What Are the Best Welding Certificate Programs?
- Lee College (Baytown, TX) offers an associate degree and 4 certificates in welding, at $2,520 a year.
- Butte College (Oroville, CA) offers an associate degree and 4 certificates in welding, at $1,356 a year.
- Central Community College (Columbus, NE) offers an associate degree, a diploma and 3 certificates in welding, at $3,360 a year.
- Tuition and fees run from $1,128 to $27,998 a year across the schools on this page (2024–25).
- California has the most schools on this list (39), then North Carolina (37).
Lee College Leads the Welding Certificate Programs Rankings
The first 50 of 541 schools. Tuition is the 2024–25 full-time rate shown on each school's profile; welding awards are credentials conferred in welding in 2024–25; graduation rate is college-wide. Source: NCES College Navigator. Blank cells mean no federal figure for that school.
How We Ranked Welding Certificate Programs
Every school offering a welding certificate with a verified, current welding program page gets a percentile score against the others on this page: program size (35%, welding awards conferred), cost (25%, lowest resident tuition and fees for 2024–25), completion (25%, college-wide graduation rate) and credential ladder (15%, both certificates and associate degrees awarded). Federal data can't measure instructors or shop equipment, so tour the welding lab before you enroll.
Best Welding Certificate Programs by Goal: Top Ranked, Lowest Tuition, Most Welding Awards, Highest Completion and Certificate to Degree
The Top 25 Welding Certificate Programs, School by School
1Lee College, Baytown, Texas
Offers an associate degree and 4 certificates in welding
- Tuition / year
- $2,520 in-district, 2024–25
- Welding awards
- 182 conferred 2024–25
Teaches Stick · MIG · TIG · Flux-cored · Pipe · Fabrication
2Butte College, Oroville, California
Offers an associate degree and 4 certificates in welding
- Tuition / year
- $1,356 in-state, 2024–25
- Welding awards
- 121 conferred 2024–25
Teaches Stick · MIG · TIG · Flux-cored · Cutting · Fabrication
3Central Community College, Columbus, Nebraska
Offers an associate degree, a diploma and 3 certificates in welding
- Tuition / year
- $3,360 in-state, 2024–25
- Welding awards
- 233 conferred 2024–25
Teaches Stick · MIG · TIG · Flux-cored · Cutting · Fabrication
4Aims Community College, Greeley, Colorado
Offers an associate degree and 5 certificates in welding
- Tuition / year
- $2,258 in-district, 2024–25
- Welding awards
- 292 conferred 2024–25
Teaches Stick · MIG · TIG · Flux-cored · Pipe · Cutting
5Blue Ridge Community College, Flat Rock, North Carolina
Offers an associate degree, a diploma and 6 certificates in welding
- Tuition / year
- $2,660 in-state, 2024–25
- Welding awards
- 105 conferred 2024–25
Teaches Pipe · Cutting · Fabrication · Inspection
6Elizabethtown Community and Technical College, Elizabethtown, Kentucky
Offers an associate degree, a diploma and 17 certificates in welding
- Tuition / year
- $4,728 in-state, 2024–25
- Welding awards
- 380 conferred 2024–25
Teaches Stick · MIG · TIG · Pipe · Cutting
7Gateway Community and Technical College, Florence, Kentucky
Offers an associate degree, a diploma and 16 certificates in welding
- Tuition / year
- $4,728 in-state, 2024–25
- Welding awards
- 324 conferred 2024–25
Teaches Stick · MIG · TIG · Pipe · Cutting
8Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College, Bowling Green, Kentucky
Offers an associate degree, a diploma and 7 certificates in welding
- Tuition / year
- $4,728 in-state, 2024–25
- Welding awards
- 415 conferred 2024–25
Teaches Stick · MIG · TIG · Cutting
9Texarkana College, Texarkana, Texas
Offers an associate degree, 2 certificates and one other award in welding
- Tuition / year
- $2,476 in-district, 2024–25
- Welding awards
- 103 conferred 2024–25
Teaches Stick · MIG · TIG · Pipe · Cutting · Fabrication
10Merced College, Merced, California
Offers an associate degree and 3 certificates in welding
- Tuition / year
- $1,200 in-state, 2024–25
- Welding awards
- 175 conferred 2024–25
Teaches Stick · MIG · TIG · Pipe · Cutting · Fabrication
11Owensboro Community and Technical College, Owensboro, Kentucky
Offers an associate degree, a diploma and 18 certificates in welding
- Tuition / year
- $4,728 in-state, 2024–25
- Welding awards
- 301 conferred 2024–25
Teaches Stick · MIG · TIG · Pipe · Fabrication · Robotic
12Vance-Granville Community College, Henderson, North Carolina
Offers an associate degree, a diploma and 2 certificates in welding
- Tuition / year
- $1,944 in-state, 2024–25
- Welding awards
- 58 conferred 2024–25
Teaches Cutting · Fabrication · Inspection
13American River College, Sacramento, California
Offers an associate degree and 7 certificates in welding
- Tuition / year
- $1,288 in-state, 2024–25
- Welding awards
- 116 conferred 2024–25
Teaches Stick · MIG · TIG · Flux-cored · Pipe · Cutting
14Cerritos College, Norwalk, California
Offers an associate degree and 8 certificates in welding
- Tuition / year
- $1,364 in-state, 2024–25
- Welding awards
- 278 conferred 2024–25
Teaches TIG · Pipe · Fabrication
15Fox Valley Technical College, Appleton, Wisconsin
Offers an associate degree, 3 diplomas and a certificate in welding
- Tuition / year
- $5,040 in-state, 2024–25
- Welding awards
- 203 conferred 2024–25
Teaches Cutting · Fabrication · Robotic · Inspection
16Hutchinson Community College, Hutchinson, Kansas
Offers an associate degree and 3 certificates in welding
- Tuition / year
- $3,540 in-district, 2024–25
- Welding awards
- 92 conferred 2024–25
Teaches Stick · MIG · TIG · Flux-cored · Pipe · Fabrication
17Central Carolina Community College, Sanford, North Carolina
Offers an associate degree, a diploma and 3 certificates in welding
- Tuition / year
- $2,711 in-state, 2024–25
- Welding awards
- 93 conferred 2024–25
Teaches Stick · MIG · TIG · Pipe · Cutting · Fabrication
18William Rainey Harper College, Palatine, Illinois
Offers an associate degree and 4 certificates in welding
- Tuition / year
- $3,894 in-district, 2024–25
- Welding awards
- 110 conferred 2024–25
Teaches Stick · MIG · TIG · Pipe · Cutting · Fabrication
19Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, Salisbury, North Carolina
Offers an associate degree, 2 diplomas and 9 certificates in welding
- Tuition / year
- $2,064 in-state, 2024–25
- Welding awards
- 136 conferred 2024–25
Teaches Stick · MIG · TIG · Pipe · Cutting · Fabrication
20San Jacinto Community College, Pasadena, Texas
Offers an associate degree, 4 certificates and one other award in welding
- Tuition / year
- $2,490 in-district, 2024–25
- Welding awards
- 534 conferred 2024–25
Teaches TIG · Pipe · Fabrication
21Wake Technical Community College, Raleigh, North Carolina
Offers an associate degree, a diploma and 3 certificates in welding
- Tuition / year
- $2,254 in-state, 2024–25
- Welding awards
- 192 conferred 2024–25
Teaches Stick · MIG · TIG · Pipe · Cutting · Fabrication
22Bluegrass Community and Technical College, Lexington, Kentucky
Offers an associate degree, a diploma and 8 certificates in welding
- Tuition / year
- $4,808 in-state, 2024–25
- Welding awards
- 535 conferred 2024–25
Teaches Stick · MIG · TIG · Cutting · Fabrication
23College of the Canyons, Santa Clarita, California
Offers an associate degree and 7 certificates in welding
- Tuition / year
- $1,166 in-state, 2024–25
- Welding awards
- 46 conferred 2024–25
Teaches Stick · MIG · TIG · Flux-cored · Pipe · Fabrication
24Lewis and Clark Community College, Godfrey, Illinois
Offers an associate degree and 10 certificates in welding
- Tuition / year
- $4,340 in-district, 2024–25
- Welding awards
- 153 conferred 2024–25
Teaches Stick · TIG · Pipe · Fabrication · Inspection
25Odessa College, Odessa, Texas
Offers an associate degree and a certificate in welding
- Tuition / year
- $2,688 in-district, 2024–25
- Welding awards
- 128 conferred 2024–25
Teaches Stick · MIG · TIG · Flux-cored · Fabrication · Inspection
Tuition and welding awards: NCES College Navigator, 2024–25. Programs, processes and schedules: each school's own welding page, reviewed September 2026.
Best Welding Certificate Programs by State
| State | Schools on this list | Highest ranked in the state |
|---|---|---|
| California | 39 | Butte College (#2) |
| North Carolina | 37 | Blue Ridge Community College (#5) |
| Illinois | 34 | William Rainey Harper College (#18) |
| Florida | 33 | Eastern Florida State College (#206) |
| Texas | 29 | Lee College (#1) |
| Arkansas | 22 | Arkansas State University-Mountain Home (#36) |
| Ohio | 22 | Belmont College (#117) |
| Tennessee | 21 | Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Knoxville (#201) |
| Georgia | 18 | Oconee Fall Line Technical College (#40) |
| Kentucky | 16 | Elizabethtown Community and Technical College (#6) |
| Oregon | 13 | Portland Community College (#192) |
| Alabama | 12 | Bevill State Community College (#85) |
| Michigan | 12 | Washtenaw Community College (#64) |
| Mississippi | 12 | East Mississippi Community College (#38) |
| South Carolina | 12 | Tri-County Technical College (#33) |
| West Virginia | 12 | New River Community and Technical College (#356) |
| Colorado | 11 | Aims Community College (#4) |
| Kansas | 11 | Hutchinson Community College (#16) |
| Missouri | 11 | East Central College (#119) |
| New Mexico | 11 | Central New Mexico Community College (#50) |
| Virginia | 11 | Central Virginia Community College (#224) |
| Louisiana | 10 | Central Louisiana Technical Community College (#43) |
| Montana | 10 | Great Falls College Montana State University (#123) |
| Oklahoma | 10 | Indian Capital Technology Center-Muskogee (#182) |
| Utah | 10 | Davis Technical College (#204) |
| Washington | 10 | Peninsula College (#70) |
| Minnesota | 9 | Anoka Technical College (#35) |
| Pennsylvania | 9 | Pennsylvania College of Technology (#145) |
| Arizona | 8 | Northland Pioneer College (#39) |
| Iowa | 8 | Western Iowa Tech Community College (#171) |
| North Dakota | 7 | North Dakota State College of Science (#168) |
| Wisconsin | 7 | Fox Valley Technical College (#15) |
| Wyoming | 6 | Eastern Wyoming College (#100) |
| Alaska | 5 | Charter College (#397) |
| Idaho | 5 | College of Western Idaho (#132) |
| Nebraska | 5 | Central Community College (#3) |
| Nevada | 4 | Western Nevada College (#34) |
| New York | 4 | Jamestown Community College (#425) |
| Maine | 3 | Washington County Community College (#383) |
| New Hampshire | 3 | Manchester Community College (#269) |
| New Jersey | 3 | Lincoln Technical Institute-South Plainfield (#199) |
| Hawaii | 2 | Hawaii Community College (#246) |
| Indiana | 2 | Ivy Tech Community College (#183) |
| Maryland | 1 | Lincoln College of Technology-Columbia (#215) |
| South Dakota | 1 | Mitchell Technical College (#503) |
How to Choose Among Welding Certificate Programs
Match the Certificate to the Job
Short certificates usually cover one or two processes for production or structural work. Longer ones add TIG and pipe. Read the course list and see which processes you'll weld in the booth.
Ask How Much Booth Time You Get
A certificate is mostly shop hours. Ask how many hours you'll weld each week and how many students share the lab.
Look for Testing Built in
Some programs end with an AWS or employer-style weld test on campus. That gives you a credential employers recognize on top of the school certificate.
Keep the Door Open to a Degree
At many community colleges, certificate credits stack into an associate degree later, which helps if you move toward inspection or supervision.
Best Welding Certificate Programs: FAQ
What Is the Best Welding Certificate Program?
Lee College in Baytown, TX ranks first on the method on this page, followed by Butte College and Central Community College. The best fit depends on the campus you can reach and the credential you want.
How Much Do Welding Certificate Programs Cost?
Full-time tuition and fees for 2024–25 at the 443 schools on this page with federal figures run from $1,128 to $27,998 a year, before books, tools and protective gear. Each figure is the school's lowest resident rate.
How Many Welding Certificate Programs Are There?
541 schools on this page meet the rule for this list, each checked against the school's own program page. California has the most (39), followed by North Carolina (37).
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Sources
Reviewed November 3, 2026.
- NCES College Navigator: tuition and fees, welding awards and graduation rates, 2024–25
- Each school's official welding program page, linked from its profile