Best Value Trade Schools for Welding (2026 stats)
TL;DR
Ferris State University (MI) has the highest-paying welding program in EDsmart Data's analysis, at $68,852 in first-year earnings. Across 350 programs reporting earnings, the median is $31,821 with $9,500 in median federal debt.
Key Facts
- Top program: Ferris State University ($68,852 year-1 earnings)
- Median year-1 earnings: $31,821
- Median federal debt: $9,500
- Programs with earnings data: 350
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Top 15 welding programs by first-year earnings
The best programs pay far above the median
Our analysis finds the top welding program pays $68,852 in year one, versus a $31,821 median across all reporting programs.
Individual programs reporting first-year earnings to College Scorecard.
Top 50 best-value welding programs by first-year earnings
| Rank · School | State | Program | Credential | Year-1 earnings | Median debt | Earnings per $1 of debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Ferris State University | MI | Precision Metal Working | Certificate | $68,852 | $21,765 | $3.16 |
| 2. Idaho State University | ID | Precision Metal Working | Certificate | $64,581 | $9,000 | $7.18 |
| 3. Hennepin Technical College | MN | Precision Metal Working | Associate | $59,829 | — | — |
| 4. Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College | KY | Precision Metal Working | Certificate | $58,996 | $9,413 | $6.27 |
| 5. Ferris State University | MI | Precision Metal Working | Associate | $56,811 | $17,500 | $3.25 |
| 6. Ivy Tech Community College | IN | Precision Metal Working | Associate | $56,292 | $6,810 | $8.27 |
| 7. Dunwoody College of Technology | MN | Precision Metal Working | Associate | $55,188 | $12,000 | $4.60 |
| 8. Vincennes University | IN | Precision Metal Working | Associate | $54,908 | $12,000 | $4.58 |
| 9. Fox Valley Technical College | WI | Precision Metal Working | Certificate | $53,507 | $7,664 | $6.98 |
| 10. Elizabethtown Community and Technical College | KY | Precision Metal Working | Certificate | $53,172 | $7,166 | $7.42 |
| 11. White Mountains Community College | NH | Precision Metal Working | Certificate | $53,066 | $9,625 | $5.51 |
| 12. Hennepin Technical College | MN | Precision Metal Working | Certificate | $52,456 | $9,329 | $5.62 |
| 13. Fox Valley Technical College | WI | Precision Metal Working | Associate | $52,449 | — | — |
| 14. Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology | PA | Precision Metal Working | Associate | $52,298 | $12,000 | $4.36 |
| 15. Anoka Technical College | MN | Precision Metal Working | Associate | $51,747 | — | — |
| 16. North Dakota State College of Science | ND | Precision Metal Working | Associate | $51,647 | $11,246 | $4.59 |
| 17. Alexandria Technical & Community College | MN | Precision Metal Working | Certificate | $51,141 | $9,500 | $5.38 |
| 18. Saint Paul College | MN | Precision Metal Working | Certificate | $50,842 | $9,928 | $5.12 |
| 19. Dakota County Technical College | MN | Precision Metal Working | Certificate | $50,464 | $5,500 | $9.18 |
| 20. Pennsylvania College of Technology | PA | Precision Metal Working | Associate | $50,402 | $14,750 | $3.42 |
| 21. York Technical College | SC | Precision Metal Working | Certificate | $50,309 | $11,250 | $4.47 |
| 22. Grand Rapids Community College | MI | Precision Metal Working | Associate | $50,089 | — | — |
| 23. St Cloud Technical and Community College | MN | Precision Metal Working | Certificate | $49,636 | $9,500 | $5.22 |
| 24. Anoka Technical College | MN | Precision Metal Working | Certificate | $49,632 | $8,692 | $5.71 |
| 25. Minnesota State College Southeast | MN | Precision Metal Working | Certificate | $49,342 | $12,500 | $3.95 |
| 26. Southeast Community College Area | NE | Precision Metal Working | Associate | $49,114 | $11,650 | $4.22 |
| 27. Elizabethtown Community and Technical College | KY | Precision Metal Working | Associate | $48,709 | — | — |
| 28. Chippewa Valley Technical College | WI | Precision Metal Working | Certificate | $48,638 | $8,109 | $6.00 |
| 29. Lakeshore Technical College | WI | Precision Metal Working | Certificate | $48,619 | — | — |
| 30. Amarillo College | TX | Precision Metal Working | Certificate | $48,263 | — | — |
| 31. Kirkwood Community College | IA | Precision Metal Working | Associate | $48,114 | $13,500 | $3.56 |
| 32. Northcentral Technical College | WI | Precision Metal Working | Certificate | $47,718 | $5,250 | $9.09 |
| 33. Aims Community College | CO | Precision Metal Working | Certificate | $47,680 | — | — |
| 34. Midlands Technical College | SC | Precision Metal Working | Certificate | $47,556 | $10,500 | $4.53 |
| 35. Welder Training and Testing Institute | PA | Precision Metal Working | Certificate | $47,528 | $9,500 | $5.00 |
| 36. State Technical College of Missouri | MO | Precision Metal Working | Associate | $47,325 | $11,474 | $4.12 |
| 37. Arkansas Northeastern College | AR | Precision Metal Working | Certificate | $47,110 | — | — |
| 38. Clark College | WA | Precision Metal Working | Associate | $46,609 | — | — |
| 39. Lively Technical College | FL | Precision Metal Working | Certificate | $46,499 | — | — |
| 40. Lancaster County Career and Technology Center | PA | Precision Metal Working | Certificate | $46,331 | $9,500 | $4.88 |
| 41. Bluegrass Community and Technical College | KY | Precision Metal Working | Certificate | $46,133 | $10,684 | $4.32 |
| 42. Marshalltown Community College | IA | Precision Metal Working | Certificate | $45,972 | — | — |
| 43. Santa Ana College | CA | Precision Metal Working | Certificate | $45,864 | — | — |
| 44. Lynnes Welding Training | ND | Precision Metal Working | Certificate | $45,833 | $3,700 | $12.39 |
| 45. Hawkeye Community College | IA | Precision Metal Working | Certificate | $45,509 | $7,874 | $5.78 |
| 46. North Georgia Technical College | GA | Precision Metal Working | Certificate | $45,472 | — | — |
| 47. Bevill State Community College | AL | Precision Metal Working | Certificate | $45,423 | — | — |
| 48. Hobart Institute of Welding Technology | OH | Precision Metal Working | Certificate | $45,370 | $5,500 | $8.25 |
| 49. Owensboro Community and Technical College | KY | Precision Metal Working | Certificate | $45,366 | $7,475 | $6.07 |
| 50. Davis Technical College | UT | Precision Metal Working | Certificate | $45,350 | — | — |
Welding programs with the most earnings per dollar borrowed
Programs reporting both first-year earnings and median debt.
| School | State | Program | Year-1 earnings | Median debt | Earnings per $1 of debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lynnes Welding Training | ND | Precision Metal Working | $45,833 | $3,700 | $12.39 |
| South Central College | MN | Precision Metal Working | $41,527 | $3,666 | $11.33 |
| Dakota County Technical College | MN | Precision Metal Working | $50,464 | $5,500 | $9.18 |
| Northcentral Technical College | WI | Precision Metal Working | $47,718 | $5,250 | $9.09 |
| Lone Star College System | TX | Precision Metal Working | $40,863 | $4,562 | $8.96 |
| The Fab School | CA | Precision Metal Working | $39,592 | $4,449 | $8.90 |
| Chattanooga State Community College | TN | Precision Metal Working | $39,664 | $4,611 | $8.60 |
| Advanced Welding Institute | VT | Precision Metal Working | $42,399 | $5,077 | $8.35 |
| Ivy Tech Community College | IN | Precision Metal Working | $56,292 | $6,810 | $8.27 |
| Hobart Institute of Welding Technology | OH | Precision Metal Working | $45,370 | $5,500 | $8.25 |
| Mid-State Technical College | WI | Precision Metal Working | $38,653 | $4,750 | $8.14 |
| Northeast Iowa Community College | IA | Precision Metal Working | $43,588 | $5,479 | $7.96 |
| Northwood Technical College | WI | Precision Metal Working | $42,282 | $5,500 | $7.69 |
| Northeast Wisconsin Technical College | WI | Precision Metal Working | $41,421 | $5,500 | $7.53 |
| Grand Rapids Community College | MI | Precision Metal Working | $34,042 | $4,540 | $7.50 |
| Elizabethtown Community and Technical College | KY | Precision Metal Working | $53,172 | $7,166 | $7.42 |
| Central Lakes College-Brainerd | MN | Precision Metal Working | $40,671 | $5,500 | $7.39 |
| Western Technical College | WI | Precision Metal Working | $40,624 | $5,500 | $7.39 |
| Idaho State University | ID | Precision Metal Working | $64,581 | $9,000 | $7.18 |
| Central Community College | NE | Precision Metal Working | $39,409 | $5,500 | $7.17 |
| Des Moines Area Community College | IA | Precision Metal Working | $39,397 | $5,500 | $7.16 |
| Career and Technology Education Centers of Licking County | OH | Precision Metal Working | $38,709 | $5,500 | $7.04 |
| Dunwoody College of Technology | MN | Precision Metal Working | $44,559 | $6,333 | $7.04 |
| Fox Valley Technical College | WI | Precision Metal Working | $53,507 | $7,664 | $6.98 |
| Northeast Community College | NE | Precision Metal Working | $38,353 | $5,500 | $6.97 |
What the data shows
Value means what you earn for what you pay. The ranking puts first-year earnings first because it is the outcome students feel right away; the earnings-per-dollar column shows which welding programs deliver the most pay for each dollar borrowed.
Programs missing from this list are not necessarily bad; many simply have too few federal-aid graduates for the Department of Education to publish earnings.
Methodology
Program figures come from the College Scorecard field-of-study file: one record per institution × 4-digit CIP code × credential level. Earnings are median annual earnings of federal-aid recipients who completed the program and were working and not enrolled, measured 1, 4, and 5 years after completion (in the dollar year of the Scorecard release). Debt is the median federal loan balance (Stafford and Grad PLUS) at completion; private loans and Parent PLUS are excluded. Programs with too few graduates are suppressed by the Department of Education and drop out of each column.
Earnings per $1 of debt = median first-year earnings ÷ median federal debt at completion. Programs without published debt show a dash.
Graduate-only health fields (dentistry, medicine, pharmacy, and similar) are excluded, as are health certificates at bachelor's- or graduate-predominant universities, which are usually post-degree credentials (such as nurse anesthesia) rather than entry-level training.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best-value welding program?
By first-year earnings, Ferris State University in MI leads at $68,852, based on College Scorecard program data.
How much do welding program graduates earn?
The median program pays $31,821 in the first year after completion.
How much debt do welding students take on?
Median federal debt at completion is $9,500 across programs that report it.
Data sources
- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard institution and field-of-study files (latest release in our extract)