Welding is a skill that is useful across many different industries, including architecture, mining, vehicle manufacturing, and ship building. It is therefore a career that will offer a wide range of job opportunities and career stability, based on the projected job outlook. In addition to fulfilling a requirement for most welding jobs, earning a certificate in welding or welding technology gives students additional training in the skills they will use in their future careers.
Our list of the top 10 affordable welding certificates began with a list of over 60 programs with costs under $7,500 (based on tuition reported to College Navigator). These programs were then ranked according to the quality of the program (based on graduation rate and student-to-teacher ratio).
The top 10 affordable welding certificates are:
- Uintah Basin Technical College
- Manatee Technical College
- Tulsa Technology Center
- Moore Norman Technology Center
- Central Technology Center
- Lake Technical College
- Orange Technical College – Mid Florida Campus
- Tennessee College of Applied Technology – Livingston
- Ogden-Weber Technical College
- Indian Capital Technology Center
10. Indian Capital Technology Center
Muskogee, Oklahoma
Welding Certificate: Pipe, Structural, or Combination
Indian Capital Technology Center offers three options for affordable certificates in welding. Students can choose between pipe, structural, and combination programs. Each program requires 1,050 total instruction hours to earn certification. These programs take one to two years to complete each, depending on whether the student chooses part-time or full-time study. Students will learn to interpret blueprints and specifications using critical thinking, and they will be taught how to design, engineer, and build unique products.
Tuition: $7,113
9. Ogden-Weber Technical College
Ogden, Utah
Welder Production Certificate
Ogden Weber Technical College offers an affordable welder production certificate program to both high-schoolers and adults. This 900-hour program takes about eight months to complete, and it provides students with the entry-level job skills needed to work in a production environment as a welder. Both day and evening class times are available. Students will learn a variety of welding processes, and they will gain the knowledge and skills needed to weld in all positions using the four major welding processes.
Tuition: $3,530
8. Tennessee College of Applied Technology – Livingston
Livingston, Tennessee
Welding Technology Certificate
At Tennessee College of Applied Technology, students can choose to study either part-time or full-time when working towards their certificate in welding. This affordable program typically takes 12 months to complete. The program is designed to give students a combination of classroom instruction, hands-on training, and practical application that will prepare them for entry-level job performance. Most of the instruction is given on an individual basis, allowing students to progress at their own pace.
Tuition: $6,229
7. Orange Technical College – Mid Florida Campus
Orlando, Florida
Welding Technology Certificate
Orange Technical College – Mid Florida Campus offers an affordable welding certificate program that can be completed in just 10 months. This 1,050-hour program is designed to provide students with the technical skills and knowledge needed for employment and to provide them with advanced training in a variety of occupations in the welding industry. The curriculum consists of both classroom training and lab activities. 100% of those who completed the program found employment in the welding industry.
Tuition: $2,513
6. Lake Technical College
Eustis, Florida
Welding Technology Certificate Program
Lake Technical College’s welding technology program fully prepares students for employment or advanced training in the welding industry. This affordable program consists of 1,050 hours of training, and the five required courses can be completed in 36 weeks. The curriculum provides basic and advanced knowledge of arc, microwire, heliarc, and pipe welding used to construct, install, and repair all types of machine frames, metal fabrication, pipelines, and pressure tanks.
Tuition: $7,442
5. Central Technology Center
Drumright, Oklahoma
Welding/Fabrication Technology Program
Central Technology Center offers a highly affordable program in welding that fully prepares students for American Welding Society (AWS) certification. Offered to both high-schoolers and adults, the courses are available both in the morning and in the afternoon. The curriculum will train students in quality welding for a variety of construction and manufacturing jobs using multiple structural welding techniques. Students will also gain an introduction to pipe welding skills.
Tuition: $2,509
4. Moore Norman Technology Center
Norman, Oklahoma
Welding Certificate
Students can earn an affordable certificate in welding at Moore Norman Technology Center. This program, offered to high-school juniors and seniors as well as adults, will train students in all aspects of welding. Welding students will study the properties of metals and the principles of fusion, and they will learn techniques for gas and arc welding, pipe welding and cutting, blueprint reading, and plasma art cutting. Students can choose between three yearly entry points, and the program boasts of a positive job placement rate of 100%.
Tuition: $5,229
3. Tulsa Technology Center
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Welding Combination Certificate
Tulsa Tech offers an affordable welding combination certificate, offered to both high-school students and adults. The program takes two years to complete for high-schoolers, and adults can complete the half-day program in just 18 months. The curriculum consists of five courses: an introductory course and one course for each of the four major welding processes. Upon completion, students can receive college credits for their time in the program. Additionally, Tulsa Tech offers a welding fabricator certificate.
Tuition: $3,982
2. Manatee Technical College
Bradenton, Florida
Welding Technology Certificate
At Manatee Technical College, students can earn a welding technology certificate while studying at an AWS-accredited test facility. This ensures that all training is in accordance with the appropriate code standards. This affordable program can be completed in just eight months for students who attend day classes, and 13 months for those choosing to study at night. The program covers all four major welding processes, as well as including an in-depth study of AWS symbols and blueprint reading.
Tuition: $4,271
1. Uintah Basin Technical College
Ballard, Utah
Welding Certificate
Uintah Basin Technical College offers three affordable welding certificates: basic technician (300 hours), intermediate technician (600 hours), and advanced technician (900 hours). This system allows students to enter the program at their current level of expertise. The basic certificate teaches basic skills such as welding equipment operation, safety instruction, and welding processes and fabrication. Students can choose to continue on to subsequent certifications or to seek immediate employment. All classes are taught using American Welding Society (AWS) standards and procedures.
Tuition: $3,173
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