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Auto body repair classes in Virginia

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

5 schools offer these auto body repair programs, and Virginia 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 Virginia, 4 of the 7 programs take students without a high school diploma and 3 ask for a diploma or equivalent.

By kind, the 7 programs here are short course or single module (3 programs), auto body certificate or diploma (3 programs) and painting and refinishing course (1 program).

See the 7 programs

How much do auto body repair classes cost in Virginia?

$565 to $1,018 is what most auto body programs in Virginia cost if you pay yourself

That is the middle half of the 7 programs with a price. All of them: $530 to $6,328

In the typical program

Finished the program
Not enough data
4 programs report it; a typical figure needs 5
Working 6 months later
Not enough data
1 program reports it; a typical figure needs 5
Earned a year, estimated
Not enough data
1 program reports it; a typical figure needs 5
Length
9 to 28 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 Virginia may also offer auto body repair classes. How these figures are made

Are there free auto body repair classes in Virginia?

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

All 7 auto body programs in Virginia approved for WIOA funding

Filters
What you need to enroll
Kind of program
School
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How to show the list

7 programs

  • Short course or single moduleIn personNo diploma needed

    Auto Body I

    Massanutten Technical Center

    Harrisonburg

    No diploma needed

    Massanutten Technical Center, HarrisonburgShort course or single moduleIn person · No diploma needed

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourself$530
    More details about Auto Body I at Massanutten Technical Center
    Finished
    100%
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    15 weeks, 45 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    $215
    Students counted
    44
    Earned a year, estimated
    Not reported
    Price if you pay yourself
    $530

  • Auto body certificate or diplomaIn personNo diploma needed

    Basic and Advanced Auto Body Repair

    Valley Career & Technical Center

    Fishersville

    No diploma needed

    Valley Career & Technical Center, FishersvilleAuto body certificate or diplomaIn person · No diploma needed

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourself$730
    More details about Basic and Advanced Auto Body Repair at Valley Career & Technical Center
    Finished
    100%
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    24 weeks, 50 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    None listed
    Students counted
    34
    Earned a year, estimated
    Not reported
    Price if you pay yourself
    $730

  • Short course or single moduleIn personNo diploma needed

    Auto Body II

    Massanutten Technical Center

    Harrisonburg

    No diploma needed

    Massanutten Technical Center, HarrisonburgShort course or single moduleIn person · No diploma needed

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourself$530
    More details about Auto Body II at Massanutten Technical Center
    Finished
    100%
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    15 weeks, 45 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    $215
    Students counted
    22
    Earned a year, estimated
    Not reported
    Price if you pay yourself
    $530

  • Auto body certificate or diplomaIn personHigh school diploma or equivalent

    Collision Repair Technology

    Tidewater Community College

    Norfolk

    Accredited school

    High school diploma or equivalent

    Tidewater Community College, NorfolkAuto body certificate or diploma · Accredited schoolIn person · High school diploma or equivalent

    Earned a year, estimated$24,800
    Price if you pay yourself$6,328
    More details about Collision Repair Technology at Tidewater Community College
    Finished
    100%
    Working at 6 months
    43%
    Earned in a quarter
    $6,190
    Length
    40 weeks, 18 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    $50
    Students counted
    17
    Earned a year, estimated
    $24,800
    Price if you pay yourself
    $6,328

  • Painting and refinishing courseIn personHigh school diploma or equivalent

    Automotive Body Paint

    Richmond Adult Technical Center

    Richmond

    High school diploma or equivalent

    Richmond Adult Technical Center, RichmondPainting and refinishing courseIn person · High school diploma or equivalent

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourself$600
    School website, Automotive Body Paint at Richmond Adult Technical Center
    More details about Automotive Body Paint at Richmond Adult Technical Center
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    3 weeks, 40 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    None listed
    Students counted
    Not reported
    Earned a year, estimated
    Not reported
    Price if you pay yourself
    $600
    School website, Automotive Body Paint at Richmond Adult Technical Center

  • Short course or single moduleIn personHigh school diploma or equivalent

    Automotive Body Repair

    Richmond Adult Technical Center

    Richmond

    High school diploma or equivalent

    Richmond Adult Technical Center, RichmondShort course or single moduleIn person · High school diploma or equivalent

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourself$600
    School website, Automotive Body Repair at Richmond Adult Technical Center
    More details about Automotive Body Repair at Richmond Adult Technical Center
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    3 weeks, 40 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    None listed
    Students counted
    Not reported
    Earned a year, estimated
    Not reported
    Price if you pay yourself
    $600
    School website, Automotive Body Repair at Richmond Adult Technical Center

  • Auto body certificate or diplomaHybridNo diploma needed

    Auto Body Technology

    Patrick Henry Community College

    Martinsville

    Accredited school

    No diploma needed

    Patrick Henry Community College, MartinsvilleAuto body certificate or diploma · Accredited schoolHybrid · No diploma needed

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourself$1,305
    More details about Auto Body Technology at Patrick Henry Community College
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    32 weeks, 4 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    $1,450
    Students counted
    Not reported
    Earned a year, estimated
    Not reported
    Price if you pay yourself
    $1,305

How to pay for auto body repair classes in Virginia

WIOA funding can pay for auto body repair classes in Virginia

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 Virginia

programs with a price cost under $1,000
5 of 7
lowest typical price among the states with enough programs to compare
1st of 17
auto body programs here, against the typical state's 7
7 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 Harrisonburg, Richmond, Staunton and other Virginia cities

Choosing an area filters the program list above.

Other training in Virginia

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

Where the Virginia auto body repair program numbers come from

Which Virginia auto body repair programs are on this list?

These are the auto body repair programs Virginia 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 Virginia offers.

How the prices and results of Virginia 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 Virginia

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