Plumbing school in Wisconsin

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

6 schools offer these plumbing programs, and Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin, 2 of the 6 programs take students without a high school diploma, and 1 is taught partly or fully online.

See the 6 programs

How much does plumbing school cost in Wisconsin?

$2,447 to $2,794 is what most plumbing programs in Wisconsin cost if you pay yourself

That is the middle half of the 6 programs with a price. All of them: $2,349 to $4,576

In the typical program

Finished the program: 30%
Working 6 months later: 76%
Earned a year, estimated: about $63,600
Length: 60 to 160 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 Wisconsin may also offer plumbing school. How these figures are made

Is there free plumbing school in Wisconsin?

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 Wisconsin cost $2,447 to $2,794. Prices on this page run from $2,349 to $4,576.
Or earn while you learn. Apprentices are paid for their work on the job.⁶ 5 of the 6 programs here are apprenticeships.

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

Plumbing school in Milwaukee, La Crosse, Eau Claire and other Wisconsin cities

Choosing an area filters the list below.

All 6 plumbing programs in Wisconsin approved for WIOA funding

6 programs

Plumbing apprenticeshipHybridNo diploma needed
Plumbing ABC
Waukesha County Technical College
Pewaukee
No diploma needed
Waukesha County Technical College, Pewaukee · Plumbing apprenticeship · Hybrid · No diploma needed
Earned a year, estimated$69,400
Price if you pay yourself$2,349
Program website, Plumbing ABC at Waukesha County Technical College
More details about Plumbing ABC at Waukesha County Technical College
Finished
83%
Working at 6 months
78%
Earned in a quarter
$17,352
Length
160 weeks, 30 hours a week
Cost of supplies
None listed
Students counted
456
a year, estimated
$69,400
price
$2,349
Plumbing apprenticeshipIn personHigh school diploma or equivalent
Plumbing Apprenticeship
Western Technical College
La Crosse
High school diploma or equivalent
Western Technical College, La Crosse · Plumbing apprenticeship · In person · High school diploma or equivalent
Earned a year, estimated$60,100
Price if you pay yourself$2,626
Program website, Plumbing Apprenticeship at Western Technical College
More details about Plumbing Apprenticeship at Western Technical College
Finished
23%
Working at 6 months
68%
Earned in a quarter
$15,029
Length
90 weeks, 8 hours a week
Cost of supplies
None listed
Students counted
152
a year, estimated
$60,100
price
$2,626
Plumbing apprenticeshipIn personHigh school diploma or equivalent
Plumbing Apprentice (JAC)
Chippewa Valley Technical College
Eau Claire
High school diploma or equivalent
Chippewa Valley Technical College, Eau Claire · Plumbing apprenticeship · In person · High school diploma or equivalent
Earned a year, estimated$66,400
Price if you pay yourself$2,587
Program website, Plumbing Apprentice (JAC) at Chippewa Valley Technical College
More details about Plumbing Apprentice (JAC) at Chippewa Valley Technical College
Finished
22%
Working at 6 months
67%
Earned in a quarter
$16,611
Length
Not reported
Cost of supplies
None listed
Students counted
144
a year, estimated
$66,400
price
$2,587
Plumbing certificate or diplomaIn personHigh school diploma or equivalent
Preparatory Plumbing
Milwaukee Area Technical College
Milwaukee
High school diploma or equivalent
Milwaukee Area Technical College, Milwaukee · Plumbing certificate or diploma · In person · High school diploma or equivalent
Earned a year, estimated$28,800
Price if you pay yourself$4,576
Program website, Preparatory Plumbing at Milwaukee Area Technical College
More details about Preparatory Plumbing at Milwaukee Area Technical College
Finished
19%
Working at 6 months
75%
Earned in a quarter
$7,201
Length
32 weeks, 19 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$2,505
Students counted
121
a year, estimated
$28,800
price
$4,576
Plumbing apprenticeshipIn personHigh school diploma or equivalent
Plumbing
Northcentral Technical College
Wausau
High school diploma or equivalent
Northcentral Technical College, Wausau · Plumbing apprenticeship · In person · High school diploma or equivalent
Earned a year, estimated$66,600
Price if you pay yourself$2,850
More details about Plumbing at Northcentral Technical College
Finished
74%
Working at 6 months
94%
Earned in a quarter
$16,659
Length
160 weeks, 8 hours a week
Cost of supplies
None listed
Students counted
71
a year, estimated
$66,600
price
$2,850
Plumbing apprenticeshipIn personNo diploma needed
Plumbing Apprenticeship
Southwest Wisconsin Technical College
Fennimore
No diploma needed
Southwest Wisconsin Technical College, Fennimore · Plumbing apprenticeship · In person · No diploma needed
Earned a year, estimated$60,800
Price if you pay yourself$2,400
Program website, Plumbing Apprenticeship at Southwest Wisconsin Technical College
More details about Plumbing Apprenticeship at Southwest Wisconsin Technical College
Finished
36%
Working at 6 months
93%
Earned in a quarter
$15,198
Length
60 weeks, 40 hours a week
Cost of supplies
None listed
Students counted
46
a year, estimated
$60,800
price
$2,400

How to pay for plumbing school in Wisconsin

WIOA funding can pay for plumbing school in Wisconsin

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 Wisconsin

lowest typical price among the states with enough programs to compare: 7th of 17
plumbing programs here, against the typical state's 4: 6 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 Wisconsin

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. This page lists 5 plumbing apprenticeships approved for WIOA funding in Wisconsin. Ask what you'll pay for the classes and what you'll earn on the job.

Show only the 5 plumbing apprenticeships

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

Where the Wisconsin plumbing program numbers come from

Which Wisconsin plumbing programs are on this list?

These are the plumbing programs Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin offers.

How Wisconsin 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.

Other training in Wisconsin

Sources for the facts about plumbing school in Wisconsin

Show the 10 sourcesHide the sources