Plumbing school in Tennessee

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

2 schools offer these plumbing programs, and Tennessee 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 Tennessee, 1 of the 3 programs takes students without a high school diploma, and 1 is taught partly or fully online.

See the 3 programs

How much does plumbing school cost in Tennessee?

$1,000 to $2,607

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

In the typical program

Finished the program: Not reported
Working 6 months later: Not reported
Earned a year, estimated: Not reported
Length: Too few programs to say

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

Is there free plumbing school in Tennessee?

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 $1,000 to $2,607.

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

Plumbing school in Cleveland, Memphis and other Tennessee cities

Choosing an area filters the list below.

All 3 plumbing programs in Tennessee approved for WIOA funding

3 programs

Plumbing certificate or diplomaHybridEducation and courses
Plumbing
Gi Apprentice Inc
Memphis
Education and courses
Gi Apprentice Inc, Memphis · Plumbing certificate or diploma · Hybrid · Education and courses
Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
Price if you pay yourself$1,000
More details about Plumbing at Gi Apprentice Inc
Finished
Not reported
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
Not reported
Length
24 weeks, 20 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$5,350
Students counted
Not reported
a year, estimated
Not reported
price
$1,000
Plumbing certificate or diplomaIn personNo diploma needed
Plumbing Bootcamp
Cleveland State Comm College
Cleveland
No diploma needed
Cleveland State Comm College, Cleveland · Plumbing certificate or diploma · In person · No diploma needed
Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
Price if you pay yourself$1,745
Program website, Plumbing Bootcamp at Cleveland State Comm College
More details about Plumbing Bootcamp at Cleveland State Comm College
Finished
Not reported
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
Not reported
Length
4 weeks, 15 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$505
Students counted
Not reported
a year, estimated
Not reported
price
$1,745
Plumbing certificate or diplomaIn personHigh school diploma or equivalent
Plumbing Technical Certificate
Cleveland State Comm College
Cleveland
High school diploma or equivalent
Cleveland State Comm College, Cleveland · Plumbing certificate or diploma · In person · High school diploma or equivalent
Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
Price if you pay yourself$2,607
School website, Plumbing Technical Certificate at Cleveland State Comm College
More details about Plumbing Technical Certificate at Cleveland State Comm College
Finished
Not reported
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
Not reported
Length
30 weeks, 25 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$500
Students counted
Not reported
a year, estimated
Not reported
price
$2,607

How to pay for plumbing school in Tennessee

WIOA funding can pay for plumbing school in Tennessee

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 Tennessee

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 Tennessee plumbing program numbers come from

Which Tennessee plumbing programs are on this list?

These are the plumbing programs Tennessee 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 Tennessee offers.

How the prices and results of Tennessee 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.

Other training in Tennessee

Sources for the facts about plumbing school in Tennessee

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