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Welding classes in Iowa

50 welding programs with costs, results and funding that can make them free

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

Welders join and cut metal parts with hand-held or remotely controlled equipment. Most have a high school diploma plus technical training, and some employers ask for a certification for particular jobs.1

In Iowa, 28 of the 50 programs take students without a high school diploma and 22 ask for a diploma or equivalent.

By kind, the 50 programs here are general welding (25 programs), structural welding (7 programs), pipe welding (7 programs), single welding process (5 programs), and 6 more of 2 other kinds.

See the 50 programs

How much do welding classes cost in Iowa?

Certificates and short courses (45 programs)
$1,500 to $5,597most of them, usually 6 to 16 weeks long
Two-year degrees (5 programs)
$13,195 to $15,960most of them

What you pay yourself for the whole program, as the schools report it. "Most" is the middle half of the programs with a price.

In the typical program

Finished the program
55%
Working 6 months later
79%
Earned a year, estimated
about $34,000
Length
8 to 30 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 Iowa may also offer welding classes. How these figures are made

Are there free welding classes in Iowa?

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

All 50 welding programs in Iowa approved for WIOA funding

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50 programs

How to pay for welding classes in Iowa

WIOA funding can pay for welding classes in Iowa

Every program on this page is approved for it. Whether you qualify, how much your local area pays and how to apply are on our page Does WIOA pay for job training?

Financial aid and grants for welding classes

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.67

GI Bill for welding classes

Veterans, service members and qualified dependents can use GI Bill benefits for non-college training programs.8

The program list does not show which programs accept these. Ask the school.

Quick facts: Welding classes in Iowa

programs with a price cost under $2,000
16 of 50
lowest typical price among the states with enough programs to compare
7th of 46
other states where the typical program's graduates earned less
13 of 31
welding programs here, against the typical state's 24
50 vs 24

State comparisons use the same figures as the welding classes 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).

Welding classes in Sioux City, Burlington, Cedar Rapids and other Iowa cities

Areas with 10 or more programs have a page of their own. Choosing another area filters the program list above. 9 more programs are in 6 other areas, 6 in smaller cities and towns.

Other training in Iowa

How welding classes compare with the rest of skilled trades: Trade school programs in Iowa

Where the Iowa welding program numbers come from

Which Iowa welding programs are on this list?

These are the welding programs Iowa 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).9 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 Iowa offers.

How the prices and results of Iowa welding programs are measured

Prices are tuition and required fees for someone paying without workforce funding, as the school reported them; check the current price with the school. Results describe students who left each program in recent years, so they are no guarantee, and the yearly earnings are the reported quarter times four, an estimate. A program without a "Trained with WIOA funding" line may still take WIOA students. Where a field was left empty or withheld, the page says "Not reported", and "Left out" where a figure was filed but failed one of our checks; nothing is estimated to fill a gap. Where the numbers come from explains each figure in full.

Sources for the facts about welding classes in Iowa

Show the 9 sourcesHide the sources
  1. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers
  2. US Department of Labor, TrainingProviderResults.gov: About This Site
  3. US Department of Labor: WIOA Adult Program
  4. Code of Federal Regulations, title 20, part 680, sections 680.220, 680.230 and 680.310: career services before training, other grants such as Pell Grants first, and limits on Individual Training Accounts (GovInfo, 2024 edition)
  5. US Department of Labor: American Job Centers
  6. US Department of Education, Federal Student Aid: Eligibility for Federal Student Aid
  7. US Department of Education, Federal Student Aid: Don't Miss Out on Federal Pell Grants
  8. US Department of Veterans Affairs: GI Bill benefits for non-college degree programs
  9. US Department of Labor, Training and Employment Guidance Letter 8-19, Attachment I: Requirements for Training Providers, Program Eligibility, and the State Eligible Training Provider (ETP) List