Welding classes in South Dakota

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

6 schools offer these welding programs, and South Dakota 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 South Dakota, 1 of the 15 programs takes students without a high school diploma and 14 ask for a diploma or equivalent.

By kind, the 15 programs here are general welding (6 programs), welding (associate degree, 4 programs), single welding process (3 programs), welding and fabrication (1 program), and 1 more of one other kind.

See the 15 programs

How much do welding classes cost in South Dakota?

$2,724 to $13,166 is what most welding programs in South Dakota cost if you pay yourself

That is the middle half of the 15 programs with a price. All of them: $496 to $18,876

In the typical program

Finished the program: 78%
Working 6 months later: Left out; South Dakota's rates sit far below every other state's
Earned a year, estimated: about $42,000
Length: 16 to 50 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 South Dakota may also offer welding classes. How these figures are made

Are there free welding classes 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.²³⁴In program year 2024 it paid toward the training of at least 89 people at 3 of the 15 programs here.
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 welding programs in South Dakota cost $2,724 to $13,166. Prices on this page run from $496 to $18,876.

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

How to pay for welding classes in South Dakota

WIOA funding can pay for welding classes in South Dakota

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 South Dakota

programs with a price cost under $3,000: 4 of 15
lowest typical price among the states with enough programs to compare: 42nd of 46
other states where the typical program's graduates earned less: 29 of 31
welding programs here, against the typical state's 24: 15 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 Falls, Watertown, Mitchell and other South Dakota cities

Choosing an area filters the program list above.

Other training in South Dakota

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

Where the South Dakota welding program numbers come from

Which South Dakota welding programs are on this list?

These are the welding 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).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 South Dakota offers.

How the prices and results of South Dakota 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.

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.

Sources for the facts about welding classes in South Dakota

Show the 9 sourcesHide the sources

Nursing and patient care

Medical office and lab

General healthcare

Skilled trades

Transportation and logistics

Computers and IT

Business and office

Beauty and personal care

Public safety

Food and hospitality

Education and social services

Welding classes in South Dakota

How much do welding classes cost in South Dakota?

Are there free welding classes in South Dakota?

All 15 welding programs in South Dakota approved for WIOA funding

Welding Technology | Diploma | Campus

Advanced Welder Training | Campus

Welding // Progressive Technology | AAS | Campus

Welding & Fabrication | AAS | Hybrid (66 credit hours)

Welding | Diploma | In-person

Welding Technology | AAS | Campus

Welding and Fabrication | Diploma | Hybrid (36 credit hours)

Welding // Machining & Manufacturing | AAS | Campus

Welding | Certificate | Campus

Structural Welding Technologies | Certificate | In-person

Welding | Diploma | Campus

Welding // Gas Metal Arc | Certificate | Campus

Welding // Shielded Metal Arc | Certificate | Campus

Welding // Gas Tungsten Arc | Certificate | Campus

Welding - UpSkill In-Person