level III, the armed one, is $200. Bought separately, those come to $250. The combo is $230, so if you need both, bundling saves $20.
Priya didn’t have a Level II, so she picked the combo and still had $70 left in her account. Recertification and continuing education is $65. She won’t need it right away, but she wrote it down anyway. Knowing the follow up cost is what keeps a tight budget from falling apart later.
What the range fee covers
Level III is online plus in person range time in the Dallas Fort Worth area, and the range fee is included. For Priya that was the big one. A coworker had complained about extra charges at another school, and she’d carried that story around ever since. Here the line item doesn’t exist.
Next day range booking helped too. Priya works shifts that change weekly, so waiting for a fixed class date would have meant lost pay. She booked the range for a morning off and moved on. Time is money, as people say, and honestly it’s pretty true here.
Things You Don’t Have to Buy Yet
The gun question
She didn’t own a firearm and felt a little silly about it. The academy says you don’t need one to start. What matters is checking your employer’s requirements first, since the job decides what you’ll be expected to carry on post, and it’s smarter to ask before you spend.
Priya read the guide on choosing a duty handgun and another on holster retention levels before she spent a cent. Reading cost nothing, and it kept her from the classic mistake of buying a pistol first and a job second.
Extras that can wait
The academy also teaches Texas License to Carry, private firearms lessons, and First Aid for Gunshot Wounds. Priya liked knowing the options existed. None were required for her goal, though, so they went on the someday list. That’s a perfectly fine way to treat a small budget.
There’s even a set of self paced online courses from U.S. LawShield for people outside the Dallas Fort Worth area, including concealed carry permit courses for 13 states. Priya lives locally, so she skipped those. Still, it’s good to see a school think about people who can’t drive to Fort Worth.
Making Sure the Money Goes to a Real School
License numbers are public for a reason
Before paying anyone, Priya checked that the academy held a Texas DPS license. Nighthawk Alliance lists License #F31198401 and has a credentials page for verification. Spending $200 with a school that can’t back up its approval would be the most expensive mistake of all, even if the sticker price looked low.
She also learned the academy was founded in 2021 and is veteran owned. Small details, sure. But when your budget is $300, small details are the whole decision.
What the license actually costs you in time
If you’re chasing a Level 3 Security License Texas, the license that matters in the end is yours, and it comes from DPS after you finish training and apply through the TOPS portal. Priya planned a free Sunday for it. The course price covers the training, and the application is a separate step you handle yourself.
She left room in her calendar rather than her wallet. That might sound backwards, but it’s what worked. Anyway, she told her friend the same thing a week later: plan the steps first, then count the dollars.
The Short Version of Priya’s Math
Priya spent $230 on the combo and still had a cushion. Her advice is plain. Add up the course, check what’s included, and make sure the school can prove its license before you pay. For Level 3 Security Training Texas, the number she found was clear. For a Level 3 Security License Texas, the extra step is the DPS application.
