Plumbing school in Missouri

8 plumbing programs with costs, results and funding that can make them free

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

Plumbers install and repair pipes, fixtures and piping systems. Most learn the trade in a four- or five-year apprenticeship, and most states and some cities require plumbers to be licensed.¹ In Missouri, 1 of the 8 programs takes students without a high school diploma, and 3 are taught partly or fully online.

See the 8 programs

How much does plumbing school cost in Missouri?

$6,651 to $10,719 is what most plumbing programs in Missouri cost if you pay yourself

That is the middle half of the 8 programs with a price. All of them: $2,300 to $25,778

In the typical program

Finished the program: Not reported
Working 6 months later: Not reported
Earned a year, estimated: Not reported
Length: 32 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 Missouri may also offer plumbing school. How these figures are made

Is there free plumbing school in Missouri?

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 plumbing programs in Missouri cost $6,651 to $10,719. Prices on this page run from $2,300 to $25,778.

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

Plumbing school in St. Louis, Cape Girardeau, Springfield and other Missouri cities

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

All 8 plumbing programs in Missouri approved for WIOA funding

8 programs

Plumbing certificate or diplomaHybridHigh school diploma or equivalent
Plumbing Technology
Ranken Technical College
Saint Louis
High school diploma or equivalent
Ranken Technical College, Saint Louis · Plumbing certificate or diploma · Hybrid · High school diploma or equivalent
Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
Price if you pay yourself$16,680
Program website, Plumbing Technology at Ranken Technical College
More details about Plumbing Technology at Ranken Technical College
Finished
Not reported
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
Not reported
Length
32 weeks, 40 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$1,615
Students counted
60
a year, estimated
Not reported
price
$16,680
Plumbing certificate or diplomaIn personHigh school diploma or equivalent
Plumbing & Pipefitting Technology
Ranken Technical College
Saint Louis
High school diploma or equivalent
Ranken Technical College, Saint Louis · Plumbing certificate or diploma · In person · High school diploma or equivalent
Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
Price if you pay yourself$25,778
Program website, Plumbing & Pipefitting Technology at Ranken Technical College
More details about Plumbing & Pipefitting Technology at Ranken Technical College
Finished
Not reported
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
Not reported
Length
96 weeks, 40 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$1,840
Students counted
28
a year, estimated
Not reported
price
$25,778
Plumbing certificate or diplomaIn personNo diploma needed
Plumbing (evening)
Cape Girardeau Career & Technology Center
Cape Girardeau
No diploma needed
Cape Girardeau Career & Technology Center, Cape Girardeau · Plumbing certificate or diploma · In person · No diploma needed
Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
Price if you pay yourself$2,300
Program website, Plumbing (evening) at Cape Girardeau Career & Technology Center
More details about Plumbing (evening) at Cape Girardeau Career & Technology Center
Finished
Not reported
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
Not reported
Length
33 weeks, 9 hours a week
Cost of supplies
None listed
Students counted
Not reported
a year, estimated
Not reported
price
$2,300
Pre-apprenticeshipIn personHigh school diploma or equivalent
Plumbing & Pipefitters Pre-Training, CA
St. Charles Community College
Cottleville
High school diploma or equivalent
St. Charles Community College, Cottleville · Pre-apprenticeship · In person · High school diploma or equivalent
Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
Price if you pay yourself$4,832
Program website, Plumbing & Pipefitters Pre-Training, CA at St. Charles Community College
More details about Plumbing & Pipefitters Pre-Training, CA at St. Charles Community College
Finished
Not reported
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
Not reported
Length
30 weeks, 20 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$1,340
Students counted
Not reported
a year, estimated
Not reported
price
$4,832
Plumbing certificate or diplomaIn personHigh school diploma or equivalent
Plumbing Technology Certificate
Ozarks Technical Community College
Springfield
High school diploma or equivalent
Ozarks Technical Community College, Springfield · Plumbing certificate or diploma · In person · High school diploma or equivalent
Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
Price if you pay yourself$7,257
Program website, Plumbing Technology Certificate at Ozarks Technical Community College
More details about Plumbing Technology Certificate at Ozarks Technical Community College
Finished
Not reported
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
Not reported
Length
32 weeks, 15 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$1,000
Students counted
Not reported
a year, estimated
Not reported
price
$7,257
Plumbing certificate or diplomaIn personPrerequisite courses
Plumbing Certificate
Tarkio Technology Institute
Tarkio
Prerequisite courses
Tarkio Technology Institute, Tarkio · Plumbing certificate or diploma · In person · Prerequisite courses
Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
Price if you pay yourself$7,930
Program website, Plumbing Certificate at Tarkio Technology Institute
More details about Plumbing Certificate at Tarkio Technology Institute
Finished
Not reported
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
Not reported
Length
30 weeks, 10 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$540
Students counted
Not reported
a year, estimated
Not reported
price
$7,930
Plumbing certificate or diplomaHybridHigh school diploma or equivalent
Plumbing Technology- 1 Year Certificate
Three Rivers College @ Dexter
Dexter
High school diploma or equivalent
Three Rivers College @ Dexter, Dexter · Plumbing certificate or diploma · Hybrid · High school diploma or equivalent
Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
Price if you pay yourself$8,732
Program website, Plumbing Technology- 1 Year Certificate at Three Rivers College @ Dexter
More details about Plumbing Technology- 1 Year Certificate at Three Rivers College @ Dexter
Finished
Not reported
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
Not reported
Length
32 weeks, 24 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$800
Students counted
Not reported
a year, estimated
Not reported
price
$8,732
Plumbing certificate or diplomaHybridHigh school diploma or equivalent
Plumbing Technology- 1 Year Certificate
Three Rivers College, Poplar Bluff
Poplar Bluff
High school diploma or equivalent
Three Rivers College, Poplar Bluff, Poplar Bluff · Plumbing certificate or diploma · Hybrid · High school diploma or equivalent
Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
Price if you pay yourself$8,732
Program website, Plumbing Technology- 1 Year Certificate at Three Rivers College, Poplar Bluff
More details about Plumbing Technology- 1 Year Certificate at Three Rivers College, Poplar Bluff
Finished
Not reported
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
Not reported
Length
32 weeks, 25 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$800
Students counted
Not reported
a year, estimated
Not reported
price
$8,732

How to pay for plumbing school in Missouri

WIOA funding can pay for plumbing school in Missouri

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 plumbing 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 plumbing school

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 plumbing school

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: Plumbing school in Missouri

lowest typical price among the states with enough programs to compare: 17th of 17
plumbing programs here, against the typical state's 4: 8 vs 4

State comparisons use the same figures as the plumbing school 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).

Plumbing apprenticeships in Missouri

Most plumbers train in a four- or five-year apprenticeship. Each year usually brings about 2,000 hours of paid work on the job plus classes in safety, local plumbing codes and blueprint reading. Unions, trade associations and businesses run the programs; some people start as helpers or with a pre-apprenticeship course. To work on your own, states and cities often ask for two to five years of experience and a passed exam.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 plumbing programs on this page is an apprenticeship. There is also 1 pre-apprenticeship here, a course that prepares you to apply.

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

Where the Missouri plumbing program numbers come from

Which Missouri plumbing programs are on this list?

These are the plumbing programs Missouri 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 Missouri offers.

How Missouri plumbing 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 plumbing 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 plumbing school in Missouri

Show the 10 sourcesHide the sources