Veteran Trade Schools

VA-approved welding programs in California

Quick answer

Welding training in California is spread across 67 cities, with Sacramento the largest at 3 locations.

VA's GI Bill® Comparison Tool lists 78 welding training locations in California with 188 approved programs: 74 with school programs and 4 with apprenticeship or on-the-job training. 3 have a VA caution flag.

Before you enroll, open the VA profile to confirm the exact program, and ask the School Certifying Official to confirm your start date. [VA: Choosing a GI Bill approved school]

78 locations, by city

Barstow Community College

Barstow, CA
VA profile for Barstow Community College (opens VA Comparison Tool)
VA-approved School program Public
  • Certificate: Pipe Welding
  • Certificate: Welding Technology
  • Certificate: Welding Technology-Gas Tungsten Arc
  • Certificate: Welding Technology-Semi-Automatic A
  • Certificate: Welding Technology-Shielded Metal A
  • Certificate: Welding Technology-Welding Fabricat

GI Bill students (all programs): 99Accredited

Show all 78 locations

Fresno City College

Fresno, CA
VA profile for Fresno City College (opens VA Comparison Tool)
VA-approved School program Public
  • Welding Technology-Automated Welding Sys
  • Welding Technology-Metal Fab Option
  • Welding Technology-Pipe-Struct Steel Opt
  • Welding Technology-Welding Design-Fab

GI Bill students (all programs): 435Accredited

California Welding Institute

Lake Elsinore, CA
VA profile for California Welding Institute (opens VA Comparison Tool)
VA-approved School program For-profit
  • Bundle 10 Underwater Welder Dry Welding
  • Bundle 2 Ironworker Welding Career
  • Bundle 3 Process Pressure Piping Welder
  • Bundle 4 Pipeline Welder
  • Bundle 5 Aerospace Welder
  • Bundle 7 Structure Light Gage Welder
  • +2 more

GI Bill students (all programs): 6Not accredited (accreditation is not required for VA approval of many trade programs)

Cerritos College

Norwalk, CA
VA profile for Cerritos College (opens VA Comparison Tool)
VA-approved School program Public
  • Welding Technology-Aerospace Welding
  • Welding Technology-Process Pipe Welding
  • Welding Technology-Structual Steel Fabri
  • Welding-Arc Welding
  • Welding-Gas Tungsten Arc Welding
  • Welding-Weld Fabrication and Layout

Accredited

Welding Certification Center

Pomona, CA
VA profile for Welding Certification Center (opens VA Comparison Tool)
VA-approved School program For-profit
  • Basic Welding GMAW MIG Mild Steel Sheet
  • Basic Welding GMAW MIG Structural Steel
  • Basic Welding GTAW TIG Aluminum
  • Basic Welding GTAW TIG Mild Steel Sheet
  • Basic Welding GTAW TIG Stainless Steel
  • Basic Welding SMAW Structural Sheet
  • +3 more

GI Bill students (all programs): 23Not accredited (accreditation is not required for VA approval of many trade programs)

Sierra College

Rocklin, CA
VA profile for Sierra College (opens VA Comparison Tool)
VA-approved School program Public
  • Ncd Welding Ncd Adv Manufacturing CNC
  • Ncd Welding Ncd Mechatronics Technology
  • Welding
  • Welding Gas Metal Arc
  • Welding Gas Tungsten Arc
  • Welding Manual Metal Arc

GI Bill students (all programs): 438Accredited

American River College

Sacramento, CA
VA profile for American River College (opens VA Comparison Tool)
VA-approved School program Public
  • Gas Metal Arc-Flux Core Welding Plate
  • Gas Tungsten Arc Plate and Pipe Welding
  • Pipe Welding
  • Shielded Metal Arc Plate-Pipe Welding
  • Welding Equipment Maint-Blueprint Interp
  • Welding Technology

GI Bill students (all programs): 562Accredited

Center for Employment Training San Jose

San Jose, CA
VA profile for Center for Employment Training San Jose (opens VA Comparison Tool)
VA-approved School program Private VA caution flag
  • Welding Fabrication

VA caution flag: School has an accreditation issue. This school's accreditation has been taken away and is under appeal, or the school has been placed on probation, because it didn't meet acceptable levels of quality. Learn more about this school's accreditation

VA caution flag: School placed on Heightened Cash Monitoring. The Department of Education has placed this school on Heightened Cash Monitoring because of financial or federal compliance issues. Learn more about Heightened Cash Monitoring

GI Bill students (all programs): 24Accredited (national)

Santa Ana College

Santa Ana, CA
VA profile for Santa Ana College (opens VA Comparison Tool)
VA-approved School program Public
  • Alternative Welding Processes
  • Gas Tunsten Arc Welding
  • Welding Technology
  • Welding Technology Pipe Welding
  • Welding Technology Structural Steel

GI Bill students (all programs): 331Accredited

Santa Rosa Junior College

Santa Rosa, CA
VA profile for Santa Rosa Junior College (opens VA Comparison Tool)
VA-approved School program Public
  • Weld Flux Cored Arc Welding-FCAW
  • Weld Gas Metal Arc Welding GMAW
  • Weld Gas Tungsten Arc Welding GTAW
  • Weld Shielded Metal Arc Welding SMAW
  • Welding Technology

GI Bill students (all programs): 289Accredited

Advanced Career Institute

Visalia, CA
VA profile for Advanced Career Institute (opens VA Comparison Tool)
VA-approved School program For-profit VA caution flag
  • Advanced Welding Technology

VA caution flag: School has an accreditation issue. This school's accreditation has been taken away and is under appeal, or the school has been placed on probation, because it didn't meet acceptable levels of quality. Learn more about this school's accreditation

GI Bill students (all programs): 63Accredited (national)Student complaints in VA data: 2

Source: VA GI Bill Comparison Tool program data, retrieved October 23, 2026. School details come from VA's data file dated October 8, 2026. The list is sorted by city, then name. It isn't a ranking.

Common questions

How many GI Bill-approved welding programs are in California?

VA's GI Bill Comparison Tool lists 188 approved programs at 78 locations in California as of October 23, 2026. That's about 6% of the 1,352 welding locations in VA's data nationally. By type: 59 public colleges and technical schools, 13 for-profit schools, 4 employers and apprenticeship sponsors, 2 private nonprofit schools.

[VA: GI Bill Comparison Tool]

Which cities in California have welding programs?

By number of locations: Sacramento (3), San Diego (3), El Cajon (2), Los Angeles (2), Modesto (2), San Bernardino (2) and 61 more cities.

[VA: GI Bill Comparison Tool]

Are there paid welding apprenticeships in California that take the GI Bill?

Yes. 4 locations offer VA-approved on-the-job training in California (6 programs); 3 of them are registered apprenticeships. With the Post-9/11 GI Bill, you're paid wages plus a monthly housing payment that steps down every six months.

[VA: GI Bill Comparison Tool] [VA: On-the-job training and apprenticeships]

Do any welding schools in California have VA caution flags?

Yes. 3 locations have a VA caution flag. Each flag is shown on its listing in VA's wording. Read it before you enroll.

[VA: GI Bill Comparison Tool]

Other trades in California

← All Welding programs · Does the GI Bill cover welding school?

Sources

  1. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, “GI Bill Comparison Tool”. Retrieved October 23, 2026.
  2. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, “GI Bill Comparison Tool data (ComparisonToolData.xlsx)”. Retrieved October 23, 2026.
  3. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, “Choosing a GI Bill approved school”. Retrieved October 23, 2026.

GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government website at https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.