Plumbing school in South Dakota

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

2 schools offer these plumbing programs, and South Dakota 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 South Dakota, every program asks for a diploma or other schooling first, and 2 are taught partly or fully online.

See the 4 programs

How much does plumbing school cost in South Dakota?

$4,590 to $8,925

from the lowest-priced program to the highest, if you pay yourself

In the typical program

Finished the program: Not enough data
Working 6 months later: Not reported
Earned a year, estimated: Not reported
Length: Not enough data

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

Is there free plumbing school in South Dakota?

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. These programs cost $4,590 to $8,925.

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

Plumbing school in Rapid City, Sioux Falls and other South Dakota cities

Choosing an area filters the list below.

All 4 plumbing programs in South Dakota approved for WIOA funding

4 programs

Plumbing certificate or diplomaHybridHigh school diploma or equivalent
Plumbing Technology | Diploma | Hybrid (30 credit hours)
Western Dakota Technical College
Rapid City
High school diploma or equivalent
Western Dakota Technical College, Rapid City · Plumbing certificate or diploma · Hybrid · High school diploma or equivalent
Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
Price if you pay yourself$8,580
Program website, Plumbing Technology | Diploma | Hybrid (30 credit hours) at Western Dakota Technical College
More details about Plumbing Technology | Diploma | Hybrid (30 credit hours) at Western Dakota Technical College
Finished
72%
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
Not reported
Length
48 weeks, 18 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$4,514
Students counted
18
a year, estimated
Not reported
price
$8,580
Plumbing certificate or diplomaIn personHigh school diploma or equivalent
Plumbing Technology | Diploma | In-person
Southeast Technical College
Sioux Falls
High school diploma or equivalent
Southeast Technical College, Sioux Falls · Plumbing certificate or diploma · In person · High school diploma or equivalent
Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
Price if you pay yourself$8,925
Program website, Plumbing Technology | Diploma | In-person at Southeast Technical College
More details about Plumbing Technology | Diploma | In-person at Southeast Technical College
Finished
86%
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
Not reported
Length
64 weeks, 20 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$2,980
Students counted
12
a year, estimated
Not reported
price
$8,925
Plumbing certificate or diplomaIn personHigh school diploma or equivalent
Plumbing Technology | UpSkill | In-Person (18 credit hours)
Western Dakota Technical College
Rapid City
High school diploma or equivalent
Western Dakota Technical College, Rapid City · Plumbing certificate or diploma · In person · High school diploma or equivalent
Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
Price if you pay yourself$4,590
School website, Plumbing Technology | UpSkill | In-Person (18 credit hours) at Western Dakota Technical College
More details about Plumbing Technology | UpSkill | In-Person (18 credit hours) at Western Dakota Technical College
Finished
Not reported
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
Not reported
Length
16 weeks, 18 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$1,908
Students counted
Not reported
a year, estimated
Not reported
price
$4,590
Plumbing certificate or diplomaHybridHigh school diploma or equivalent
Plumbing Technology | UpSkill | Hybrid (18 credit hours)
Western Dakota Technical College
Rapid City
High school diploma or equivalent
Western Dakota Technical College, Rapid City · Plumbing certificate or diploma · Hybrid · High school diploma or equivalent
Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
Price if you pay yourself$5,148
School website, Plumbing Technology | UpSkill | Hybrid (18 credit hours) at Western Dakota Technical College
More details about Plumbing Technology | UpSkill | Hybrid (18 credit hours) at Western Dakota Technical College
Finished
Not reported
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
Not reported
Length
16 weeks, 18 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$4,046
Students counted
Not reported
a year, estimated
Not reported
price
$5,148

How to pay for plumbing school in South Dakota

WIOA funding can pay for plumbing school in South Dakota

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

Plumbing apprenticeships in South Dakota

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.

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

Where the South Dakota plumbing program numbers come from

Which South Dakota plumbing programs are on this list?

These are the plumbing programs South Dakota 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 South Dakota offers.

How the prices and results of South Dakota plumbing programs are measured

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. Results describe students who left the program in recent years, and the yearly earnings figure is the reported quarter times four, an estimate. They describe past students, so they are no guarantee. Where a field was left empty or withheld, the page says "Not reported". Where the numbers come from explains each figure in full.

How reliable are the South Dakota figures?

We leave out the share working 6 months later for South Dakota: its rates sit far below every other state's.

Other training in South Dakota

Sources for the facts about plumbing school in South Dakota

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