Welding Blog
Costs, program lengths, certification testing, class schedules and pay, built on federal data and the schools' own program pages.
Each guide answers one question: what welding school costs, how long programs take, where to test for certification, how to train around a job, or what welders earn. Every figure comes from NCES College Navigator, the BLS May 2025 wage survey or a school's own program page, and each guide links to the schools it names. Filter by state to see guides for where you live.
National · Training
What a TIG welding training course covers in 2026: GTAW certificate length, units, 2024-25 tuition at six colleges and the AWS tests it prepares you for.
Nov 9, 2026
National · Training
How welding apprenticeship programs work in 2026: which union trades train welders, how long they take, what you need to apply and when school comes first.
Nov 2, 2026
Florida · Certificates and Degrees
32 of 36 Florida welding programs list a 1,050-hour certificate. See how many months it takes by day or evening, the 750-hour add-on, and who runs each.
Sep 26, 2026
Georgia · Certificates and Degrees
Georgia technical colleges split welding into short certificates you can earn a term or two at a time. See each one, its code, credits and who offers it.
Sep 26, 2026
National · Certificates and Degrees
Welding school takes anywhere from a few weeks to two years. See program lengths for short certificates, diplomas and associate degrees, school by school.
Sep 26, 2026
California · Salary
California welders earned a median $58,060 in May 2025. See pay in all 25 metro areas, from $64,320 in San Francisco to $46,850 in Visalia.
Sep 26, 2026
Florida · Salary
Florida welders earned a median $50,640 a year ($24.35 an hour) in May 2025. See pay in 22 metros, from Naples to Tallahassee, and in welding-related careers.
Sep 26, 2026
Georgia · Salary
Georgia welders earned a median $48,430 in May 2025. See pay in Savannah, Augusta, Atlanta and 11 other metros, plus what supervisors and millwrights make.
Sep 26, 2026
Illinois · Salary
Illinois welders earned a median $51,320 in May 2025. See pay in Peoria, Decatur, Chicago and Rockford, the full pay range, and jobs that pay more.
Sep 26, 2026
New Jersey · Salary
New Jersey welders earned a median $59,440 in May 2025 ($28.58 an hour). See pay by metro, starting and top pay, and the jobs welding leads to.
Sep 26, 2026
North Carolina · Salary
North Carolina welders earned a median $50,590 in May 2025. Compare pay in Raleigh, Charlotte, Greenville and Hickory, and the schools near each market.
Sep 26, 2026
Pennsylvania · Salary
Pennsylvania welders earned a $52,900 median in May 2025, $25.43 an hour. See pay in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Erie and 13 more metros, plus related careers.
Sep 26, 2026
Texas · Salary
Texas welders earned a median $53,340 in May 2025. See pay in Odessa, Midland, Houston, Dallas and 10 more metros, plus what related welding jobs pay.
Sep 26, 2026
Virginia · Salary
Virginia welders earned a $59,180 median in May 2025, $28.45 an hour. See pay in Hampton Roads, Richmond, Roanoke and more, plus related welding careers.
Sep 26, 2026
Arizona · Cost
2024–25 welding tuition in Arizona: $2,208 at Mohave to $2,948 at Yavapai. Full-program prices from $3,560 to $16,950, plus books and out-of-state rates.
Sep 26, 2026
California · Cost
2024–25 tuition at California welding schools, from $1,128 at Yuba College to $1,556 at Long Beach City College, plus books and full program prices.
Sep 26, 2026
Florida · Cost
2024–25 welding tuition in Florida, from $2,496 at Eastern Florida State College to $3,930 at Ridge Technical College, plus full-program prices and books.
Sep 26, 2026
Georgia · Cost
Georgia technical colleges charged $3,007 to $4,282 for a year of welding school in 2024–25. Compare books, full diploma costs and private options.
Sep 26, 2026
Illinois · Cost
2024–25 tuition at Illinois welding schools, from $3,252 at Elgin Community College to $6,090 at Spoon River College, plus books and full program costs.
Sep 26, 2026
North Carolina · Cost
2024–25 in-state tuition at NC welding schools, from $1,944 at Vance-Granville to $4,112 at Southwestern, plus what a certificate, diploma or degree costs.
Sep 26, 2026
Pennsylvania · Cost
2024–25 tuition at Pennsylvania welding schools, from $4,842 at CCAC to $21,225 at Johnson College, plus full-program prices, books and testing fees.
Sep 26, 2026
Texas · Cost
Texas welding school tuition for 2024–25, from $1,863 at Tarrant County College to $16,000 in El Paso, plus books, tools and full-program costs.
Sep 26, 2026
Virginia · Cost
2024–25 tuition at Virginia welding schools, from $4,979 at New River Community College to $16,337 at Tidewater Tech-Trades, plus books and program length.
Sep 26, 2026
National · Careers
Welding offers 40,300 openings a year and a $53,750 median wage, but slow growth. See BLS projections to 2035, the pay spread and related careers.
Sep 26, 2026
California · Certification Testing
Where to take the LADBS structural welding test near LA: Mt. SAC, Rio Hondo, Tri-Community and more, with AWS D1.1 and D1.3 and the courses behind them.
Sep 26, 2026
Texas · Class Schedules
Alvin Community College and Tulsa Welding School-Houston run evening welding classes. Compare hybrid and short-award options and how to train while you work.
Sep 26, 2026
New Jersey · Class Schedules
Five New Jersey welding programs run evening classes, from three nights a week in Medford to five nights in Jackson. Compare hours, length and cost.
Sep 26, 2026
Pennsylvania · Training
Pennsylvania schools that train pipe and structural welders, the codes they test to (AWS D1.1, D1.5, ASME IX, API) and what pipe welders and ironworkers earn.
Sep 26, 2026
Texas · Training
30 Texas welding schools teach pipe. Compare pipe certificates, 5G and 6G pipe tests, program lengths and cities, from Houston to El Paso.
Sep 26, 2026
Virginia · Careers
Maritime welding programs in Norfolk, Virginia Beach and Portsmouth, how long each takes, AWS testing up to 6G pipe, and what Hampton Roads welders earn.
Sep 26, 2026
Arizona · Certificates and Degrees
Phoenix-area welding programs that finish in under a year, from EVIT's 360 clock hours to 7- to 10-month diplomas, and what to do once you finish.
Sep 26, 2026
National · Certificates and Degrees
A welding certificate gets you working sooner. An associate degree opens inspection, supervision and teaching. Compare lengths, schools and career pay.
Sep 26, 2026
North Carolina · Careers
NC colleges that teach weld inspection and testing, the three campuses that are AWS test facilities, and what welding inspectors earn in the state.
Sep 26, 2026
Arizona · Salary
Arizona welders earned a median $55,600 ($26.73 an hour) in May 2025, above the U.S. median. Pay in Phoenix, Tucson and 5 other metros, plus related careers.
Sep 26, 2026
National · Cost
Welding schools estimate $270 to $7,400 a year for books and supplies. See the lowest and highest, why they differ, and when gear costs more than tuition.
Sep 26, 2026
Illinois · Training
Eight Illinois colleges teach robotic welding, from Triton's Robotics Welding certificate to Sauk Valley's 5-credit add-on. See what each lists and the pay.
Sep 26, 2026