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Welding Schools in Texas
74 schools in Texas offer welding-related programs, compared below on official cost, completion, and earnings data. Prefer to earn while you learn? 48 registered apprenticeship programs in Texas 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 Texas 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 Texas: No license — certification expected
Texas does not license welders — welding is not among the trades regulated by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. Employers typically hire on AWS Certified Welder credentials (a hands-on weld test with no coursework prerequisite), and TxDOT requires its own Steel Structures Welding Certification before welders can work on bridge girders and structural steel connections. Training routes are a 6-18 month trade program or a 3-4 year paid registered apprenticeship.
Official source: Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (welding is not among its regulated programs) · Exam: No state exam. AWS Certified Welder performance test (voluntary); TxDOT Steel Structures Welding Certification test for bridge field welding · Typical requirement: No state-mandated hours. AWS Certified Welder requires passing a hands-on performance test at an accredited facility (no coursework prerequisite). Typical trade programs run 6-18 months; registered apprenticeships 3-4 years.
Official license records related to welding in Texas
From the U.S. Department of Labor's License Finder — these may include contractor, specialty, or related licenses beyond entry-level requirements:
- VETERINARIAN — Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners
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 Mainland | Texas City | public | $1,342 | 33.7% | $39,639 |
| Lamar State College-Orange | Orange | public | $1,655 | 34.2% | $36,587 |
| South Texas College | McAllen | public | $1,751 | 32.7% | $36,788 |
| Southwest College for the Deaf | Big Spring | public | $2,458 | 38.1% | $38,382 |
| Victoria College | Victoria | public | $3,043 | 27.6% | $42,382 |
| Lamar State College-Port Arthur | Port Arthur | public | $2,846 | 32.5% | $37,120 |
| Dallas College | Dallas | public | $3,214 | 22.8% | $41,714 |
| Western Texas College | Snyder | public | $3,562 | 18.8% | $42,508 |
| Del Mar College | Corpus Christi | public | $3,399 | 23.7% | $38,656 |
| El Paso Community College | El Paso | public | $3,206 | 24.1% | $35,212 |
| Tarrant County College District | Fort Worth | public | $4,337 | 24.5% | $42,727 |
| Midland College | Midland | public | $4,512 | 23.9% | $43,958 |
| Brazosport College | Lake Jackson | public | $4,732 | 35.9% | $45,910 |
| Wharton County Junior College | Wharton | public | $4,666 | 24.6% | $44,960 |
| Trinity Valley Community College | Athens | public | $4,092 | 29.1% | $38,567 |
| Amarillo College | Amarillo | public | $4,600 | 35.8% | $41,302 |
| St Philip's College | San Antonio | public | $4,273 | 18.5% | $38,224 |
| Coastal Bend College | Beeville | public | $4,237 | 28.8% | $35,086 |
| Kilgore College | Kilgore | public | $5,364 | 33.1% | $37,975 |
| North Central Texas College | Gainesville | public | $6,587 | 24.2% | $45,809 |
| Grayson College | Denison | public | $5,880 | 32.1% | $40,873 |
| Panola College | Carthage | public | $5,216 | 36.9% | $36,072 |
| Houston City College | Houston | public | $5,737 | 20.5% | $39,254 |
| Austin Community College District | Austin | public | $6,390 | 16.1% | $43,177 |
| Odessa College | Odessa | public | $6,368 | 23% | $42,026 |
| Vernon College | Vernon | public | $6,404 | 28.9% | $40,464 |
| Howard College | Big Spring | public | $6,147 | 32.3% | $38,382 |
| Lee College | Baytown | public | $6,879 | 54.5% | $42,178 |
| South Plains College | Levelland | public | $6,791 | 24.2% | $41,276 |
| Laredo College | Laredo | public | $5,798 | 32.7% | $33,934 |
| Ranger College | Ranger | public | $6,182 | 26.9% | $35,552 |
| Collin County Community College District | McKinney | public | $8,969 | 20.3% | $48,701 |
| Alvin Community College | Alvin | public | $8,525 | 30.2% | $45,762 |
| Hill College | Hillsboro | public | $7,577 | 24% | $39,572 |
| Southwest Texas College | Uvalde | public | $7,372 | 38.9% | $35,563 |
| Angelina College | Lufkin | public | $7,773 | 24.9% | $37,301 |
| Paris Junior College | Paris | public | $7,690 | 28.8% | $36,515 |
| Frank Phillips College | Borger | public | $7,953 | 28.2% | $37,179 |
| Clarendon College | Clarendon | public | $8,390 | 36.4% | $38,696 |
| Galveston College | Galveston | public | $8,412 | 35.2% | $37,233 |
| Blinn College District | Brenham | public | $10,844 | 16.2% | $46,318 |
| Weatherford College | Weatherford | public | $9,967 | 27.9% | $42,397 |
| Cisco College | Cisco | public | $9,624 | 26.1% | $39,092 |
| Central Texas College | Killeen | public | $10,265 | 17% | $40,995 |
| Texarkana College | Texarkana | public | $8,812 | 44.6% | $34,647 |
| Lone Star College System | The Woodlands | public | $11,252 | 20.2% | $42,466 |
| Tyler Junior College | Tyler | public | $10,206 | 26.2% | $38,140 |
| San Jacinto Community College | Pasadena | public | $12,143 | 32.2% | $43,062 |
| Texas State Technical College | Waco | public | $13,508 | 40.4% | $38,916 |
| Lamar Institute of Technology | Beaumont | public | $13,866 | 37.2% | $38,991 |
| Navarro College | Corsicana | public | $14,820 | 26.5% | $38,716 |
| Universal Technical Institute of Texas Inc. | Houston | private for-profit | $23,096 | 61.6% | $51,222 |
| CET-El Paso | El Paso | private nonprofit | $15,578 | 60% | $32,986 |
| School of Automotive Machinists & Technology | Houston | private for-profit | $28,242 | 93% | $57,529 |
| Universal Technical Institute-West Texas | Austin | private for-profit | $26,117 | 74.7% | $51,222 |
| Universal Technical Institute-Dallas Fort Worth | Irving | private for-profit | $26,265 | 63.6% | $51,222 |
| Southwest University at El Paso | El Paso | private for-profit | $16,906 | 82.1% | $29,648 |
| South Texas Vocational Technical Institute-Weslaco | Weslaco | private for-profit | $17,925 | 79.2% | $31,102 |
| Miller-Motte College-STVT-San Antonio | San Antonio | private for-profit | $20,077 | 69.6% | $31,102 |
| Miller-Motte College-STVT-Corpus Christi | Corpus Christi | private for-profit | $20,477 | 70.9% | $31,102 |
| Lincoln College of Technology-Grand Prairie | Grand Prairie | private for-profit | $33,250 | 71.1% | $46,396 |
| Miller-Motte College-STVT-Arlington | Arlington | private for-profit | $22,520 | 75.8% | $31,102 |
| Southern Careers Institute-Pharr | Pharr | private for-profit | $21,833 | 47.2% | $27,035 |
| Tulsa Welding School-Dallas Campus | Irving | private for-profit | $34,533 | not reported | $41,067 |
| Fortis College | Houston | private for-profit | $27,964 | 67.4% | $33,193 |
| Tulsa Welding School-Houston | Houston | private for-profit | $35,101 | 68.4% | $41,067 |
| Southern Careers Institute-Waco | Waco | private for-profit | $23,140 | 46.6% | $27,035 |
| Southern Careers Institute-Harlingen | Harlingen | private for-profit | $23,724 | 64.5% | $27,035 |
| Southern Careers Institute-Austin | Austin | private for-profit | $25,660 | 37% | $27,035 |
| Southern Careers Institute-Corpus Christi | Corpus Christi | private for-profit | $29,343 | 40.2% | $27,035 |
| Southern Careers Institute-San Antonio | San Antonio | private for-profit | $29,458 | 55.5% | $27,035 |
| Western Technical College | El Paso | private for-profit | not reported | 67.9% | $36,156 |
| M T Training Center | Desoto | private for-profit | $11,362 | 79.9% | not reported |
| McAllen Careers Institute | McAllen | private for-profit | $17,356 | 84% | 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 Texas
- How much do Welding schools cost in Texas?
- The median annual net price (what students actually pay after aid) across 74 welding schools in Texas is $8,390. 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 Texas?
- Texas does not license welders — welding is not among the trades regulated by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. Employers typically hire on AWS Certified Welder credentials (a hands-on weld test with no coursework prerequisite), and TxDOT requires its own Steel Structures Welding Certification before welders can work on bridge girders and structural steel connections. Training routes are a 6-18 month trade program or a 3-4 year paid registered apprenticeship.
- Can you get paid to train as a welding in Texas?
- Yes — Texas has 48 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 Texas?
- Working welding professionals in Texas earn a median of $53,340 per year, ranging from about $38,380 to $80,240 (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 Texas
Federal and state aid programs have windows and deadlines. Get them for your trade and state, plus program matches.
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Welding schools in nearby states
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- Welding schools in Colorado
- Welding schools in Connecticut
- Welding schools in Delaware
See all states & the full welding guide →