Home › Texas › Machining & CNC schools
74 schools in Texas offer machining & cnc-related programs, compared below on official cost, completion, and earnings data. Prefer to earn while you learn? 31 registered apprenticeship sponsors in Texas train machining & cnc apprentices — see apprenticeships. Federal program data groups machining & cnc with welding — schools below may offer any of these.
Texas does not license machinists or CNC operators — the trade does not appear among the 39 industries regulated by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, and no city-level license applies either. Employers hire on demonstrated skill, typically a high school diploma plus shop experience or a technical-college machining certificate, with voluntary NIMS credentials as the recognized benchmark. A registered apprenticeship through the Texas Workforce Commission (about 4 years and 8,000 paid on-the-job hours plus 144 classroom hours per year) is the main formal earn-while-you-learn pathway.
Official source: Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) — machinists are not among its regulated programs · Exam: None required by the state. Voluntary NIMS credential exams (written theory + hands-on performance) are the recognized industry certification. · Typical requirement: No state-mandated hours. Typical employer expectations: high school diploma/GED plus on-the-job training or a community/technical college machining certificate (roughly 9-24 months); NIMS credentials preferred by many shops.
| 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). 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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