| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Private non-profit residential trade college for young men; in person only |
| Campus | 1, in Media, Pennsylvania (Philadelphia area) |
| Credential | Associate in Specialized Technology (A.S.T.), authorized by the Pennsylvania Department of Education |
| Length | Six semesters over three years, full time |
| Accreditation | Middle States Commission on Higher Education (granted June 2024) |
| Federal aid | Yes (Pell Grants are applied toward the Williamson Scholarship); not approved for GI Bill benefits |
| 2026-27 cost to student | $140 in fees plus books and supplies, after a $40,200 scholarship |
| Students | About 330 (2026-27 catalog); 322 in fall 2024 (IPEDS) |
| Founded | 1888, as the Williamson Free School of Mechanical Trades; renamed in 2015 |
| Facts checked | October 2026 |
A full-scholarship trade college for young men near Philadelphia
Williamson College of the Trades was founded on 1 December 1888 as the Williamson Free School of Mechanical Trades, began classes in 1891 and took its current name in 2015. It is a private non-profit college on one residential campus in Media, Pennsylvania, west of Philadelphia, where all students live for three years.
Every student studies full time for an Associate in Specialized Technology in one of six trades, and every student receives a Williamson Scholarship that covers tuition and room and board. Admission is limited to young men with financial need: about 130 are offered a place each year, according to the college’s statistics page, and its 2026-27 catalog puts enrollment at about 330. In June 2024 the Middle States Commission on Higher Education granted the college accreditation.
Six three-year degrees, all taught in Media
Each program runs six semesters, full time and in person. Williamson offers no certificates, diplomas or online courses. In the senior year, Carpentry, Electrical and Masonry students can choose a Construction Management track whose dual-credit courses earn Rowan University Certificates of Undergraduate Study in Construction Management and Project Management; those are Rowan’s credentials, not Williamson’s, and they stack toward Rowan’s online bachelor’s degree. Where a cell shows a dash, the catalog names nothing.
| Program | Credential | Credits | Senior-year options | Exams and cards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Construction Technology – Carpentry Emphasis | A.S.T. | 119.5 | Advanced Carpentry or Construction Management (Rowan) | – |
| Construction Technology – Electrical Emphasis | A.S.T. | 117.5 | Advanced Electrical or Construction Management (Rowan) | Entry as an apprentice electrician; no licence named |
| Construction Technology – Masonry Emphasis | A.S.T. | 117 | Advanced Masonry or Construction Management (Rowan) | – |
| Landscape Construction and Management | A.S.T. | 116 | – | PA commercial pesticide applicator exams, ICPI paver test, ISA Certified Arborist exam |
| Machine Tool Technology | A.S.T. | 114.5 | Advanced Manufacturing or Industrial Maintenance | OSHA 30 card |
| Power Plant Technology | A.S.T. | 113 | – | – |
What the main programs cover
Carpentry
The carpentry sequence runs from Basic through Intermediate to Advanced Carpentry Theory and Skills (CARP 111 to 263). Alongside the shop work, students take framing layout, blueprint reading, construction take-off, CAD and SketchUp drawing, and construction safety. Students also work on campus maintenance, renovation and construction projects. Seniors choose between Advanced Carpentry and the Construction Management track. The degree totals 119.5 credits, the most of the six programs, and every student lives on campus.
Electrical
Electrical students move through Basic, Intermediate and Advanced Electrical Theory and Skills (ELEC 111 to 263), with courses on electrical drawings and drafting and on the National Electrical Code. Practical work includes wiring projects on the campus itself. The senior year splits into Advanced Electrical, which adds security systems, communications and power transmission and distribution, or the Construction Management track. The college presents the degree as preparation for starting as an apprentice electrician; the catalog does not name a licence earned on graduation.
Masonry
The Masonry Emphasis, 117 credits, is built on brick, block and tile work. Students can also take optional work in stone, concrete, glass block, stucco and plaster, and the curriculum includes estimating and site layout. As in the other construction programs, seniors choose between an Advanced Masonry track and the Construction Management track with Rowan University dual credit. The catalog names no outside certification exam for masonry.
Landscape Construction and Management
The landscape degree (116 credits) covers hardscaping with natural stone, brick, pavers and retaining walls, plus arboriculture, herbaceous ornamentals, tree and shrub identification, plant science and turfgrass science. Named courses prepare students for specific credentials: LCAM 243, 252 and 245 for the Pennsylvania commercial pesticide applicator core, ornamentals and turfgrass categories; LCAM 236 for the ICPI paver certification test; and LCAM 271 for the ISA Certified Arborist exam. Equipment training includes skid-steers, tractors and chainsaws.
Machine Tool Technology
The 114.5-credit degree starts with Machine Shop Theory and Practice (MACH 111 onward), blueprint reading, CAD/CAM, metallurgy, welding fundamentals, and lean manufacturing and quality control. Midway through the junior year students choose one of two tracks: Advanced Manufacturing, with CNC and CAM programming, additive, robotic and EDM work, or Industrial Maintenance, with wiring, fabrication and rigging, hydraulics and pneumatics, and power transmission. MACH 239, General Industry Safety, earns the OSHA 30 card.
Power Plant Technology
Power Plant students operate the college’s own power plant on shift as part of their training, working with high-pressure boilers, turbines, diesel engines, generators, pumps and water treatment. Coursework adds electrical power, motor control, programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and welding fundamentals. At 113 credits it has the fewest credits of the six degrees, though it runs the same six semesters. It is a plant-operations program, not an HVAC program: the catalog lists no heating, air-conditioning, refrigeration or EPA 608 content.
Cost: a scholarship for every student
Williamson charges one rate to everyone, whatever their state of residence, and every student receives the same Williamson Scholarship. The 2026-27 figures below come from the college’s cost of attendance page.
| 2026-27, per year | Amount |
|---|---|
| Tuition | $34,600 |
| Room and board | $5,600 |
| Student fees | $140 |
| Total cost | $40,340 |
| Williamson Scholarship (includes any Pell or PA State Grant) | −$40,200 |
| Paid by the student | $140 plus books and supplies |
Students file the FAFSA. Any Pell Grant and, for Pennsylvania residents, PA State Grant is applied first, and the Williamson Scholarship covers the rest of tuition and room and board. Books and supplies vary by program and year and are set out in program cost letters. Freshmen also pay a $200 enrollment deposit, refundable under the withdrawal policy, and juniors and seniors can buy optional parking for $175. Williamson is not approved by the Veterans Administration for GI Bill or Yellow Ribbon benefits.
Who can apply, and the daily schedule
According to the 2026-27 catalog, applicants must be male, a permanent legal US resident, 20 or younger by 1 June of the year they enroll, unmarried with no children, and hold a high school diploma or GED. They must also show financial need (the greatest need gets preference), pass a pre-admission drug screen, carry health insurance and be able to meet the physical demands of the work. Applications for fall 2027 entry are due before 7 December 2026.
Admission is selective: 22% of 640 applicants were admitted for fall 2024, according to College Navigator. The catalog’s daily schedule starts with lineup at 7:15 a.m. and chapel at 7:30, runs classes and shop from 8:00 a.m. to 4:20 p.m., then athletics, study hall or shop time Monday to Thursday and evening study hall or shop from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m., with lights out at 10:30.
Accreditation, graduation and job results
Williamson is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, which granted accreditation on 27 June 2024, effective from 2021, the year the college became a candidate. The next self-study evaluation is due in 2031-32, and no sanctions are listed. The accreditation covers associate degrees on the main campus; distance education is not approved. The Pennsylvania Department of Education authorizes the degree.
Across the five entering classes from 2017 to 2021, 71% of freshmen graduated, and 83% of those who started in 2021 graduated within three years, according to the college’s education statistics page. The same page reports employment for the classes of 2020 to 2024, counted as a share of graduates available for work (those not in further education or the military); the college does not say how jobs were verified.
| Graduating class | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employed in a related field | 85% | 89% | 98% | 89% | 90% | 90% |
| Employed in any job | 96% | 95% | 98% | 98% | 96% | 97% |
Williamson publishes no licensing exam pass rates.
Before you enroll
- Eligibility is narrow: Williamson admits only unmarried men with no children who are 20 or younger by 1 June of their entry year and who show financial need.
- Life is tightly structured. Students live on campus for all three years, and the day runs from a 7:15 a.m. lineup and chapel to lights out at 10:30 p.m.
- The degree is free of tuition and room and board, but not free: students pay $140 in 2026-27 fees plus books and supplies, which vary by program.
- Veterans cannot use the GI Bill here, because the college is not approved for it.
- Some program names can suggest more than the degree delivers: the Electrical degree prepares graduates to start as apprentices rather than earning a licence, and Power Plant Technology has no HVAC or refrigeration content.
One residential campus
The campus is on New Middletown Road (PA 352) in Middletown Township, with a Media mailing address: 106 S. New Middletown Rd., Media, PA 19063. All six programs are taught there, Power Plant students run the campus power plant, and construction students work on the college’s own maintenance, renovation and construction projects. Williamson has no other campuses, admissions offices or online division.
Career fairs and employers
More than 200 companies from 19 states came to the college’s 2023 career fair, FOX 29 reported. The program pages list past employers, including IBEW Local 98 and Turner (Electrical), Toll Brothers and Whiting-Turner (Carpentry), Bartlett Tree Experts and SavATree (Landscape), and Lockheed Martin and Exelon (Machine Tool). The catalog states that the college neither makes nor implies a guarantee of employment.
Facts checked October 2026.
Programs & Courses
Construction Technology (A.S.T.)
- Carpentry Emphasis (119.5 credits)
- Electrical Emphasis (117.5 credits)
- Masonry Emphasis (117 credits)
- Construction Management senior track (Rowan University certificates)
Other trade degrees (A.S.T.)
- Landscape Construction and Management (116 credits)
- Machine Tool Technology (114.5 credits)
- Power Plant Technology (113 credits)
Campus Locations
Philadelphia (Media), PA 106 S. New Middletown Rd., Media, PA 19063