How Much Does Welding School Cost in Virginia?

If you train at one of Virginia’s community colleges and you’re a state resident, a full-time year of welding cost between $4,979 and $5,891 in tuition and fees in 2024–25. That range covers 11 public colleges, from $4,979 at New River Community College in Dublin to $5,891 at Northern Virginia Community College in Manassas.

The two private schools, both in Hampton Roads, cost roughly three times as much. Tidewater Tech-Trades in Norfolk charged $16,337 and Advanced Technology Institute in Virginia Beach charged $14,568 for a full-time year.

So the real choice in Virginia isn’t between dozens of prices. It’s between a low, nearly uniform community college rate and a faster, pricier private program.

Welding Tuition at Every Virginia School

Here’s what each school charged for a full-time year in 2024–25, with books and supplies where the school lists them. Community college tuition is the in-state rate; the private schools charge all students the same.

Source: NCES College Navigator, tuition and fees for a full-time year, 2024–25. Blank cells mean the school doesn’t list that figure.

For the full ranking of these schools by more than price, see the best welding schools in Virginia.

Why the Community College Prices Barely Move

Nine of the 11 community colleges charged between $4,979 and $5,157. Whether you’re in the coalfields at Mountain Empire Community College ($5,007) or south of Richmond at Brightpoint Community College ($5,082), you pay close to the same amount.

That means you can pick a community college for its schedule, its welding processes and its distance from home, not its price. The small gap to Tidewater Community College ($5,588) and Northern Virginia Community College ($5,891) won’t change most budgets.

Where the colleges do differ is the size of the program you sign up for. A short career studies certificate (CSC) of 16 to 20 credits takes a semester or two. A full certificate of 30 to 50 credits takes about a year. An associate degree of 67 or 68 credits takes two years. The yearly rate stays the same, so a two-year degree costs about two years of tuition.

Virginia Highlands Community College spells out its per-credit price: $179.00 per credit hour at the in-state rate, which also applies if you live within 30 miles of campus.

Hampton Roads: The Priciest Seats in the State

If you live near Norfolk, Portsmouth or Virginia Beach, you have three choices at very different prices.

Tidewater Community College in Portsmouth is the budget route at $5,588 in-state. It offers a 33-credit welding certificate over three semesters and an 18-credit Welding Essentials certificate over two. It suits you if you can take a slower path and want to keep costs low.

Tidewater Tech-Trades in Norfolk charged $16,337 and lists books and supplies at $695. Its Combination Welding program can be finished in 33 weeks of full-time study, and the Combination Maritime Welding track in about 48 weeks. It conferred 257 welding awards in 2024–25, the most of any school in Virginia, and trains in an AWS Accredited Testing Facility. It suits you if you want to finish fast and start working near the shipyards.

Advanced Technology Institute in Virginia Beach charged $14,568 for a full-time year. Its catalog prices the Maritime Welding Technology diploma, tuition plus the technology fee, at $30,600 for the whole program, which runs about 15 months. The associate degree version takes about 18 months. You attend five hours a day, four days a week, and you can test for AWS certifications up to 6G pipe on site. It suits you if you want pipe welding and a degree option in one place.

Browse more options in the Virginia Beach welding schools guide.

The Costs Beyond Tuition

Tuition is only part of the bill. At Virginia’s community colleges, books and supplies range from $1,470 at Brightpoint to $2,600 at Southside Virginia Community College.

Your residency matters more than anything else on the bill. Out-of-state students paid between $11,417 (New River) and $12,409 (Northern Virginia Community College) in 2024–25, more than twice the in-state rate. If you’ve just moved to Virginia, check when you qualify for in-state tuition before you enroll.

Certification testing is another line to plan for. Southwest Virginia Community College in Cedar Bluff is an AWS Accredited Test Facility with low-cost testing and student discounts, and it offers a free skills evaluation. You can learn more about how welder certification works in the welding certification guide.

Short Courses That Cost Less Than a Semester

If you want to try welding before committing to a full certificate, or you need one process for a job, workforce courses cost far less.

• Danville Community College lists an 8-week Gas Metal Arc Welding (MIG) course at $1,635. It meets Monday and Tuesday from 4 to 7 p.m., and it’s eligible for Virginia’s FastForward and G3 programs.
• Southside Virginia Community College lists its 80-hour FastForward MIG course at $1,950, though the college says the course is scheduled to resume in 2027.
• Virginia Highlands Community College runs a 12-week Aluminum Welding Level 4 course with a course fee of $3,900 or a FastForward price of $1,300. It meets three evenings a week.

These courses won’t replace a certificate, but they’re a low-risk way to learn one process and see if the work fits you.

Which Virginia Option Fits Your Budget

You want the lowest total cost. Choose a one-year certificate at a community college near you. New River Community College in Dublin has the lowest in-state tuition, and its certificate runs two semesters, full-time or part-time. Its certificate covers two national codes: AWS D1.1 for structural steel and ASME Section IX.

You need to keep working. Look at Virginia Highlands Community College in Abingdon, which runs a night cohort over three semesters so you can hold a job.

You want a degree for the same yearly price. Central Virginia Community College in Lynchburg offers a 68-credit AAS and conferred 101 welding awards in 2024–25, the most of any Virginia community college.

You want pipe and robotic welding. Danville Community College and Southwest Virginia Community College both teach pipe and robotic welding along with inspection and testing.

You want speed and can pay more. Tidewater Tech-Trades can get you through in 33 weeks.

If you’re still deciding whether welding is the right move, the step-by-step guide to becoming a welder in Virginia covers training, testing and your first job.

What You Get Back for the Money

Welders in Virginia earned a median of $59,180 a year in May 2025, or $28.45 an hour, according to the BLS. That’s above the national median of $53,750. In the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk metro, where the two private schools sit, the median was $62,670.

Put next to a community college year at $4,979 to $5,891, the math is easy to like. Even a year at Tidewater Tech-Trades costs far less than the state’s median annual pay for welders. For the full picture by metro and career path, read what welders make in Virginia, or see how a welder’s career develops over time.

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