Federal Data — September 2026
Welding Trade Schools: What They Cost And What Graduates Earn
Welding is one of the cheapest routes into a skilled trade in the United States, and the data shows why. Here is the full picture, school by school.
See The SchoolsU.S. Department of Education data. No school paid to be listed.
Across the 208 US institutions that report both figures, a welding or precision metal working program leaves $9,475 of median federal debt and produces $37,568 of median earnings one year after completion. That works out at 3.0 months of gross pay to cover the debt, against a national median of 4.7 months across all vocational programs.
Welding certificates leave less debt than almost any other trade credential while paying well above the median.
Both routes exist in this field, and they are not equivalent. The certificate leaves $9,354 of median debt against $12,000 for the associate degree, with first-year earnings of $37,188 and $43,088 respectively. On payback the certificate comes out ahead: 3.0 months against 3.2.
The table below ranks the individual schools. Every number is reproduced from the federal files, and the method is the same one behind our payback ranking of 58 programs and our ranking of 153 institutions.
The Numbers
Welding and Precision Metal Working at a glance
School By School
The 60 welding or precision metal working programs with the strongest reported outcomes
Filter by state. Click any column heading to sort. Lower is better.
| # | School▲▼ | Credential▲▼ | Months▲▼ | Debt▲▼ | Earnings▲▼ | Completion▲▼ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lynnes Welding TrainingFargo, ND | Certificate | 1.0 | $3,700 | $45,833 | 98% |
| 2 | South Central CollegeNorth Mankato, MN | Certificate | 1.1 | $3,666 | $41,527 | 39% |
| 3 | Dakota County Technical CollegeRosemount, MN | Certificate | 1.3 | $5,500 | $50,464 | 58% |
| 4 | Lone Star College SystemThe Woodlands, TX | Certificate | 1.3 | $4,562 | $40,863 | 21% |
| 5 | Northcentral Technical CollegeWausau, WI | Certificate | 1.3 | $5,250 | $47,718 | 45% |
| 6 | The Fab SchoolRancho Cucamonga, CA | Certificate | 1.3 | $4,449 | $39,592 | 95% |
| 7 | Chattanooga State Community CollegeChattanooga, TN | Certificate | 1.4 | $4,611 | $39,664 | 26% |
| 8 | Ivy Tech Community CollegeIndianapolis, IN | Associate | 1.5 | $6,810 | $56,292 | 40% |
| 9 | Northeast Iowa Community CollegeCalmar, IA | Certificate | 1.5 | $5,479 | $43,588 | 51% |
| 10 | Hobart Institute of Welding TechnologyTroy, OH | Certificate | 1.5 | $5,500 | $45,370 | 90% |
| 11 | Mid-State Technical CollegeWisconsin Rapids, WI | Certificate | 1.5 | $4,750 | $38,653 | 52% |
| 12 | Elizabethtown Community and Technical CollegeElizabethtown, KY | Certificate | 1.6 | $7,166 | $53,172 | 59% |
| 13 | Grand Rapids Community CollegeGrand Rapids, MI | Certificate | 1.6 | $4,540 | $34,042 | 21% |
| 14 | Central Lakes College-BrainerdBrainerd, MN | Certificate | 1.6 | $5,500 | $40,671 | 53% |
| 15 | Northeast Wisconsin Technical CollegeGreen Bay, WI | Certificate | 1.6 | $5,500 | $41,421 | 51% |
| 16 | Western Technical CollegeLa Crosse, WI | Certificate | 1.6 | $5,500 | $40,624 | 34% |
| 17 | Northwood Technical CollegeRice Lake, WI | Certificate | 1.6 | $5,500 | $42,282 | 56% |
| 18 | Idaho State UniversityPocatello, ID | Certificate | 1.7 | $9,000 | $64,581 | 39% |
| 19 | Des Moines Area Community CollegeAnkeny, IA | Certificate | 1.7 | $5,500 | $39,397 | 39% |
| 20 | Dunwoody College of TechnologyMinneapolis, MN | Certificate | 1.7 | $6,333 | $44,559 | 66% |
| 21 | Ozarks Technical Community CollegeSpringfield, MO | Certificate | 1.7 | $4,737 | $32,817 | 33% |
| 22 | Central Community CollegeGrand Island, NE | Associate | 1.7 | $5,500 | $39,409 | 48% |
| 23 | Northeast Community CollegeNorfolk, NE | Certificate | 1.7 | $5,500 | $38,353 | 56% |
| 24 | Fox Valley Technical CollegeAppleton, WI | Certificate | 1.7 | $7,664 | $53,507 | 65% |
| 25 | Career and Technology Education Centers of Licking CountyNewark, OH | Certificate | 1.7 | $5,500 | $38,709 | 79% |
| 26 | Ivy Tech Community CollegeIndianapolis, IN | Certificate | 1.8 | $6,387 | $41,767 | 40% |
| 27 | Ashland Community and Technical CollegeAshland, KY | Certificate | 1.8 | $5,500 | $36,796 | 51% |
| 28 | Central New Mexico Community CollegeAlbuquerque, NM | Associate | 1.8 | $6,440 | $42,162 | 31% |
| 29 | Butler Technology and Career Development SchoolsMonroe, OH | Certificate | 1.8 | $6,327 | $42,625 | 76% |
| 30 | Great Oaks Career CampusesCincinnati, OH | Certificate | 1.8 | $6,078 | $41,277 | 90% |
| 31 | University of Arkansas-Pulaski Technical CollegeNorth Little Rock, AR | Certificate | 1.9 | $4,142 | $26,579 | 36% |
| 32 | Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical CollegeBowling Green, KY | Certificate | 1.9 | $9,413 | $58,996 | 58% |
| 33 | East Mississippi Community CollegeScooba, MS | Certificate | 1.9 | $5,500 | $35,345 | 48% |
| 34 | Modern Welding SchoolSchenectady, NY | Certificate | 1.9 | $6,790 | $43,246 | 94% |
| 35 | Southwest Wisconsin Technical CollegeFennimore, WI | Certificate | 1.9 | $5,500 | $35,167 | 66% |
| 36 | Washburn Institute of TechnologyTopeka, KS | Certificate | 2.0 | $6,642 | $39,720 | 68% |
| 37 | Washburn UniversityTopeka, KS | Certificate | 2.0 | $6,642 | $39,720 | 53% |
| 38 | Vernon CollegeVernon, TX | Associate | 2.0 | $5,500 | $32,206 | 21% |
| 39 | Moraine Park Technical CollegeFond du Lac, WI | Certificate | 2.0 | $7,000 | $41,073 | 58% |
| 40 | Chippewa Valley Technical CollegeEau Claire, WI | Certificate | 2.0 | $8,109 | $48,638 | 50% |
| 41 | Owensboro Community and Technical CollegeOwensboro, KY | Certificate | 2.0 | $7,475 | $45,366 | 54% |
| 42 | Eastland-Fairfield Career and Technical SchoolsGroveport, OH | Certificate | 2.0 | $6,485 | $39,328 | 81% |
| 43 | Hawkeye Community CollegeWaterloo, IA | Certificate | 2.1 | $7,874 | $45,509 | 43% |
| 44 | Anoka Technical CollegeAnoka, MN | Certificate | 2.1 | $8,692 | $49,632 | 66% |
| 45 | Hennepin Technical CollegeBrooklyn Park, MN | Certificate | 2.1 | $9,329 | $52,456 | 42% |
| 46 | Horry-Georgetown Technical CollegeConway, SC | Certificate | 2.1 | $5,875 | $33,002 | 38% |
| 47 | Universal Technical Institute of Texas Inc.Houston, TX | Certificate | 2.1 | $6,855 | $39,141 | 60% |
| 48 | Universal Technical Institute of Pennsylvania IncExton, PA | Certificate | 2.1 | $6,855 | $39,141 | 63% |
| 49 | College of Western IdahoNampa, ID | Certificate | 2.1 | $7,000 | $39,310 | 31% |
| 50 | Universal Technical Institute-Dallas Fort WorthIrving, TX | Certificate | 2.1 | $6,855 | $39,141 | 75% |
| 51 | Central Georgia Technical CollegeWarner Robins, GA | Certificate | 2.1 | $4,997 | $29,107 | 47% |
| 52 | Universal Technical Institute-BloomfieldBloomfield, NJ | Certificate | 2.1 | $6,855 | $39,141 | 67% |
| 53 | Universal Technical Institute-West TexasAustin, TX | Certificate | 2.1 | $6,855 | $39,141 | 75% |
| 54 | Emily Griffith Technical CollegeDenver, CO | Certificate | 2.2 | $8,125 | $44,943 | 97% |
| 55 | Wichita State University-Campus of Applied Sciences and TechnologyWichita, KS | Certificate | 2.2 | $5,564 | $30,515 | 43% |
| 56 | Alexandria Technical & Community CollegeAlexandria, MN | Certificate | 2.2 | $9,500 | $51,141 | 60% |
| 57 | White Mountains Community CollegeBerlin, NH | Certificate | 2.2 | $9,625 | $53,066 | 62% |
| 58 | Eastern Wyoming CollegeTorrington, WY | Certificate | 2.2 | $6,951 | $37,127 | 52% |
| 59 | Western Iowa Tech Community CollegeSioux City, IA | Certificate | 2.3 | $7,910 | $41,613 | 50% |
| 60 | St Cloud Technical and Community CollegeSaint Cloud, MN | Certificate | 2.3 | $9,500 | $49,636 | 45% |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, Most Recent Cohorts by Field of Study and by Institution (published 9 June 2026), CIP 4805. 208 institutions report this program with both debt and earnings; the 60 with the fastest payback are shown. Debt is median federal Stafford and Grad PLUS loan debt of completers; earnings are median earnings one year after completion; completion is the institution’s published rate.
Read It Carefully
What these figures do not tell you
It is a ratio, not a repayment plan
Months of gross pay to cover the debt is a way of comparing programs on one consistent basis. Nobody repays a loan with their entire gross salary.
Local wages move the numbers
The same program pays differently in different labour markets. Use the state filter and compare within a state before comparing across the country.
Only federal loan debt is counted
Cash payments, private loans and employer sponsorship are invisible here. A school whose students pay out of pocket shows low debt without being cheap.
One year out is an early snapshot
Trades where pay climbs steeply with experience are penalised by a first-year measure. Absence from the table usually means suppressed data, not a poor school.
Go Deeper
The wider picture
Related Reading
Before you choose a program
For School Operators
If you run one of these programs
By State
The same ranking, one state at a time
Local wages shape earnings as much as the school does, so comparing programs inside a single state is more informative than comparing across the country. These 23 states have at least three ranked institutions each, covering 152 of the 208 in the national table.
Use This Data
Want your own program’s numbers against this benchmark?
We run this analysis for individual schools, program by program, against their own federal data. Where the answer is good, it is the strongest recruitment argument a school owns, and almost nobody publishes it.
Book Your Free Enrollment AuditBy application only — reserved for trade and vocational school operators enrolling 50+ students a year.