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Auto body repair classes in North Carolina

11 auto body programs with costs, results and funding that can make them free

8 schools offer these auto body repair programs, and North Carolina has approved every one for workforce funding. Each shows its price if you pay yourself and how past students did.

Automotive body repairers restore, refinish and replace vehicle bodies and frames; glass repairers replace windshields and window glass. Most employers prefer workers who have finished a collision repair program, which trade and technical schools usually run as a 6-month to 1-year certificate and some community colleges as a 2-year program; new workers still need 2 or 3 years on the job to work independently, and certification is recommended though not required.1 Body shops covered by a federal air rule must train and certify everyone who spray-paints vehicles within 180 days of hiring, in spray gun setup and technique and spray booth upkeep, with refresher training every five years.2

In North Carolina, 2 of the 11 programs take students without a high school diploma and 9 ask for a diploma or equivalent.

By kind, the 11 programs here are auto body certificate or diploma (8 programs), auto body (associate degree, 2 programs) and custom paint, fabrication and restoration (1 program).

See the 11 programs

How much do auto body repair classes cost in North Carolina?

$3,180 to $4,758 is what most auto body programs in North Carolina cost if you pay yourself

That is the middle half of the 11 programs with a price. All of them: $1,088 to $5,320

In the typical program

Finished the program
52%
Working 6 months later
74%
Earned a year, estimated
about $31,700
Length
37 to 60 weeks

Source: US Department of Labor, program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025). Only programs approved for workforce funding are listed; other schools in North Carolina may also offer auto body repair classes. How these figures are made

Are there free auto body repair classes in North Carolina?

Who qualifies, and other ways to pay: financial aid, grants and the GI Bill

All 11 auto body programs in North Carolina approved for WIOA funding

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11 programs

How to pay for auto body repair classes in North Carolina

WIOA funding can pay for auto body repair classes in North Carolina

Every program on this page is approved for it. Whether you qualify, how much your local area pays and how to apply are on our page Does WIOA pay for job training?

Financial aid and grants for auto body repair classes

Most students can get federal student aid for college, career school or trade school. A Federal Pell Grant, unlike a loan, usually doesn't have to be repaid. Ask the school whether its program qualifies.78

GI Bill for auto body repair classes

Veterans, service members and qualified dependents can use GI Bill benefits for non-college training programs.9

The program list does not show which programs accept these. Ask the school.

Quick facts: Auto body repair classes in North Carolina

lowest typical price among the states with enough programs to compare
4th of 17
other states where the typical program's graduates earned less
6 of 9
auto body programs here, against the typical state's 7
11 vs 7

State comparisons use the same figures as the auto body repair classes by state table: the middle program of each state, and only states with three or more schools for prices. Source: US Department of Labor, program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025).

Auto body repair classes in Shelby, Hickory, Wilmington and other North Carolina cities

Choosing an area filters the program list above. 2 more programs are in 2 other areas.

Other training in North Carolina

How auto body repair classes compare with the rest of skilled trades: Trade school programs in North Carolina

Where the North Carolina auto body repair program numbers come from

Which North Carolina auto body repair programs are on this list?

These are the auto body repair programs North Carolina approved for WIOA funding (public workforce funding under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act), as reported to the US Department of Labor for program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025). Each state keeps its approved programs on an eligible training provider list (ETPL).10 The list here covers programs approved as of June 30, 2025. Schools that never applied for approval are missing, so this is a part of what North Carolina offers.

How the prices and results of North Carolina auto body repair programs are measured

Prices are tuition and required fees for someone paying without workforce funding, as the school reported them; check the current price with the school. Results describe students who left each program in recent years, so they are no guarantee, and the yearly earnings are the reported quarter times four, an estimate. A program without a "Trained with WIOA funding" line may still take WIOA students. Where a field was left empty or withheld, the page says "Not reported", and "Left out" where a figure was filed but failed one of our checks; nothing is estimated to fill a gap. Where the numbers come from explains each figure in full.

Sources for the facts about auto body repair classes in North Carolina

Show the 10 sourcesHide the sources
  1. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Automotive Body and Glass Repairers
  2. Electronic Code of Federal Regulations: 40 CFR 63.11173, paint stripping and surface coating at area sources
  3. US Department of Labor, TrainingProviderResults.gov: About This Site
  4. US Department of Labor: WIOA Adult Program
  5. Code of Federal Regulations, title 20, part 680, sections 680.220, 680.230 and 680.310: career services before training, other grants such as Pell Grants first, and limits on Individual Training Accounts (GovInfo, 2024 edition)
  6. US Department of Labor: American Job Centers
  7. US Department of Education, Federal Student Aid: Eligibility for Federal Student Aid
  8. US Department of Education, Federal Student Aid: Don't Miss Out on Federal Pell Grants
  9. US Department of Veterans Affairs: GI Bill benefits for non-college degree programs
  10. US Department of Labor, Training and Employment Guidance Letter 8-19, Attachment I: Requirements for Training Providers, Program Eligibility, and the State Eligible Training Provider (ETP) List