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Welding classes in West Virginia

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

4 schools offer these welding programs, and West Virginia 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 West Virginia, 1 of the 8 programs take students without a high school diploma.

See the 8 programs

How much do welding classes cost in West Virginia?

$2,079 to $5,269

is what most programs cost if you pay yourself

All 6 programs with a price: $999 to $6,368

Finished the program
Not reported
Working 6 months later
Not reported
Earned a year, estimated
Not reported
Length
Not reported for most programs

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

Are there free welding classes in West Virginia?

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

Welding classes in Beckley, Wheeling, Cincinnati and other West Virginia cities

Areas with 10 or more programs have a page of their own. Choosing another area filters the list below. 1 in smaller cities and towns.

All 8 welding programs in West Virginia approved for funding

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What you need to enroll
Kind of program
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8 programs

  • General weldingIn personHigh school diploma or equivalent

    Welding

    Fred W. Eberle Technical Center, Buckhannon

    High school diploma or equivalent

    Fred W. Eberle Technical Center, Buckhannon · General welding · In person · High school diploma or equivalent

    Earned a year, estimated$25,500
    Price if you pay yourself$1,650
    Program website, Welding at Fred W. Eberle Technical Center
    More details about Welding at Fred W. Eberle Technical Center
    Finished
    100%
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    $6,370
    Length
    Not reported
    Cost of supplies
    $1,150
    Students counted
    24
    a year, estimated
    $25,500
    price
    $1,650

  • Single welding processIn personHigh school diploma or equivalent

    TIG (Gas Tungsten Arc Welding) I

    West Virginia Northern Community College Wheeling, Wheeling

    High school diploma or equivalent

    West Virginia Northern Community College Wheeling, Wheeling · Single welding process · In person · High school diploma or equivalent

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourself$999
    Program website, TIG (Gas Tungsten Arc Welding) I at West Virginia Northern Community College Wheeling
    More details about TIG (Gas Tungsten Arc Welding) I at West Virginia Northern Community College Wheeling
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    Not reported
    Cost of supplies
    $150
    Students counted
    Not reported
    a year, estimated
    Not reported
    price
    $999

  • General weldingIn personNo diploma needed

    Manufacturing Welding Program

    Elite Welding Academy South Point, West Chester, OH

    No diploma needed

    Elite Welding Academy South Point, West Chester, OH · General welding · In person · No diploma needed

    Classes are outside West Virginia; West Virginia approved the program for its funding.

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourself$3,365
    Program website, Manufacturing Welding Program at Elite Welding Academy South Point
    More details about Manufacturing Welding Program at Elite Welding Academy South Point
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    Not reported
    Cost of supplies
    $1,394
    Students counted
    Not reported
    a year, estimated
    Not reported
    price
    $3,365

  • Pipe weldingIn personHigh school diploma or equivalent

    Accelerated Pipe Welding Program

    New River Community and Technical College, Beaver

    High school diploma or equivalent

    New River Community and Technical College, Beaver · Pipe welding · In person · High school diploma or equivalent

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourself$4,575
    Program website, Accelerated Pipe Welding Program at New River Community and Technical College
    More details about Accelerated Pipe Welding Program at New River Community and Technical College
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    Not reported
    Cost of supplies
    $300
    Students counted
    Not reported
    a year, estimated
    Not reported
    price
    $4,575

  • General weldingIn personHigh school diploma or equivalent

    Combined Welding - Greenbrier Valley Campus

    New River Community and Technical College, Beaver

    High school diploma or equivalent

    New River Community and Technical College, Beaver · General welding · In person · High school diploma or equivalent

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourself$5,500
    Program website, Combined Welding - Greenbrier Valley Campus at New River Community and Technical College
    More details about Combined Welding - Greenbrier Valley Campus at New River Community and Technical College
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    Not reported
    Cost of supplies
    None listed
    Students counted
    Not reported
    a year, estimated
    Not reported
    price
    $5,500

  • General weldingIn personHigh school diploma or equivalent

    Combined Welding

    New River Community and Technical College, Beaver

    High school diploma or equivalent

    New River Community and Technical College, Beaver · General welding · In person · High school diploma or equivalent

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourself$6,368
    Program website, Combined Welding at New River Community and Technical College
    More details about Combined Welding at New River Community and Technical College
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    Not reported
    Cost of supplies
    None listed
    Students counted
    Not reported
    a year, estimated
    Not reported
    price
    $6,368

  • General weldingIn personHigh school diploma or equivalent

    Accelerated General Welding Program

    New River Community and Technical College, Beaver

    High school diploma or equivalent

    New River Community and Technical College, Beaver · General welding · In person · High school diploma or equivalent

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourselfNot reported
    Program website, Accelerated General Welding Program at New River Community and Technical College
    More details about Accelerated General Welding Program at New River Community and Technical College
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    Not reported
    Cost of supplies
    Not reported
    Students counted
    Not reported
    a year, estimated
    Not reported
    price
    Not reported

  • Single welding processIn personHigh school diploma or equivalent

    SMAW WElding 1

    West Virginia Northern Community College Wheeling, Wheeling

    High school diploma or equivalent

    West Virginia Northern Community College Wheeling, Wheeling · Single welding process · In person · High school diploma or equivalent

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourselfNot reported
    Program website, SMAW WElding 1 at West Virginia Northern Community College Wheeling
    More details about SMAW WElding 1 at West Virginia Northern Community College Wheeling
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    Not reported
    Cost of supplies
    Not reported
    Students counted
    Not reported
    a year, estimated
    Not reported
    price
    Not reported

How to pay for welding classes in West Virginia

Workforce funding can pay for welding classes in West Virginia

Every program on this page is approved for public workforce funding, 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.3

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).4

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.56

GI Bill for welding classes

Veterans, service members and qualified dependents can use GI Bill benefits for non-college training programs.7

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

Where the West Virginia welding program numbers come from

Which West Virginia welding programs are on this list?

These are the welding programs West Virginia approved for public workforce funding (the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act), as reported to the US Department of Labor for program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025). The list covers programs approved as of June 30, 2025. Schools that never applied for approval are missing, so this is a part of what West Virginia offers.

How West Virginia welding program prices are reported

The price is tuition and required fees for someone paying without workforce funding, as the school reported it. 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 welding 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.

How reliable are the West Virginia figures?

We leave out the share working 6 months later for West Virginia: every program that reports it reports exactly 100%.

Sources for the facts about welding classes in West Virginia

Show the 7 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. US Department of Labor: American Job Centers
  5. US Department of Education, Federal Student Aid: Eligibility for Federal Student Aid
  6. US Department of Education, Federal Student Aid: Don't Miss Out on Federal Pell Grants
  7. US Department of Veterans Affairs: GI Bill benefits for non-college degree programs