CNC machinist training in Iowa

10 CNC machinist programs with costs, results and funding that can make them free

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

Machinists set up and run equipment, including computer-controlled (CNC) machines, to make precision metal parts and tools. Community colleges and technical schools offer certificates and two-year degrees that teach reading engineering drawings and programming CNC machines.¹ In Iowa, 6 of the 10 programs take students without a high school diploma, and 1 is taught partly or fully online.

See the 10 programs

How much does CNC machinist training cost in Iowa?

$3,715 to $12,726 is what most CNC machinist programs in Iowa cost if you pay yourself

That is the middle half of the 10 programs with a price. All of them: $2,589 to $20,740

In the typical program

Finished the program: 54%
Working 6 months later: 85%
Earned a year, estimated: about $45,100
Length: 23 to 70 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 CNC machinist training. How these figures are made

Is there free CNC machinist training 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 machinist programs in Iowa cost $3,715 to $12,726. Prices on this page run from $2,589 to $20,740.

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

CNC machinist training in Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Waterloo and other Iowa cities

Choosing an area filters the list below. 2 in smaller cities and towns.

All 10 CNC machinist programs in Iowa approved for WIOA funding

10 programs

Machinist certificate or diplomaIn personNo diploma needed
CNC Machining Certificate
Hawkeye Community College
Waterloo
No diploma needed
Hawkeye Community College, Waterloo · Machinist certificate or diploma · In person · No diploma needed
Earned a year, estimated$41,900
Price if you pay yourself$2,859
Program website, CNC Machining Certificate at Hawkeye Community College
More details about CNC Machining Certificate at Hawkeye Community College
Finished
54%
Working at 6 months
93%
Earned in a quarter
$10,465
Length
22 weeks, 9 hours a week
Cost of supplies
None listed
Students counted
99
a year, estimated
$41,900
price
$2,859
Machinist (associate degree)In personNo diploma needed
CNC Machining Technology
Kirkwood Community College
Cedar Rapids
No diploma needed
Kirkwood Community College, Cedar Rapids · Machinist (associate degree) · In person · No diploma needed
Earned a year, estimated$50,800
Price if you pay yourself$14,700
Program website, CNC Machining Technology at Kirkwood Community College
More details about CNC Machining Technology at Kirkwood Community College
Finished
33%
Working at 6 months
80%
Earned in a quarter
$12,695
Length
80 weeks, 17 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$5,366
Students counted
75
a year, estimated
$50,800
price
$14,700
Machinist (associate degree)HybridNo diploma needed
CNC Machine Operator
Eastern Iowa Community Colleges
Davenport
No diploma needed
Eastern Iowa Community Colleges, Davenport · Machinist (associate degree) · Hybrid · No diploma needed
Earned a year, estimated$59,000
Price if you pay yourself$11,928
Program website, CNC Machine Operator at Eastern Iowa Community Colleges
More details about CNC Machine Operator at Eastern Iowa Community Colleges
Finished
26%
Working at 6 months
65%
Earned in a quarter
$14,747
Length
80 weeks, 13 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$500
Students counted
67
a year, estimated
$59,000
price
$11,928
Machinist (associate degree)In personHigh school diploma or equivalent
Machine Technology, A.A.S.
Indian Hills Community College
Ottumwa
High school diploma or equivalent
Indian Hills Community College, Ottumwa · Machinist (associate degree) · In person · High school diploma or equivalent
Earned a year, estimated$45,100
Price if you pay yourself$20,740
Program website, Machine Technology, A.A.S. at Indian Hills Community College
More details about Machine Technology, A.A.S. at Indian Hills Community College
Finished
62%
Working at 6 months
91%
Earned in a quarter
$11,265
Length
72 weeks, 13 hours a week
Cost of supplies
None listed
Students counted
51
a year, estimated
$45,100
price
$20,740
Machinist certificate or diplomaIn personNo diploma needed
CNC Machinist Certificate Program
Kirkwood Community College
Cedar Rapids
No diploma needed
Kirkwood Community College, Cedar Rapids · Machinist certificate or diploma · In person · No diploma needed
Earned a year, estimated$60,100
Price if you pay yourself$5,500
Program website, CNC Machinist Certificate Program at Kirkwood Community College
More details about CNC Machinist Certificate Program at Kirkwood Community College
Finished
4%
Working at 6 months
100%
Earned in a quarter
$15,036
Length
25 weeks, 10 hours a week
Cost of supplies
None listed
Students counted
41
a year, estimated
$60,100
price
$5,500
Machinist certificate or diplomaIn personNo diploma needed
CNC Machinist Technician *CNC.DP
Northeast Iowa Community College
Calmar
No diploma needed
Northeast Iowa Community College, Calmar · Machinist certificate or diploma · In person · No diploma needed
Earned a year, estimated$43,600
Price if you pay yourself$9,614
Program website, CNC Machinist Technician *CNC.DP at Northeast Iowa Community College
More details about CNC Machinist Technician *CNC.DP at Northeast Iowa Community College
Finished
56%
Working at 6 months
79%
Earned in a quarter
$10,892
Length
44 weeks, 26 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$2,400
Students counted
25
a year, estimated
$43,600
price
$9,614
Machinist (associate degree)In personHigh school diploma or equivalent
Precision Machining and CNC Technology AAS
Southeastern Community College
West Burlington
High school diploma or equivalent
Southeastern Community College, West Burlington · Machinist (associate degree) · In person · High school diploma or equivalent
Earned a year, estimated$36,700
Price if you pay yourself$12,992
Program website, Precision Machining and CNC Technology AAS at Southeastern Community College
More details about Precision Machining and CNC Technology AAS at Southeastern Community College
Finished
72%
Working at 6 months
85%
Earned in a quarter
$9,171
Length
64 weeks, 23 hours a week
Cost of supplies
None listed
Students counted
20
a year, estimated
$36,700
price
$12,992
CNC or machine operatorIn personHigh school diploma or equivalent
Computer Numerical Control (CNC) Operator *CNC.CPC
Northeast Iowa Community College
Calmar
High school diploma or equivalent
Northeast Iowa Community College, Calmar · CNC or machine operator · In person · High school diploma or equivalent
Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
Price if you pay yourself$2,589
Program website, Computer Numerical Control (CNC) Operator *CNC.CPC at Northeast Iowa Community College
More details about Computer Numerical Control (CNC) Operator *CNC.CPC at Northeast Iowa Community College
Finished
Not reported
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
Not reported
Length
12 weeks, 12 hours a week
Cost of supplies
None listed
Students counted
Not reported
a year, estimated
Not reported
price
$2,589
Machinist certificate or diplomaIn personNo diploma needed
CNC Machining
Eastern Iowa Community Colleges
Davenport
No diploma needed
Eastern Iowa Community Colleges, Davenport · Machinist certificate or diploma · In person · No diploma needed
Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
Price if you pay yourself$3,120
Program website, CNC Machining at Eastern Iowa Community Colleges
More details about CNC Machining at Eastern Iowa Community Colleges
Finished
Not reported
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
Not reported
Length
16 weeks, 16 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$500
Students counted
Not reported
a year, estimated
Not reported
price
$3,120
Machinist certificate or diplomaIn personHigh school diploma or equivalent
CNC Machining - Diploma
Iowa Western Community College
Council Bluffs
High school diploma or equivalent
Iowa Western Community College, Council Bluffs · Machinist certificate or diploma · In person · High school diploma or equivalent
Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
Price if you pay yourself$6,963
Program website, CNC Machining - Diploma at Iowa Western Community College
More details about CNC Machining - Diploma at Iowa Western Community College
Finished
Not reported
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
Not reported
Length
32 weeks, 23 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$1,251
Students counted
Not reported
a year, estimated
Not reported
price
$6,963

How to pay for CNC machinist training in Iowa

WIOA funding can pay for CNC machinist training 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 machinist 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 CNC machinist training

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 CNC machinist training

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: CNC machinist training in Iowa

lowest typical price among the states with enough programs to compare: 30th of 30
other states where the typical program's graduates earned less: 11 of 11
CNC machinist programs here, against the typical state's 8: 10 vs 8

State comparisons use the same figures as the CNC machinist training 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).

Machinist apprenticeships in Iowa

A machinist apprenticeship is usually run by an employer. It combines paid training on the job with related classes and lasts several years.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 CNC machinist programs on this page is an apprenticeship.

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

Where the Iowa machinist program numbers come from

Which Iowa machinist programs are on this list?

These are the machinist 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 machinist 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 machinist 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.

Sources for the facts about CNC machinist training in Iowa

Show the 10 sourcesHide the sources

CNC machinist training in Iowa

How much does CNC machinist training cost in Iowa?

Is there free CNC machinist training in Iowa?

CNC machinist training in Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Waterloo and other Iowa cities

All 10 CNC machinist programs in Iowa approved for WIOA funding

CNC Machining Certificate

CNC Machining Technology

CNC Machine Operator

Machine Technology, A.A.S.

CNC Machinist Certificate Program

CNC Machinist Technician *CNC.DP

Precision Machining and CNC Technology AAS

Computer Numerical Control (CNC) Operator *CNC.CPC

CNC Machining

CNC Machining - Diploma