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Welding Schools in California
85 schools in California offer welding-related programs, compared below on official cost, completion, and earnings data. Prefer to earn while you learn? 6 registered apprenticeship programs in California train welding apprentices — see apprenticeships. Federal program data groups welding with machining & cnc — schools below may offer any of these.
Occupation pay is what working welding professionals in California earn (all experience levels) — school "earnings" figures above are medians for each school's recent federally-aided students across all its programs, which read lower.
Welding licensing in California: Licensed at city/county level
California does not license welders who work as employees, but two real requirements exist: the City of Los Angeles requires an LADBS Certified Welder card (written plus practical exam) for structural welding inside city limits, and anyone contracting welding jobs of $1,000 or more needs a C-60 Welding Contractor license from the Contractors State License Board, which takes 4 years of journey-level experience plus trade and law exams. Outside those cases, voluntary AWS certification is the hiring standard.
Official source: Contractors State License Board (C-60, contractors) / Los Angeles Dept. of Building and Safety (LA City Certified Welder) · Exam: LADBS written + practical welder exams (LA City structural work); CSLB C-60 trade exam + law & business exam (contractors); AWS performance test (voluntary elsewhere) · Typical requirement: Employees: no state-mandated hours; AWS certification is the hiring norm. C-60 contractor license: 4 years of journey-level welding experience within the past 10 years. LADBS Certified Welder: pass city written + practical exams at an approved testing agency.
Official license records related to welding in California
From the U.S. Department of Labor's License Finder — these may include contractor, specialty, or related licenses beyond entry-level requirements:
- Welding Contractor — Department of Consumer Affairs~Contractors State License Board
Wage and license data provided by CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration (DOLETA) and Minnesota DEED.
Schools, ranked by earnings per tuition dollar
| School | City | Type | Net price / yr | Completion | Earnings (10 yr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| College of the Sequoias | Visalia | public | $480 | 33.7% | $39,092 |
| Imperial Valley College | Imperial | public | $1,115 | 40.2% | $34,487 |
| Hartnell College | Salinas | public | $2,039 | 16.2% | $44,316 |
| Santiago Canyon College | Orange | public | $2,129 | 26.5% | $44,956 |
| Victor Valley College | Victorville | public | $1,947 | 27% | $36,119 |
| San Joaquin Delta College | Stockton | public | $2,407 | 29.7% | $43,212 |
| Cerritos College | Norwalk | public | $2,424 | 30.2% | $41,156 |
| Yuba College | Marysville | public | $2,576 | 26.4% | $39,552 |
| Modesto Junior College | Modesto | public | $2,818 | 27.8% | $42,368 |
| Santa Ana College | Santa Ana | public | $3,133 | 18.9% | $43,552 |
| Taft College | Taft | public | $2,823 | 10.8% | $38,861 |
| Shasta College | Redding | public | $2,878 | 24.5% | $39,269 |
| College of the Canyons | Santa Clarita | public | $3,702 | 29.9% | $49,022 |
| Pasadena City College | Pasadena | public | $3,864 | 32.7% | $43,937 |
| Hacienda La Puente Adult Education | La Puente | public | $3,536 | 82.7% | $39,271 |
| Norco College | Norco | public | $5,169 | 26.2% | $51,206 |
| Las Positas College | Livermore | public | $5,377 | 29.6% | $51,088 |
| Antelope Valley Community College District | Lancaster | public | $3,860 | 29.1% | $36,526 |
| Solano Community College | Fairfield | public | $4,669 | 26.3% | $44,170 |
| De Anza College | Cupertino | public | $6,642 | 43.6% | $56,596 |
| Allan Hancock College | Santa Maria | public | $5,383 | 25.7% | $42,786 |
| San Diego Mesa College | San Diego | public | $5,814 | 23.1% | $45,120 |
| Butte College | Oroville | public | $5,520 | 36.3% | $41,810 |
| Merced College | Merced | public | $5,040 | 30.4% | $37,815 |
| Santa Rosa Junior College | Santa Rosa | public | $6,331 | 35% | $47,224 |
| Foothill College | Los Altos Hills | public | $7,653 | 25.3% | $57,072 |
| Palomar College | San Marcos | public | $5,763 | 24.6% | $42,300 |
| Mt San Antonio College | Walnut | public | $6,490 | 34.7% | $46,283 |
| Cosumnes River College | Sacramento | public | $5,981 | 21.7% | $42,446 |
| Fullerton College | Fullerton | public | $6,134 | 27.8% | $43,366 |
| El Camino Community College District | Torrance | public | $5,968 | 29.5% | $41,589 |
| City College of San Francisco | San Francisco | public | $6,906 | 22.5% | $45,805 |
| Orange Coast College | Costa Mesa | public | $7,203 | 32.9% | $47,348 |
| CET-Watsonville | Watsonville | private nonprofit | $5,198 | 76.8% | $32,986 |
| Long Beach City College | Long Beach | public | $6,202 | 24.3% | $38,870 |
| Sierra College | Rocklin | public | $7,245 | 31% | $45,294 |
| Los Medanos College | Pittsburg | public | $7,443 | 31.3% | $42,454 |
| Reedley College | Reedley | public | $6,814 | 30.4% | $38,493 |
| Pomona Unified School District Adult and Career Education | Pomona | public | $6,217 | 83.6% | $34,849 |
| Chabot College | Hayward | public | $9,053 | 24.6% | $48,143 |
| College of the Redwoods | Eureka | public | $6,904 | 25.3% | $36,243 |
| American River College | Sacramento | public | $7,999 | 24.6% | $40,162 |
| Glendale Community College | Glendale | public | $8,365 | 27.3% | $41,540 |
| Riverside City College | Riverside | public | $8,377 | 28.2% | $41,091 |
| San Diego City College | San Diego | public | $7,935 | 20.8% | $38,503 |
| Woodland Community College | Woodland | public | $8,356 | 23.4% | $40,042 |
| Fresno City College | Fresno | public | $8,069 | 24.7% | $37,361 |
| Evergreen Valley College | San Jose | public | $12,414 | 27.9% | $53,077 |
| Cuesta College | San Luis Obispo | public | $12,124 | 34.8% | $46,047 |
| Coalinga College | Coalinga | public | $10,477 | 26% | $37,633 |
| College of the Siskiyous | Weed | public | $11,120 | 17.1% | $39,098 |
| Los Angeles Valley College | Valley Glen | public | $12,152 | 22.4% | $42,678 |
| College of Marin | Kentfield | public | $12,351 | 19.3% | $42,654 |
| Columbia College | Sonora | public | $11,316 | 23.9% | $39,035 |
| Napa Valley College | Napa | public | $14,644 | 27.7% | $49,517 |
| Los Angeles Pierce College | Woodland Hills | public | $13,270 | 26.7% | $44,521 |
| Rio Hondo College | Whittier | public | $14,379 | 18.8% | $44,950 |
| Porterville College | Porterville | public | $12,301 | 33.2% | $36,328 |
| CET-El Centro | El Centro | private nonprofit | $11,405 | 91.2% | $32,986 |
| Lassen Community College | Susanville | public | $12,517 | 9.3% | $35,994 |
| Los Angeles Trade Technical College | Los Angeles | public | $12,323 | 20.2% | $35,233 |
| Cabrillo College | Aptos | public | $15,843 | 26% | $44,114 |
| Barstow Community College | Barstow | public | $12,773 | 19.5% | $35,104 |
| San Jose City College | San Jose | public | $16,959 | 24.6% | $46,215 |
| Compton College | Compton | public | $12,647 | 18.7% | $34,181 |
| Bakersfield College | Bakersfield | public | $14,621 | 25.9% | $37,291 |
| Charles A Jones Career and Education Center | Sacramento | public | $16,605 | 66.7% | $41,047 |
| CET-Colton | Colton | private nonprofit | $14,634 | 68.7% | $32,986 |
| Laney College | Oakland | public | $17,110 | 19.7% | $37,282 |
| San Bernardino Valley College | San Bernardino | public | $18,943 | 22.2% | $39,676 |
| CET-San Jose | San Jose | private nonprofit | $16,101 | 79.6% | $32,986 |
| Universal Technical Institute of California Inc | Rancho Cucamonga | private for-profit | $26,360 | 58.9% | $52,873 |
| Universal Technical Institute-Southern California | Long Beach | private for-profit | $27,506 | 68.2% | $52,873 |
| Palo Verde College | Blythe | public | $18,993 | 14.8% | $36,389 |
| Cerro Coso Community College | Ridgecrest | public | $18,306 | 14.7% | $34,963 |
| Universal Technical Institute of Northern California Inc | Sacramento | private for-profit | $28,887 | 68.8% | $48,341 |
| Institute of Technology | Clovis | private for-profit | $23,159 | 66.7% | $35,095 |
| CET-San Diego | San Diego | private nonprofit | $22,035 | 86.5% | $32,986 |
| Summit College | San Bernardino | private for-profit | $29,926 | 66.6% | $40,187 |
| UEI College-Gardena | Gardena | private for-profit | $28,691 | 66.9% | $30,848 |
| Ventura College | Ventura | public | $-982 | 31.4% | $43,430 |
| Advanced Career Institute | Visalia | private for-profit | not reported | 77.5% | not reported |
| The Fab School | Rancho Cucamonga | private for-profit | $37,713 | 96.6% | not reported |
| Tri-Community Adult Education | Covina | public | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Madera Community College | Madera | public | $4,179 | 33.8% | not reported |
Ranking = median earnings 10 years after entry per $1,000 of average yearly net price (methodology). Figures are institution-wide federal medians for each school as a whole — not welding graduates specifically. Schools without both figures sort last — "not reported" means the federal dataset lacks the value, not that the school is bad.
Common questions: Welding school in California
- How much do Welding schools cost in California?
- The median annual net price (what students actually pay after aid) across 85 welding schools in California is $7,653. Individual schools range widely — the table above shows each school's real cost, not sticker price.
- Do you need a license to work as a welding in California?
- California does not license welders who work as employees, but two real requirements exist: the City of Los Angeles requires an LADBS Certified Welder card (written plus practical exam) for structural welding inside city limits, and anyone contracting welding jobs of $1,000 or more needs a C-60 Welding Contractor license from the Contractors State License Board, which takes 4 years of journey-level experience plus trade and law exams. Outside those cases, voluntary AWS certification is the hiring standard.
- Can you get paid to train as a welding in California?
- Yes — California has 6 registered apprenticeship programs where you earn wages while you train instead of paying tuition. See the welding apprenticeships page for the current list.
- What does a welding earn in California?
- Working welding professionals in California earn a median of $58,060 per year, ranging from about $44,520 to $81,940 (U.S. Department of Labor). This is what people in the job earn, which differs from a school's reported graduate-earnings figure.
Aid deadlines for welding programs in California
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Welding schools in nearby states
- Welding schools in Alaska
- Welding schools in Alabama
- Welding schools in Arizona
- Welding schools in Arkansas
See all states & the full welding guide →