How much trade school costs
Trade school costs split into two worlds. Private, program-priced schools charge a whole-program price: the median across 972 trade programs that reported one was $11,650 for 2023-24. Public community and technical colleges charge by the year: the median in-state tuition and fees at the 625 public two-year schools on this site is $4,470 for 2025-26.
Cost by trade
| Trade | Median program tuition 2023-24 | Programs | Median length | Public 2-yr in-state/yr 2025-26 | Schools | Median federal debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HVAC | $17,695 | 137 | 10 mo | $4,620 | 289 | $10,895 |
| Welding | $7,375 | 215 | 9 mo | $4,362 | 499 | $8,305 |
| Electrician | $17,600 | 135 | 11 mo | $4,339 | 257 | $9,500 |
| Plumbing | $10,920 | 15 | 9.5 mo | $4,872 | 78 | $9,500 |
| Auto Mechanic | $21,500 | 170 | 13 mo | $4,361 | 433 | $11,500 |
| Auto Body | $26,539 | 23 | 12 mo | $3,980 | 147 | $11,224 |
| Diesel Mechanic | $30,350 | 46 | 13 mo | $4,604 | 214 | $11,689 |
| CDL | $5,000 | 78 | 2 mo | $4,485 | 110 | $6,650 |
| Carpentry | $3,232 | 10 | 9 mo | $4,828 | 133 | $11,000 |
| Construction Trades | $15,249 | 27 | 8 mo | $4,156 | 151 | $9,500 |
| Heavy Equipment Operator | $8,760 | 4 | 10 mo | $4,378 | 28 | $5,500 |
| Lineworker | $12,156 | 7 | 9 mo | $4,932 | 45 | $5,925 |
| Aviation Maintenance | $17,010 | 21 | 16 mo | $4,314 | 80 | $12,000 |
| Machining and CNC | $9,073 | 17 | 9 mo | $4,362 | 233 | $7,438 |
| Industrial Maintenance | $5,492 | 27 | 16 mo | $4,633 | 176 | $9,500 |
| Solar and Wind | n/a | 1 | n/a | $4,541 | 24 | n/a |
How to read it: medians need at least three reports, so "n/a" means fewer than three. Program tuition is the whole-program tuition and fees reported to IPEDS (program-year charges) by schools that price by program, for trade programs among their six largest. Public 2-year tuition is the yearly in-state price at public 2-year and under-2-year schools that graduate the trade, from College Scorecard. Debt is the median of each school's median federal loan debt for certificate and associate completers in the trade's program family (College Scorecard field of study).
What is not in tuition
- Tools and tool kits, often a large extra in automotive, diesel and welding.
- Books, uniforms, safety gear and exam fees (EPA 608, ASE, AWS tests, CDL permit and skills test).
- Living costs. Cost of attendance on each school page includes them.
Paying for it
- Pell Grants and federal loans at Title IV schools for eligible programs. Federal Pell Grant; eligibility.
- Workforce funds (WIOA) through your American Job Center for programs on your state's eligible training provider list.
- Apprenticeships, which pay you while you train. Compare them.
- Employer sponsorship, common for CDL. Read the fine print first.
More guides
- How to choose a trade school
- Which trades pay the most
- Apprenticeship vs trade school
- Company-paid CDL training, explained
- ELDT and the FMCSA Training Provider Registry
Sources: IPEDS Completions 2023-24 (C2024_A) and Directory (HD2024), NCES; College Scorecard institution data (2025-26 charges, released Nov 2, 2026) and field-of-study data (Oct 15, 2026); FMCSA Training Provider Registry (as of 2026-11-02); BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Checked 2026-11-02. How we build this list.