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Welding Schools in New York
18 schools in New York offer welding-related programs, compared below on official cost, completion, and earnings data. Federal program data groups welding with machining & cnc — schools below may offer any of these.
Occupation pay is what working welding professionals in New York 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 New York: Licensed at city/county level
New York has no statewide welder license, but New York City does: structural welding in the five boroughs requires a Welder License from the NYC Department of Buildings. Applicants must be 18 or older, hold an AWS SMAW 3G/4G Certified Welder credential or a NYSDOT Field Welder Certification, and pass a background investigation with a $330 fee. Outside NYC, welding is unlicensed and voluntary AWS certification is the employer standard.
Official source: New York City Department of Buildings, Licensing & Exams Unit · Exam: No separate DOB written exam — qualification is via the AWS SMAW 3G/4G performance tests or NYSDOT Field Welder tests, plus DOB background investigation · Typical requirement: NYC license: age 18+, read/write English, good moral character, AWS SMAW Certified Welder 3G/4G certification (groove and fillet, unlimited thickness, A36 base metal) OR NYSDOT Field Welder Certification, plus physical exam, visual acuity test, and background investigation ($330 fee). No hour minimums outside NYC.
Official license records related to welding in New York
From the U.S. Department of Labor's License Finder — these may include contractor, specialty, or related licenses beyond entry-level requirements:
- Field Welder — NYS Department of Transportation~Metal Engineering Division
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ulster County Community College | Stone Ridge | public | $5,035 | 36.5% | $41,896 |
| Monroe Community College | Rochester | public | $6,353 | 28.2% | $40,174 |
| Niagara County Community College | Sanborn | public | $6,876 | 37% | $42,285 |
| Hudson Valley Community College | Troy | public | $8,501 | 36.4% | $45,460 |
| Erie Community College | Buffalo | public | $7,765 | 31.8% | $41,228 |
| SUNY Corning Community College | Corning | public | $7,373 | 34.5% | $38,817 |
| Onondaga Community College | Syracuse | public | $8,562 | 23.9% | $41,190 |
| Cayuga County Community College | Auburn | public | $8,662 | 30.1% | $38,709 |
| Mohawk Valley Community College | Utica | public | $8,987 | 37.6% | $39,850 |
| Jamestown Community College | Jamestown | public | $9,850 | 37.6% | $38,242 |
| Erie 1 BOCES | West Seneca | public | $12,987 | 89.1% | $47,114 |
| SUNY College of Technology at Alfred | Alfred | public | $15,016 | 56.9% | $50,445 |
| SUNY College of Technology at Delhi | Delhi | public | $17,225 | 52.1% | $51,629 |
| Apex Technical School | Long Island City | private nonprofit | $14,826 | 79% | $41,093 |
| Modern Welding School | Schenectady | private for-profit | $22,618 | 93% | $48,703 |
| Onondaga Cortland Madison BOCES | Liverpool | public | $19,002 | 76.5% | $40,658 |
| Schuyler Steuben Chemung Tioga Allegany BOCES | Elmira | public | $20,757 | 77.1% | $43,956 |
| Clinton Essex Warren Washington BOCES | Plattsburgh | public | $14,384 | 91.1% | 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 New York
- How much do Welding schools cost in New York?
- The median annual net price (what students actually pay after aid) across 18 welding schools in New York is $9,419. 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 New York?
- New York has no statewide welder license, but New York City does: structural welding in the five boroughs requires a Welder License from the NYC Department of Buildings. Applicants must be 18 or older, hold an AWS SMAW 3G/4G Certified Welder credential or a NYSDOT Field Welder Certification, and pass a background investigation with a $330 fee. Outside NYC, welding is unlicensed and voluntary AWS certification is the employer standard.
- What does a welding earn in New York?
- Working welding professionals in New York earn a median of $59,140 per year, ranging from about $43,840 to $87,110 (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 New York
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Welding schools in nearby states
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See all states & the full welding guide →