| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Private, for-profit welding school; full-time, in-person training only |
| Campus | One, at 26 Kinsey Lane, Gillette, Wyoming |
| Programs | Foundational, Professional and Expert Pipe Welder; Advanced Structural Welding |
| Credential | School certificate of completion plus welder qualification tests; no degrees |
| Length | 12 to 24 weeks, on one of two Monday-to-Friday shifts |
| Accreditation | No institutional accreditation found |
| Federal aid | No: no Pell Grants or federal loans |
| GI Bill | Not accepted yet; the July 2026 handbook says VA approval is in process |
| Listed cost | $17,050 to $35,800 for the pipe courses, with tools and housing (October 2026) |
| Founded | 2019, in Gillette |
| Facts checked | October 2026 |
A single-campus pipe welding school in Gillette
Western Welding Academy (WWA) opened in Gillette, Wyoming in 2019 and teaches nothing but welding, mainly pipe welding. It is a private, for-profit, independent school: courses are short, full-time and in person, and the school says about 85% of training happens in the welding booth, 40 hours a week. Most students come from out of state: a USDA Rural Development story in October 2024 said 95% were from outside Wyoming, and the school requires most students to live in its own housing. The same story announced a $1.32 million USDA loan guarantee for the business. WWA says it has trained more than 2,000 welders (2026).
In February 2023 WWA sold five separate courses, Welder I to Welder V; by 2025 these had been replaced by the four courses below, which cover the same welding stages.
Four courses, one building-block sequence
All courses lead to a school certificate of completion and a set of welder qualification tests, not a degree. Prices are the totals listed on WWA’s program pages on 5 October 2026: tuition, $1,700 of tools and gear, and school housing.
| Program | Length | Welding processes | Qualification tests | Listed total (Oct 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foundational Pipe Welder | 12 weeks; 460–480 clock hours (sources differ) | Stick (SMAW) plate and pipe | AWS D1.1, ASME Section IX | $17,050 (tuition $12,450) |
| Professional Pipe Welder | 19 weeks; about 760 clock hours | SMAW, TIG (GTAW) and TIG/stick combo pipe | AWS D1.1, ASME Section IX | $27,600 (tuition $21,300) |
| Expert Pipe Welder | 24 weeks; 960 clock hours | SMAW and GTAW, including stainless or downhill pipe; 6G position | AWS D1.1, ASME Section IX, API 1104 | $35,800 (tuition $28,300) |
| Advanced Structural Welding | 12 weeks; 480 clock hours | SMAW in the 3G and 4G positions | AWS D1.1 | $25,800 (not itemized) |
WWA’s pages count certifications differently from its course breakdown: the Foundational page says “5 potential certifications” while the breakdown lists two tests, and the Expert page says 17 potential certifications against 6 to 12 tests in the breakdown. Ask which tests are included in the price.
What the main programs cover
Foundational Pipe Welder
The shortest pipe course combines the first two stages. Welder 1 (about 3 weeks) is an introduction to stick welding: SMAW basics, electrode choice, reading a welding procedure specification and V-groove plate welds in all positions, ending with an AWS D1.1 structural test. Welder 2 (about 9 weeks) moves to stick welding on pipe. There is no TIG in this course. WWA’s home page says Foundational starts are subject to availability, unlike the Expert and Structural courses, which enroll year-round.
Professional Pipe Welder
Professional adds a third stage to the Foundational sequence: about 7 weeks of TIG (GTAW) and TIG/stick combination welding on pipe. In the July 2026 handbook the course totals 761 clock hours: 100 structural, 360 stick pipe and 301 GTAW pipe. Graduates test to AWS D1.1 and to ASME Section IX, which WWA lists as its pressure-vessel certification. Like Foundational, its start dates are subject to availability.
Expert Pipe Welder
The full 24-week, 960-hour course adds a fourth stage of about 5 weeks (199 hours) on either stainless steel pipe or downhill pipe. It is the only course that includes the API 1104 pipeline test, and the handbook says it ends with 6G certification from an AWS Certified Welding Instructor. At 24 weeks and 960 hours it matches the old Welder V course, which it replaced.
Advanced Structural Welding
A 12-week, 480-hour stick (SMAW) course for structural rather than pipe welding, practiced in the vertical (3G) and overhead (4G) positions and ending with AWS D1.1 structural testing. WWA’s home page says it enrolls year-round. It is listed on the programs page and in the course breakdown but not in the July 2026 handbook, and we could not reach a course page for it, so confirm its content and dates with the school.
Cost and paying for it: no federal aid
Listed totals on 5 October 2026 were $17,050 for Foundational, $27,600 for Professional and $35,800 for Expert, each made up of tuition ($12,450, $21,300 or $28,300), $1,700 of tools and gear and housing ($2,900, $4,600 or $5,800). Advanced Structural Welding was listed at $25,800 with no breakdown. A $350 booth hold, which is non-refundable except for VA students, is extra. Two things do not match: each course page also shows an “ESAB Welding Machine (you keep it)” at $4,500 that is not in the total, and the July 2026 handbook lists a $1,000 deposit in place of the booth hold, giving totals $1,000 higher. Ask for a written quote.
Prices have risen. The February 2023 handbook listed the full 24-week course, then Welder V, at $24,000 tuition and $25,700 in total; by February 2025 the same course cost $28,300 in tuition. Tuition must be paid in full 30 days before the start date.
WWA does not take federal student aid: its financial aid page lists federal loans (FAFSA) and the GI Bill as “Not Offered”. The July 2026 handbook says the school is working toward VA approval for GI Bill benefits, but its financial aid page still listed the GI Bill as not offered in October 2026, and it says WWA is not an eligible institution for IRS Form 1098-T. Ways students pay instead:
- Private loans: Edly (income-based repayment), Ascent Funding and Climb Credit (terms up to 5 years); MiaShare is also listed as a partner.
- WIOA: WWA says workforce funding can cover “up to $10K+”. WIOA approval is state by state; we found WWA on Vermont’s approved provider list (updated January 2026), so check your own state’s list.
- Military discount: 10% off tuition with a DD 214.
- WWA scholarships: up to $3,500 for residents of Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, Nebraska and South Dakota, for the remaining 2026 start dates; and prizes from its annual welding competition (held 2 May 2026), up to $29,995 in the high-school division, with at least $1,000 for every competitor.
Admissions, shifts and rules
WWA accepts United States citizens and people with legal U.S. documentation. Applicants must be at least 17½, with parental consent under 18, and 18 by the time they finish. The handbook states no high school diploma or GED requirement, but students must be able to lift 50 pounds, stand for long periods, kneel and work in tight spaces, and have good eyesight. There are random drug and breathalyzer tests, and refusing one means dismissal.
Classes run on two shifts, Monday to Friday: 6:00 am to 2:00 pm, or 2:30 to 10:30 pm. The overnight third shift listed in 2023 is gone. New classes started every three weeks in early 2025, according to a January 2025 article in the Wyoming Livestock Roundup (WYLR). Students need 90% attendance and are dismissed at seven absences; grades are 75% welding performance, 15% attendance and 10% written exams, with 70% needed to pass.
Accreditation and results
WWA has no institutional accreditation, and we found no record of it in the federal IPEDS or College Scorecard data, which is expected for a school outside federal aid. Its July 2026 handbook names the Wyoming Department of Education as the body for unresolved student complaints, but the department publishes no list of licensed schools, so we could not confirm a state license. WWA says it is an American Welding Society Accredited Testing Facility and calls itself the “number one” such facility in the nation; that is a test-site status, not school accreditation, and we found no AWS source for the ranking.
All outcome figures are the school’s own; no state agency or accreditor publishes outcome data for WWA. WWA says 94% of graduates were hired within 90 days, from a November 2024 survey of 234 alumni, and its Professional Pipe Welder page gives an 85% graduation rate and a 17-to-1 student-to-instructor ratio (October 2026).
Housing and job help
Living in school housing is required unless you are married, a single parent with custody, a Gillette resident for six months or more, working a job 20 or more miles away, or need an ADA accommodation. The housing, at 69 Foothills Circle about 1.5 miles from campus, is furnished and shared, with utilities, Wi-Fi and one parking space per student. Students bring their own bedding and food and arrange their own transport; no pets are allowed. The housing deposit is $500 on the housing page and $1,000 in the handbook.
There is no externship, and the handbook describes no formal job placement service. Two weeks before graduating, students join a graduates’ Facebook group where job openings are posted.
Before you enroll
- There is no federal aid and no GI Bill yet, and tuition is due in full 30 days before you start, so students pay with savings, private loans, WIOA or scholarships. Compare the cost with a community college welding program that does take federal aid.
- The refund falls quickly: 85% if you leave by the first Friday, 70% by the fifth Friday or before passing the stick plate test, and nothing after that (July 2026 handbook).
- The certificate is not a degree and the school has no institutional accreditation, so don’t expect college credit for it.
- Housing is mandatory for most students and adds $2,900 to $5,800, without food. Confirm whether the $4,500 welding machine and the $1,000 deposit are in your price.
- Attendance rules are strict: seven absences or a refused drug test ends your enrollment. The handbook says graduates “who possess a strong work ethic and are open to travel” find jobs; plan on traveling for work.
Sources
Checked October 2026: WWA programs · Expert Pipe Welder page · Student handbook (July 2026) · Financial aid · Housing · USDA Rural Development (Oct 2024) · Wyoming Department of Education private school licensing · Vermont JobLink training provider record
We found no Trustpilot, Niche or GradReports page for WWA and could not read its Google reviews directly, so this page has no reviews summary.
Programs & Courses
Pipe welding (SMAW and GTAW)
- Foundational Pipe Welder (12 weeks)
- Professional Pipe Welder (19 weeks)
- Expert Pipe Welder (24 weeks, 960 clock hours)
Structural welding
- Advanced Structural Welding (12 weeks)
Campus Locations
Gillette, WY 26 Kinsey Lane, Gillette, WY 82716