WELDING SCHOOLS IN TEXAS — Federal Data, September 2026
Welding Schools in Texas, Ranked On What Graduates Owe And Earn
28 accredited institutions in Texas report enough federal data on this program to be compared. They are ranked here on a single measure: how many months of gross pay it takes a graduate to cover the median debt.
See The RankingU.S. Department of Education data. No school paid to be listed.
Across the 28 ranked programs in Texas, the median graduate needs 3.5 months of gross pay to cover a median federal debt of $9,440, against median earnings of $30,105 one year after completion.
That is slower than the national median of 3.0 months for this field, measured across the 208 institutions in our national welding schools ranking. The best performer in the state is Lone Star College System in The Woodlands, at 1.3 months.
Every figure on this page is recalculated on Texas institutions only. Nothing is carried over from the national page.
At A Glance
What the federal data says about welding schools in Texas
The Ranking
28 welding schools in Texas, ranked by months of gross pay to cover the debt
Lower is better.
| # | School | Type | Award | Months | Debt | Earnings | Completion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lone Star College SystemThe Woodlands, TX | Public | Certificate | 1.3 | $4,562 | $40,863 | 21% |
| 2 | Vernon CollegeVernon, TX | Public | Associate | 2.0 | $5,500 | $32,206 | 21% |
| 3 | Universal Technical Institute of Texas Inc.Houston, TX | for-profit | Certificate | 2.1 | $6,855 | $39,141 | 60% |
| 4 | Universal Technical Institute-Dallas Fort WorthIrving, TX | for-profit | Certificate | 2.1 | $6,855 | $39,141 | 75% |
| 5 | Universal Technical Institute-West TexasAustin, TX | for-profit | Certificate | 2.1 | $6,855 | $39,141 | 75% |
| 6 | Texas State Technical CollegeWaco, TX | Public | Associate | 2.8 | $9,168 | $39,234 | 46% |
| 7 | Lincoln College of Technology-Grand PrairieGrand Prairie, TX | for-profit | Certificate | 3.0 | $9,429 | $37,249 | 73% |
| 8 | CET-El PasoEl Paso, TX | nonprofit | Certificate | 3.1 | $8,424 | $32,817 | 64% |
| 9 | Southern Careers Institute-AustinAustin, TX | for-profit | Certificate | 3.4 | $7,125 | $25,077 | 53% |
| 10 | Southern Careers Institute-Corpus ChristiCorpus Christi, TX | for-profit | Certificate | 3.4 | $7,125 | $25,077 | 64% |
| 11 | Southern Careers Institute-PharrPharr, TX | for-profit | Certificate | 3.4 | $7,125 | $25,077 | 61% |
| 12 | Southern Careers Institute-HarlingenHarlingen, TX | for-profit | Certificate | 3.4 | $7,125 | $25,077 | 60% |
| 13 | Southern Careers Institute-San AntonioSan Antonio, TX | for-profit | Certificate | 3.4 | $7,125 | $25,077 | 61% |
| 14 | Southern Careers Institute-WacoWaco, TX | for-profit | Certificate | 3.4 | $7,125 | $25,077 | 45% |
| 15 | Tulsa Welding School-HoustonHouston, TX | for-profit | Certificate | 3.6 | $9,500 | $31,821 | 70% |
| 16 | Tulsa Welding School-Dallas CampusIrving, TX | for-profit | Certificate | 3.6 | $9,500 | $31,821 | n/a |
| 17 | Austin Community College DistrictAustin, TX | Public | Associate | 3.7 | $14,122 | $45,279 | 20% |
| 18 | M T Training CenterDesoto, TX | for-profit | Certificate | 4.0 | $10,474 | $31,420 | 83% |
| 19 | Texarkana CollegeTexarkana, TX | Public | Certificate | 4.1 | $9,450 | $27,807 | 47% |
| 20 | Houston City CollegeHouston, TX | Public | Certificate | 4.3 | $10,022 | $27,696 | 17% |
| 21 | School of Automotive Machinists & TechnologyHouston, TX | for-profit | Certificate | 4.6 | $16,354 | $43,065 | 93% |
| 22 | South Texas Vocational Technical Institute-WeslacoWeslaco, TX | for-profit | Certificate | 5.2 | $13,000 | $30,105 | 80% |
| 23 | Miller-Motte College-STVT-Corpus ChristiCorpus Christi, TX | for-profit | Certificate | 5.2 | $13,000 | $30,105 | 68% |
| 24 | Miller-Motte College-STVT-San AntonioSan Antonio, TX | for-profit | Certificate | 5.2 | $13,000 | $30,105 | 69% |
| 25 | Miller-Motte College-STVT-ArlingtonArlington, TX | for-profit | Certificate | 5.2 | $13,000 | $30,105 | 84% |
| 26 | McAllen Careers InstituteMcAllen, TX | for-profit | Certificate | 5.2 | $9,500 | $22,029 | 84% |
| 27 | Fortis CollegeHouston, TX | for-profit | Certificate | 5.4 | $12,999 | $28,893 | 64% |
| 28 | Western Technical CollegeEl Paso, TX | for-profit | Certificate | 7.1 | $17,372 | $29,371 | 72% |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, Most Recent Cohorts by Field of Study and by Institution (published 9 June 2026). Debt is the median federal Stafford and Grad PLUS loan debt of completers in this program; earnings are median earnings one year after completion. Where a school offers the program at both certificate and associate level, the shorter payback is shown. Completion is the institution’s published rate, not the program’s.
The Top Five, In Detail
The five fastest payback programs in Texas, one by one
Lone Star College System
The Woodlands, TX
Lone Star College System is a public institution in The Woodlands. Its welding graduates leave with a median federal debt of $4,562 and report median earnings of $40,863 a year after completing, so the debt is covered by 1.3 months of gross pay: the fastest payback in the state, and 2.2 months faster than the Texas state median of 3.5. The award measured here is a certificate. The institution reports a 21% completion rate.
Vernon College
Vernon, TX
Vernon College is a public institution in Vernon. Its welding graduates leave with a median federal debt of $5,500 and report median earnings of $32,206 a year after completing, so the debt is covered by 2.0 months of gross pay: the second fastest in the state, and 1.5 months faster than the Texas state median of 3.5. The award measured here is an associate degree. The institution reports a 21% completion rate.
Universal Technical Institute of Texas Inc.
Houston, TX
Universal Technical Institute of Texas Inc. is a private for-profit institution in Houston. Its welding graduates leave with a median federal debt of $6,855 and report median earnings of $39,141 a year after completing, so the debt is covered by 2.1 months of gross pay: the third fastest in the state, and 1.4 months faster than the Texas state median of 3.5. The award measured here is a certificate. The institution reports a 60% completion rate.
Universal Technical Institute-Dallas Fort Worth
Irving, TX
Universal Technical Institute-Dallas Fort Worth is a private for-profit institution in Irving. Its welding graduates leave with a median federal debt of $6,855 and report median earnings of $39,141 a year after completing, so the debt is covered by 2.1 months of gross pay: fourth in the state, and 1.4 months faster than the Texas state median of 3.5. The award measured here is a certificate. The institution reports a 75% completion rate.
Universal Technical Institute-West Texas
Austin, TX
Universal Technical Institute-West Texas is a private for-profit institution in Austin. Its welding graduates leave with a median federal debt of $6,855 and report median earnings of $39,141 a year after completing, so the debt is covered by 2.1 months of gross pay: fifth in the state, and 1.4 months faster than the Texas state median of 3.5. The award measured here is a certificate. The institution reports a 75% completion rate.
Read It Carefully
What this ranking does not measure
Absence from this page is not a verdict. The Department of Education suppresses figures for programs with small cohorts, so a small, excellent school will often have no publishable data at all. Schools that enroll no students on federal aid are outside this dataset entirely.
The measure is a ratio, not a repayment plan, and it counts federal loan debt only. Cash payments, private loans and employer sponsorship are invisible here. Local wages shape earnings as much as the school does, which is exactly why comparing inside one state, as this page does, is more informative than comparing across the country.
Other Programs in Texas
Comparing a different trade in Texas
For TEXAS School Operators
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