Home › New York › Welding schools
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.
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.
| 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). Schools without both figures sort last — "not reported" means the federal dataset lacks the value, not that the school is bad.
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