Where Can You Take Night Welding Classes in New Jersey?
Five New Jersey programs offer evening welding training. Burlington County Institute of Technology in Medford meets Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 5:00 pm to 9:30 pm, and Ocean County Vocational-Technical School in Jackson runs Monday to Friday from 4:30 pm to 9:30 pm for 10 months. Hohokus in Paterson runs a 12-month evening diploma, and both Lincoln Tech campuses, in Mahwah and South Plainfield, offer evening sections of a roughly 42-week certificate.
Yes, you can learn to weld at night in New Jersey. Five programs list evening schedules, and they fall into three patterns: three nights a week at Burlington County Institute of Technology in Medford, five nights a week at Ocean County Vocational-Technical School in Jackson, and evening tracks of a full program at Hohokus in Paterson and at both Lincoln Tech campuses.
Which one fits depends on how many evenings you can commit, how far you can drive after work, and whether you want pipe welding. Here is how they compare.
Evening Welding Programs Side by Side
| School | City | Evening schedule | Length | What you earn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burlington County Institute of Technology | Medford | Mon, Tue, Thu, 5:00 pm to 9:30 pm | 45 sessions per course, two courses | Welding I and Welding II |
| Ocean County Vocational-Technical School | Jackson | Mon to Fri, 4:30 pm to 9:30 pm | 10 months, 900 clock hours | 10-month accelerated program |
| Hohokus School of Trade and Technical Sciences | Paterson | Evening track | 12 months (6 months by day) | Welding diploma |
| Lincoln Technical Institute-Mahwah | Mahwah | Day, afternoon or evening | About 42 weeks, 960 instructional hours | Certificate with pipe |
| Lincoln Technical Institute-South Plainfield | South Plainfield | Day, afternoon or evening | About 42 weeks, 960 instructional hours | Certificate with pipe |
All five teach stick (SMAW), MIG (GMAW), TIG (GTAW) and flux-cored (FCAW) welding. The details below cover what makes each one different.
Three Nights a Week: Burlington County Institute of Technology
If you work full time and have family evenings to protect, the Medford program asks the least of your week. Classes meet Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 5:00 pm to 9:30 pm, which leaves Wednesday, Friday and the weekend free.
The training is split into two courses, Welding I: Fundamentals and Welding II: Advanced Techniques, each 45 sessions long. Courses run in the fall and spring at the Medford campus. The fall 2026 session, for example, runs from September 14, 2026 to January 21, 2027, so your next chance to start is likely the spring term.
You cover stick, MIG, TIG and flux-cored welding, plus oxy-fuel and plasma cutting and blueprint reading. The course follows American Welding Society standards. The program conferred 23 welding awards in 2024–25.
This program suits you if you live in Burlington County or the Philadelphia suburbs and want to test the trade one course at a time before committing to the second.
Five Nights a Week: Ocean County Vocational-Technical School
The Jackson program is the fastest evening route in the state, and the most demanding. You attend Monday through Friday from 4:30 pm to 9:30 pm for 10 months, which adds up to 900 clock hours. Classes begin in September and graduation is in June.
A 4:30 pm start is early for many day jobs. Before you apply, check whether your shift ends in time for the drive to Jackson. If it does, you finish in one school year with the same core processes the longer programs teach: stick, MIG, TIG, flux-cored, oxy-fuel and plasma cutting, and blueprint reading. The school encourages graduates to join the American Welding Society and pursue national certification.
This suits you if you live along the shore or in Ocean or Monmouth County and want to be job-ready by summer. The Ocean Acres welding schools page and the Lincroft welding schools page list options in this part of the state.
A Full Program With an Evening Track: Hohokus and Lincoln Tech
These three schools run the same program at different times of day, so you are not taking a reduced night version.
Hohokus School of Trade and Technical Sciences, Paterson
Hohokus runs its welding diploma in 6 months by day or 12 months in the evening. The evening track doubles the calendar time, but it lets you keep a full-time job while you learn. The curriculum is one of the broadest in New Jersey: stick, MIG, TIG, flux-cored, cutting, blueprint reading, and inspection and testing. Graduates are eligible to take AWS D1.1 structural and AWS plate tests. The school conferred 19 welding awards in 2024–25.
It suits you if you live in Passaic, Bergen or Essex County and want a diploma with a clear path into AWS structural testing.
Lincoln Technical Institute, Mahwah and South Plainfield
Both Lincoln Tech campuses offer the Welding and Fabrication Technology with Pipe Certificate in day, afternoon and evening sections. The program is 40 semester credit hours, or 960 instructional hours, and takes about 42 weeks including holidays and breaks. Mahwah lists hands-on instruction on campus with some courses online.
Of the evening options in New Jersey, these are the only two that include pipe welding. Students can earn an AWS SENSE Certificate of Completion in process modules for SMAW, GTAW, GMAW or FCAW.
South Plainfield conferred 121 welding awards in 2024–25, the most in New Jersey, and Mahwah conferred 77. If you live in Central Jersey, see the Somerville welding schools page for programs near South Plainfield. In North Jersey, Mahwah sits near the New York line.
How Evening Schedules Change the Timeline
Night programs trade speed for flexibility. Compare the calendar time for the same kind of training:
- Hohokus: 6 months by day, 12 months by evening, for the same diploma.
- Ocean County: 10 months at five evenings a week, with a September start and a June finish.
- Lincoln Tech: about 42 weeks whether you choose day, afternoon or evening.
- Burlington County: two 45-session courses, each lasting a fall or spring term.
If you need to be earning as a welder quickly, the Ocean County schedule gets you there fastest at night. If you can only spare three evenings, Burlington County is the realistic choice, and you should plan on two terms.
What Night Welding Classes Cost
Burlington County Institute of Technology publishes its price: $3,575 per course (Welding I or Welding II), plus a $75 non-refundable registration fee. Supplies and textbooks are extra. Budget for gear such as a helmet, gloves, jacket and boots on top of that.
For comparison, Bergen Community College in Paramus, which offers a Welding Technology Certificate of Achievement, charged $4,913 for a full-time year of tuition and fees in 2024–25 (in-district), with $1,500 more for books and supplies. Out-of-state students paid $9,294.
For the private programs at Hohokus and Lincoln Tech, ask the admissions office for the full program price in writing, including tools, books and testing fees, before you sign an enrollment agreement.
If You Can Train by Day Instead
Universal Technical Institute-Bloomfield runs a 36-week Welding Technology program made up of 12 courses, including pipe welding. It conferred 118 welding awards in 2024–25, second only to Lincoln Tech South Plainfield. If you can reorganize your work hours rather than train after them, it is a strong North Jersey option to compare against the evening tracks.
Before You Enroll in an Evening Program
A short checklist before you commit:
- Time the drive. Leave work at your usual time and drive to the campus once. A 4:30 pm or 5:00 pm start leaves little slack.
- Ask about makeup sessions. Evening students miss class for overtime and family reasons. Find out how missed lab hours are handled.
- Confirm which AWS tests you can take and where. See how welding certification works so you know what to ask for.
- Check the start date. Ocean County starts only in September, and Burlington County runs fall and spring terms.
What the Training Leads to
New Jersey welders earned a median of $59,440 a year in May 2025, or $28.58 an hour. The companion guide to welder salary in New Jersey breaks that down by metro area and shows the related jobs that pay more. You can also read about the day-to-day work of a welder and a pipe welder, the Trenton welding schools page, and every ranked program on the New Jersey welding schools page.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Long Does Evening Welding School Take in New Jersey?
It depends on the program. Ocean County Vocational-Technical School finishes in 10 months (900 hours), Hohokus takes 12 months in the evening versus 6 months by day, and Lincoln Tech's certificate runs about 42 weeks.
What Does a Night Welding Course Cost in New Jersey?
Burlington County Institute of Technology charges $3,575 per course (Welding I or Welding II) plus a $75 non-refundable registration fee, with supplies and textbooks extra.
Can You Earn AWS Certification Through a Night Program in New Jersey?
Hohokus graduates are eligible for AWS D1.1 structural and plate tests, and Lincoln Tech students can earn AWS SENSE completions in SMAW, GTAW, GMAW or FCAW.
Which New Jersey Evening Program Teaches Pipe Welding?
Both Lincoln Technical Institute campuses, in Mahwah and South Plainfield, include pipe in their Welding and Fabrication Technology with Pipe Certificate, which has evening sections.
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