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Auto body repair classes in Iowa

12 auto body programs with costs, results and funding that can make them free

7 schools offer these auto body repair programs, and Iowa has approved every one for workforce funding. Each shows its price if you pay yourself and how past students did. One school runs 5 of these 12 programs, so the typical figures lean heavily on its prices and results.

Automotive body repairers restore, refinish and replace vehicle bodies and frames; glass repairers replace windshields and window glass. Most employers prefer workers who have finished a collision repair program, which trade and technical schools usually run as a 6-month to 1-year certificate and some community colleges as a 2-year program; new workers still need 2 or 3 years on the job to work independently, and certification is recommended though not required.1 Body shops covered by a federal air rule must train and certify everyone who spray-paints vehicles within 180 days of hiring, in spray gun setup and technique and spray booth upkeep, with refresher training every five years.2

In Iowa, 3 of the 12 programs take students without a high school diploma and 9 ask for a diploma or equivalent.

By kind, the 12 programs here are auto body (associate degree, 5 programs), auto body certificate or diploma (5 programs), painting and refinishing course (1 program) and structural or non-structural repair certificate (1 program).

See the 12 programs

How much do auto body repair classes cost in Iowa?

Certificates and short courses (7 programs)
$5,806 to $8,428most of them, usually 32 to 36 weeks long
Two-year degrees (5 programs)
$13,875 to $14,938most of them, usually 64 to 72 weeks long

What you pay yourself for the whole program, as the schools report it. "Most" is the middle half of the programs with a price.

In the typical program

Finished the program
50%
Working 6 months later
71%
Earned a year, estimated
about $26,100
Length
32 to 66 weeks

Source: US Department of Labor, program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025). Only programs approved for workforce funding are listed; other schools in Iowa may also offer auto body repair classes. How these figures are made

Are there free auto body repair classes in Iowa?

Who qualifies, and other ways to pay: financial aid, grants and the GI Bill

All 12 auto body programs in Iowa approved for WIOA funding

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12 programs

How to pay for auto body repair classes in Iowa

WIOA funding can pay for auto body repair classes in Iowa

Every program on this page is approved for it. Whether you qualify, how much your local area pays and how to apply are on our page Does WIOA pay for job training?

Financial aid and grants for auto body repair classes

Most students can get federal student aid for college, career school or trade school. A Federal Pell Grant, unlike a loan, usually doesn't have to be repaid. Ask the school whether its program qualifies.78

GI Bill for auto body repair classes

Veterans, service members and qualified dependents can use GI Bill benefits for non-college training programs.9

The program list does not show which programs accept these. Ask the school.

Quick facts: Auto body repair classes in Iowa

programs with a price cost under $10,000
6 of 12
lowest typical price among the states with enough programs to compare
15th of 17
other states where the typical program's graduates earned less
1 of 9
auto body programs here, against the typical state's 7
12 vs 7

State comparisons use the same figures as the auto body repair classes by state table: the middle program of each state, and only states with three or more schools for prices. Source: US Department of Labor, program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025).

Auto body repair classes in Sioux City, Burlington, Des Moines and other Iowa cities

Choosing an area filters the program list above. 1 in smaller cities and towns.

Other training in Iowa

How auto body repair classes compare with the rest of skilled trades: Trade school programs in Iowa

Where the Iowa auto body repair program numbers come from

Which Iowa auto body repair programs are on this list?

These are the auto body repair programs Iowa approved for WIOA funding (public workforce funding under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act), as reported to the US Department of Labor for program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025). Each state keeps its approved programs on an eligible training provider list (ETPL).10 The list here covers programs approved as of June 30, 2025. Schools that never applied for approval are missing, so this is a part of what Iowa offers.

How the prices and results of Iowa auto body repair programs are measured

Prices are tuition and required fees for someone paying without workforce funding, as the school reported them; check the current price with the school. Results describe students who left each program in recent years, so they are no guarantee, and the yearly earnings are the reported quarter times four, an estimate. A program without a "Trained with WIOA funding" line may still take WIOA students. Where a field was left empty or withheld, the page says "Not reported", and "Left out" where a figure was filed but failed one of our checks; nothing is estimated to fill a gap. Where the numbers come from explains each figure in full.

Sources for the facts about auto body repair classes in Iowa

Show the 10 sourcesHide the sources
  1. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Automotive Body and Glass Repairers
  2. Electronic Code of Federal Regulations: 40 CFR 63.11173, paint stripping and surface coating at area sources
  3. US Department of Labor, TrainingProviderResults.gov: About This Site
  4. US Department of Labor: WIOA Adult Program
  5. Code of Federal Regulations, title 20, part 680, sections 680.220, 680.230 and 680.310: career services before training, other grants such as Pell Grants first, and limits on Individual Training Accounts (GovInfo, 2024 edition)
  6. US Department of Labor: American Job Centers
  7. US Department of Education, Federal Student Aid: Eligibility for Federal Student Aid
  8. US Department of Education, Federal Student Aid: Don't Miss Out on Federal Pell Grants
  9. US Department of Veterans Affairs: GI Bill benefits for non-college degree programs
  10. US Department of Labor, Training and Employment Guidance Letter 8-19, Attachment I: Requirements for Training Providers, Program Eligibility, and the State Eligible Training Provider (ETP) List