CNC machinist training in St. Louis, Missouri

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

6 schools offer these machinist programs with classes in the St. Louis area, and every one is approved for workforce funding: 9 by Missouri and 2 by Illinois. 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 St. Louis, 7 of the 11 programs take students without a high school diploma, and 4 are taught partly or fully online.

See the 11 programs

All 21 CNC machinist programs in Missouri, including online programs

How much does CNC machinist training cost in St. Louis?

$7,009 to $15,956 is what most CNC machinist programs in St. Louis cost if you pay yourself

That is the middle half of the 9 programs with a price. All of them: $2,074 to $40,005

In the typical program

Finished the program: Not reported
Working 6 months later: Not reported
Earned a year, estimated: Not reported
Length: 55 to 64 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 St. Louis may also offer CNC machinist training. How these figures are made

Is there free CNC machinist training in St. Louis?

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 St. Louis cost $7,009 to $15,956. Prices on this page run from $2,074 to $40,005.

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

All 11 CNC machinist programs in St. Louis approved for WIOA funding

11 programs

Machinist (associate degree)HybridNo diploma needed
Precision Machining Technology
Jefferson College
Hillsboro
No diploma needed
Jefferson College, Hillsboro · Machinist (associate degree) · Hybrid · No diploma needed
Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
Price if you pay yourself$7,788
Program website, Precision Machining Technology at Jefferson College
More details about Precision Machining Technology at Jefferson College
Finished
Not reported
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
Not reported
Length
64 weeks, 40 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$7,091
Students counted
40
a year, estimated
Not reported
price
$7,788
Machinist (associate degree)HybridNo diploma needed
Advanced Precision Machining Technology-Try
Ranken Technical College
Saint Louis
No diploma needed
Ranken Technical College, Saint Louis · Machinist (associate degree) · Hybrid · No diploma needed
Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
Price if you pay yourself$40,005
Program website, Advanced Precision Machining Technology-Try at Ranken Technical College
More details about Advanced Precision Machining Technology-Try at Ranken Technical College
Finished
Not reported
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
Not reported
Length
80 weeks, 40 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$7,780
Students counted
13
a year, estimated
Not reported
price
$40,005
Machinist certificate or diplomaIn personHigh school diploma or equivalent
Precision Machining Technology: CS
St. Louis Community College, District
Bridgeton
High school diploma or equivalent
St. Louis Community College, District, Bridgeton · Machinist certificate or diploma · In person · High school diploma or equivalent
Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
Price if you pay yourself$2,074
Program website, Precision Machining Technology: CS at St. Louis Community College, District
More details about Precision Machining Technology: CS at St. Louis Community College, District
Finished
Not reported
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
Not reported
Length
16 weeks, 17 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$1,100
Students counted
Not reported
a year, estimated
Not reported
price
$2,074
Machinist certificate or diplomaIn personNo diploma needed
Precision Machining (cnc Machining)
East Central College
Union
No diploma needed
East Central College, Union · Machinist certificate or diploma · In person · No diploma needed
Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
Price if you pay yourself$7,009
Program website, Precision Machining (cnc Machining) at East Central College
More details about Precision Machining (cnc Machining) at East Central College
Finished
Not reported
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
Not reported
Length
34 weeks, 40 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$2,167
Students counted
Not reported
a year, estimated
Not reported
price
$7,009
Machinist certificate or diplomaIn personNo diploma needed
Precision Machining (cnc Machining)
East Central College, Bic
Union
No diploma needed
East Central College, Bic, Union · Machinist certificate or diploma · In person · No diploma needed
Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
Price if you pay yourself$7,009
Program website, Precision Machining (cnc Machining) at East Central College, Bic
More details about Precision Machining (cnc Machining) at East Central College, Bic
Finished
Not reported
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
Not reported
Length
Not reported
Cost of supplies
$2,167
Students counted
Not reported
a year, estimated
Not reported
price
$7,009
Machinist (associate degree)In personNo diploma needed
Precision Machining
East Central College
Union
No diploma needed
East Central College, Union · Machinist (associate degree) · In person · No diploma needed
Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
Price if you pay yourself$12,668
Program website, Precision Machining at East Central College
More details about Precision Machining at East Central College
Finished
Not reported
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
Not reported
Length
64 weeks, 40 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$3,165
Students counted
Not reported
a year, estimated
Not reported
price
$12,668
Machinist (associate degree)In personNo diploma needed
Precision Machining
East Central College, Bic
Union
No diploma needed
East Central College, Bic, Union · Machinist (associate degree) · In person · No diploma needed
Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
Price if you pay yourself$12,668
Program website, Precision Machining at East Central College, Bic
More details about Precision Machining at East Central College, Bic
Finished
Not reported
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
Not reported
Length
64 weeks, 40 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$3,165
Students counted
Not reported
a year, estimated
Not reported
price
$12,668
Machinist certificate or diplomaHybridNo diploma needed
Precision Machining Technology - Troy
Ranken Technical College
Saint Louis
No diploma needed
Ranken Technical College, Saint Louis · Machinist certificate or diploma · Hybrid · No diploma needed
Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
Price if you pay yourself$15,956
Program website, Precision Machining Technology - Troy at Ranken Technical College
More details about Precision Machining Technology - Troy at Ranken Technical College
Finished
Not reported
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
Not reported
Length
64 weeks, 40 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$4,845
Students counted
Not reported
a year, estimated
Not reported
price
$15,956
Machinist certificate or diplomaHybridHigh school diploma or equivalent
Advanced Precision Machining Technology
Ranken Technical College
Saint Louis
High school diploma or equivalent
Ranken Technical College, Saint Louis · Machinist certificate or diploma · Hybrid · High school diploma or equivalent
Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
Price if you pay yourself$33,610
Program website, Advanced Precision Machining Technology at Ranken Technical College
More details about Advanced Precision Machining Technology at Ranken Technical College
Finished
Not reported
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
Not reported
Length
64 weeks, 40 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$3,950
Students counted
Not reported
a year, estimated
Not reported
price
$33,610
Machinist (associate degree)In personEducation and courses
Precision Machining Technology AAS
Southwestern Illinois College
Belleville
Education and courses
Southwestern Illinois College, Belleville · Machinist (associate degree) · In person · Education and courses
Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
Price if you pay yourselfNot reported
Program website, Precision Machining Technology AAS at Southwestern Illinois College
More details about Precision Machining Technology AAS at Southwestern Illinois College
Finished
Not reported
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
Not reported
Length
104 weeks, 40 hours a week
Cost of supplies
Not reported
Students counted
Not reported
a year, estimated
Not reported
price
Not reported
Machinist certificate or diplomaIn personEducation and courses
Precision Machining Technology Certificates
Southwestern Illinois College
Belleville
Education and courses
Southwestern Illinois College, Belleville · Machinist certificate or diploma · In person · Education and courses
Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
Price if you pay yourselfNot reported
Program website, Precision Machining Technology Certificates at Southwestern Illinois College
More details about Precision Machining Technology Certificates at Southwestern Illinois College
Finished
Not reported
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
Not reported
Length
52 weeks, 40 hours a week
Cost of supplies
Not reported
Students counted
Not reported
a year, estimated
Not reported
price
Not reported

How to pay for CNC machinist training in St. Louis

WIOA funding can pay for CNC machinist training in St. Louis

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

Machinist apprenticeships in St. Louis

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 St. Louis machinist program numbers come from

Which St. Louis machinist programs are on this list?

These are the machinist programs with classes in the St. Louis area that are 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. Online programs are left out here; they are on the Missouri page. Schools that never applied for approval are missing, so this is a part of what the area offers.

How St. Louis 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.

Other training in St. Louis

Sources for the facts about CNC machinist training in St. Louis

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