Carpentry classes in Iowa

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

7 schools offer these carpentry programs, and Iowa has approved every one for workforce funding. Each shows its price if you pay yourself and how past students did.

Carpenters build, repair and install building frameworks and structures made from wood and other materials. Most have a high school diploma and learn on the job or through an apprenticeship.¹ In Iowa, 5 of the 12 programs take students without a high school diploma, and 1 is taught partly or fully online.

See the 12 programs

How much do carpentry classes cost in Iowa?

$5,923 to $10,836 is what most carpentry programs in Iowa cost if you pay yourself

That is the middle half of the 12 programs with a price. All of them: $1,795 to $18,011

In the typical program

Finished the program: 59%
Working 6 months later: 59%
Earned a year, estimated: about $27,200
Length: 28 to 52 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 carpentry classes. How these figures are made

Are there free carpentry classes in Iowa?

Yes, if you qualify. WIOA (public workforce funding) can pay for any program on this page, in full or in part, depending on local limits.²³⁴
Ask an American Job Center whether you qualify, or call 1-877-872-5627.⁵ Before funding training, the center goes through an assessment and a career plan with you.⁴
Or pay yourself. Most carpentry programs in Iowa cost $5,923 to $10,836. Prices on this page run from $1,795 to $18,011.

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

Carpentry classes in Burlington, Mason City, Fort Dodge and other Iowa cities

Choosing an area filters the list below. 3 in smaller cities and towns.

All 12 carpentry programs in Iowa approved for WIOA funding

12 programs

Carpentry certificate or diplomaIn personHigh school diploma or equivalent
Carpentry
Iowa Central Community College
Fort Dodge
High school diploma or equivalent
Iowa Central Community College, Fort Dodge · Carpentry certificate or diploma · In person · High school diploma or equivalent
Earned a year, estimated$28,800
Price if you pay yourself$9,959
Program website, Carpentry at Iowa Central Community College
More details about Carpentry at Iowa Central Community College
Finished
34%
Working at 6 months
49%
Earned in a quarter
$7,194
Length
45 weeks, 25 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$975
Students counted
94
a year, estimated
$28,800
price
$9,959
Construction and building tradesIn personHigh school diploma or equivalent
Building Trades Diploma
North Iowa Area Community College
Mason City
High school diploma or equivalent
North Iowa Area Community College, Mason City · Construction and building trades · In person · High school diploma or equivalent
Earned a year, estimated$25,600
Price if you pay yourself$7,847
Program website, Building Trades Diploma at North Iowa Area Community College
More details about Building Trades Diploma at North Iowa Area Community College
Finished
60%
Working at 6 months
62%
Earned in a quarter
$6,392
Length
36 weeks, 27 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$2,209
Students counted
79
a year, estimated
$25,600
price
$7,847
Carpentry certificate or diplomaIn personNo diploma needed
Carpentry *CARPEN.DP
Northeast Iowa Community College
Calmar
No diploma needed
Northeast Iowa Community College, Calmar · Carpentry certificate or diploma · In person · No diploma needed
Earned a year, estimated$17,700
Price if you pay yourself$10,032
Program website, Carpentry *CARPEN.DP at Northeast Iowa Community College
More details about Carpentry *CARPEN.DP at Northeast Iowa Community College
Finished
57%
Working at 6 months
56%
Earned in a quarter
$4,437
Length
44 weeks, 31 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$2,200
Students counted
54
a year, estimated
$17,700
price
$10,032
Carpentry or construction (associate degree)In personHigh school diploma or equivalent
Construction Technology - Carpentry Emphasis AAS
Southeastern Community College
West Burlington
High school diploma or equivalent
Southeastern Community College, West Burlington · Carpentry or construction (associate degree) · In person · High school diploma or equivalent
Earned a year, estimated$32,700
Price if you pay yourself$13,869
Program website, Construction Technology - Carpentry Emphasis AAS at Southeastern Community College
More details about Construction Technology - Carpentry Emphasis AAS at Southeastern Community College
Finished
47%
Working at 6 months
75%
Earned in a quarter
$8,165
Length
72 weeks, 23 hours a week
Cost of supplies
None listed
Students counted
50
a year, estimated
$32,700
price
$13,869
Carpentry or construction (associate degree)In personNo diploma needed
Carpentry and Building Trades AAS
Southwestern Community College
Creston
No diploma needed
Southwestern Community College, Creston · Carpentry or construction (associate degree) · In person · No diploma needed
Earned a year, estimated$13,800
Price if you pay yourself$18,011
Program website, Carpentry and Building Trades AAS at Southwestern Community College
More details about Carpentry and Building Trades AAS at Southwestern Community College
Finished
96%
Working at 6 months
54%
Earned in a quarter
$3,458
Length
78 weeks, 33 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$1,335
Students counted
29
a year, estimated
$13,800
price
$18,011
Carpentry certificate or diplomaIn personNo diploma needed
Carpentry and Building Trades Diploma
Southwestern Community College
Creston
No diploma needed
Southwestern Community College, Creston · Carpentry certificate or diploma · In person · No diploma needed
Earned a year, estimated$41,000
Price if you pay yourself$9,331
Program website, Carpentry and Building Trades Diploma at Southwestern Community College
More details about Carpentry and Building Trades Diploma at Southwestern Community College
Finished
100%
Working at 6 months
80%
Earned in a quarter
$10,241
Length
39 weeks, 31 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$1,250
Students counted
11
a year, estimated
$41,000
price
$9,331
Construction and building tradesHybridNo diploma needed
Fundamentals of Construction
North Iowa Area Community College
Mason City
No diploma needed
North Iowa Area Community College, Mason City · Construction and building trades · Hybrid · No diploma needed
Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
Price if you pay yourself$1,795
Program website, Fundamentals of Construction at North Iowa Area Community College
More details about Fundamentals of Construction at North Iowa Area Community College
Finished
Not reported
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
Not reported
Length
3 weeks, 17 hours a week
Cost of supplies
None listed
Students counted
Not reported
a year, estimated
Not reported
price
$1,795
Construction and building tradesIn personHigh school diploma or equivalent
Building Construction Certificate
Southeastern Community College
West Burlington
High school diploma or equivalent
Southeastern Community College, West Burlington · Construction and building trades · In person · High school diploma or equivalent
Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
Price if you pay yourself$2,544
Program website, Building Construction Certificate at Southeastern Community College
More details about Building Construction Certificate at Southeastern Community College
Finished
Not reported
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
Not reported
Length
12 weeks, 22 hours a week
Cost of supplies
None listed
Students counted
Not reported
a year, estimated
Not reported
price
$2,544
Carpentry certificate or diplomaIn personHigh school diploma or equivalent
Carpentry Certificate
Western Iowa Tech Community College
Sioux City
High school diploma or equivalent
Western Iowa Tech Community College, Sioux City · Carpentry certificate or diploma · In person · High school diploma or equivalent
Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
Price if you pay yourself$3,531
Program website, Carpentry Certificate at Western Iowa Tech Community College
More details about Carpentry Certificate at Western Iowa Tech Community College
Finished
Not reported
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
Not reported
Length
16 weeks, 23 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$889
Students counted
Not reported
a year, estimated
Not reported
price
$3,531
Carpentry certificate or diplomaIn personNo diploma needed
Carpentry
Kirkwood Community College
Cedar Rapids
No diploma needed
Kirkwood Community College, Cedar Rapids · Carpentry certificate or diploma · In person · No diploma needed
Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
Price if you pay yourself$6,720
Program website, Carpentry at Kirkwood Community College
More details about Carpentry at Kirkwood Community College
Finished
Not reported
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
Not reported
Length
32 weeks, 18 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$3,824
Students counted
Not reported
a year, estimated
Not reported
price
$6,720
Construction and building tradesIn personHigh school diploma or equivalent
Construction Technology - Building Construction Diploma
Southeastern Community College
West Burlington
High school diploma or equivalent
Southeastern Community College, West Burlington · Construction and building trades · In person · High school diploma or equivalent
Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
Price if you pay yourself$7,208
Program website, Construction Technology - Building Construction Diploma at Southeastern Community College
More details about Construction Technology - Building Construction Diploma at Southeastern Community College
Finished
Not reported
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
Not reported
Length
40 weeks, 27 hours a week
Cost of supplies
None listed
Students counted
Not reported
a year, estimated
Not reported
price
$7,208
Carpentry or construction (associate degree)In personHigh school diploma or equivalent
Construction Technology - Management Option AAS
Southeastern Community College
West Burlington
High school diploma or equivalent
Southeastern Community College, West Burlington · Carpentry or construction (associate degree) · In person · High school diploma or equivalent
Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
Price if you pay yourself$13,248
Program website, Construction Technology - Management Option AAS at Southeastern Community College
More details about Construction Technology - Management Option AAS at Southeastern Community College
Finished
Not reported
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
Not reported
Length
72 weeks, 20 hours a week
Cost of supplies
None listed
Students counted
Not reported
a year, estimated
Not reported
price
$13,248

How to pay for carpentry classes in Iowa

WIOA funding can pay for carpentry classes in Iowa

Every program on this page is approved for WIOA funding: public workforce funding under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. It can pay for training for eligible adults, people who lost their job and young people.²People on public assistance, with a low income or lacking basic skills come first, and veterans have priority.³Your state or local area may limit how much WIOA pays and for how long. If a program costs more, a Pell Grant, a scholarship or severance pay can cover the rest.⁴

Ask at an American Job Center

Eligibility rules apply, and services vary from state to state. Your local American Job Center can tell you whether you qualify. The Department of Labor's page links to the center finder, or call 1-877-US-2JOBS (1-877-872-5627).⁵

Paid carpentry apprenticeships

An apprenticeship is a job: you're paid to learn, with a raise as your skills grow, and most include classroom teaching. You apply to the employer or the program sponsor. Ask what you'll pay for the classroom part and what you'll earn on the job.⁶

Financial aid and grants for carpentry 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 carpentry 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.

Does WIOA pay for job training? Who qualifies and how to apply

Quick facts: Carpentry classes in Iowa

programs with a price cost under $5,000: 3 of 12
lowest typical price among the states with enough programs to compare: 18th of 19
carpentry programs here, against the typical state's 5: 12 vs 5

State comparisons use the same figures as the carpentry 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).

Carpentry apprenticeships in Iowa

A carpentry apprenticeship sets a number of hours of classes and paid work on the job for each year. Unions and contractor associations run most programs, and apprentices learn carpentry basics, blueprint reading, math, building codes, and safety and first aid.¹

You apply to the employer or the program sponsor, not through a school.⁶ The Department of Labor's Apprenticeship Finder lists openings by place and job. None of the carpentry programs on this page is an apprenticeship.

What is an apprenticeship, and can WIOA pay for one?

Where the Iowa carpentry program numbers come from

Which Iowa carpentry programs are on this list?

These are the carpentry 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 Iowa carpentry program prices are reported

The price is tuition and required fees for someone paying without workforce funding, as the school reported it. "Trained with WIOA funding" on a program counts the people whose training there WIOA paid toward through a training account in program year 2024; the file never gives counts under 3, so a program without the line may still take WIOA students. It does not say how much of the price WIOA covered. Prices under $100 are treated as not reported, because the file holds many blanks entered as $0. Check the current price with the school.

What the graduate results of these programs measure

The figures at the top of this page are the middle program among those that report results: half did better, half did worse. Results describe students who left each program in recent years: the share who finished, the share working in the second quarter after leaving, and the middle earnings of those working in that quarter. States report earnings for that one quarter because they take them from the wage reports employers file every three months. The yearly figure here is that quarter times four, rounded to the nearest $100: an estimate, and an early one, since it is measured about half a year after training. The quarter as reported is under "More details" on each program. Results are withheld for small programs, and they describe past students, so they are no guarantee.

Why do some carpentry programs say "Not reported"?

Where a school or the state left a field empty, or the Department of Labor withheld it, the page says "Not reported". Nothing here is estimated to fill a gap.

Why the kind of school is left off each program

The file also records whether a school is public, private or nonprofit, but those entries are wrong too often to print next to a school's name, so this page leaves them out.

Other training in Iowa

Sources for the facts about carpentry classes in Iowa

Show the 10 sourcesHide the sources

Carpentry classes in Iowa

How much do carpentry classes cost in Iowa?

Are there free carpentry classes in Iowa?

Carpentry classes in Burlington, Mason City, Fort Dodge and other Iowa cities

All 12 carpentry programs in Iowa approved for WIOA funding

Carpentry

Building Trades Diploma

Carpentry *CARPEN.DP

Construction Technology - Carpentry Emphasis AAS

Carpentry and Building Trades AAS

Carpentry and Building Trades Diploma

Fundamentals of Construction

Building Construction Certificate

Carpentry Certificate