Home › Pennsylvania › Welding schools
41 schools in Pennsylvania offer welding-related programs, compared below on official cost, completion, and earnings data. Prefer to earn while you learn? 16 registered apprenticeship programs in Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania 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.
Pennsylvania does not license welders — the Commonwealth states plainly that it has no licensure or certification requirements for most construction contractors or their employees. AWS Certified Welder is the credential employers expect, earned by passing a hands-on weld test with no coursework prerequisite. Registered apprenticeships through PA's Apprenticeship and Training Office (typically 3-4 years, paid) are a common alternative to a 6-18 month trade program.
Official source: PA Department of Labor & Industry (state has no licensure/certification requirement for most construction trades or their employees) · Exam: No state exam. AWS Certified Welder performance test (voluntary); code qualifications (AWS D1.1, ASME IX) as required by employers · Typical requirement: No state-mandated hours. AWS Certified Welder = pass a hands-on performance test (no coursework prerequisite). Typical programs 6-18 months; registered apprenticeships 3-4 years.
| School | City | Type | Net price / yr | Completion | Earnings (10 yr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westmoreland County Community College | Youngwood | public | $5,167 | 26.4% | $37,439 |
| Schuylkill Technology Center | Frackville | public | $6,797 | 60.1% | $49,148 |
| Delaware County Community College | Media | public | $6,576 | 18.3% | $45,391 |
| Community College of Beaver County | Monaca | public | $6,937 | 28.5% | $45,090 |
| Pennsylvania Highlands Community College | Johnstown | public | $6,200 | 39.3% | $38,752 |
| Butler County Community College | Butler | public | $6,233 | 30.2% | $38,891 |
| New Castle School of Trades | New Castle | private for-profit | $8,361 | 78.4% | $44,814 |
| Lehigh Carbon Community College | Schnecksville | public | $9,203 | 24.6% | $42,436 |
| Luzerne County Community College | Nanticoke | public | $9,433 | 24.1% | $40,437 |
| Reading Area Community College | Reading | public | $9,228 | 21.2% | $39,082 |
| Central Pennsylvania Institute of Science and Technology | Pleasant Gap | public | $9,857 | 90.8% | $41,677 |
| Laurel Technical Institute | Hermitage | private for-profit | $6,778 | 65.6% | $28,311 |
| York County School of Technology-Adult & Continuing Education | York | public | $13,490 | 89.7% | $54,322 |
| Laurel Technical Institute | Uniontown | private for-profit | $7,825 | 76.2% | $30,819 |
| Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology | Lancaster | public | $14,104 | 67.1% | $54,681 |
| Greater Johnstown Career and Technology Center | Johnstown | public | $14,111 | 76.6% | $48,881 |
| Northampton County Area Community College | Bethlehem | public | $12,119 | 29.8% | $41,566 |
| Greater Altoona Career & Technology Center | Altoona | public | $12,419 | 71.5% | $38,008 |
| Harrisburg Area Community College | Harrisburg | public | $14,471 | 21.3% | $42,007 |
| Clearfield County Career and Technology Center | Clearfield | public | $14,460 | 80.4% | $41,559 |
| Community College of Allegheny County | Pittsburgh | public | $13,970 | 25.3% | $39,449 |
| Johnson College | Scranton | private nonprofit | $19,954 | 57.3% | $55,194 |
| Somerset County Technology Center | Somerset | public | $14,444 | 89.1% | $37,558 |
| Lancaster County Career and Technology Center | Willow Street | public | $17,505 | 77.2% | $44,566 |
| Welder Training and Testing Institute | Allentown | private for-profit | $22,503 | 89.1% | $55,598 |
| Rosedale Technical College | Pittsburgh | private nonprofit | $19,760 | 81% | $47,880 |
| All-State Career School-Pittsburgh | West Mifflin | private for-profit | $15,576 | 69.3% | $33,193 |
| All-State Career School | Essington | private for-profit | $18,205 | 61.7% | $38,495 |
| Pennsylvania College of Technology | Williamsport | public | $25,110 | 61% | $52,567 |
| Universal Technical Institute of Pennsylvania Inc | Exton | private for-profit | $24,883 | 67.3% | $51,222 |
| Fayette County Career & Technical Institute Practical Nursing Program | Uniontown | public | $24,194 | 72.4% | $49,229 |
| Indiana County Technology Center | Indiana | public | $18,822 | 72.7% | $34,858 |
| Commonwealth Technical Institute | Johnstown | private nonprofit | $11,714 | 81.4% | $21,632 |
| Penn Commercial Business/Technical School | Washington | private for-profit | $18,350 | 52.7% | $31,736 |
| Erie Institute of Technology Inc | Erie | private for-profit | $30,164 | 72.1% | $41,951 |
| Williamson College of the Trades | Media | private nonprofit | $1,545 | 76.1% | not reported |
| Susquehanna County Career and Technology Center | Springville | public | $5,594 | 96.7% | not reported |
| Institute of Medical Careers | Pittsburgh | private for-profit | $21,392 | 69.5% | not reported |
| Berks Career & Technology Center | Leesport | public | $20,536 | 70% | not reported |
| Philadelphia Technician Training | Philadelphia | private nonprofit | $22,813 | 49.8% | not reported |
| Lehigh Career & Technical Institute | Schnecksville | public | $23,735 | not reported | 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.
Federal and state aid programs have windows and deadlines. Get them for your trade and state, plus program matches.
We may share your info with matched school and program partners so they can contact you about enrollment. Unsubscribe anytime. See our Privacy Policy.
See all states & the full welding guide →