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Plumbing school in Illinois

9 plumbing programs with results and funding that can make them free

5 schools offer these plumbing programs, and Illinois has approved every one for workforce funding. Each shows how past students did; Illinois files no usable prices. One school runs 5 of these 9 programs, so the typical figures lean heavily on its prices and results.

Plumbers install and repair pipes, fixtures and piping systems. Most learn the trade in a four- or five-year apprenticeship, and most states and some cities require plumbers to be licensed.1

In Illinois, 4 of the 9 programs take students without a high school diploma, 4 ask for a diploma or equivalent and 1 asks for earlier courses first.

By kind, the 9 programs here are plumbing certificate or diploma (3 programs), plumbing apprenticeship (3 programs) and short course or single level (3 programs).

See the 9 programs

How much does plumbing school cost in Illinois?

Not reported

Illinois files no usable prices, so none can be shown.

In the typical program

Finished the program
Not reported
None of the 9 programs report it
Working 6 months later
Not reported
None of the 9 programs report it
Earned a year, estimated
Not reported
None of the 9 programs report it
Length
36 to 70 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 Illinois may also offer plumbing school. How these figures are made

Is there free plumbing school in Illinois?

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

All 9 plumbing programs in Illinois approved for WIOA funding

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9 programs

  • Plumbing certificate or diplomaIn personHigh school diploma or equivalent

    CORE/Plumbing

    Associated Builders and Contractors

    Elk Grove Village

    High school diploma or equivalent

    Associated Builders and Contractors, Elk Grove VillagePlumbing certificate or diplomaIn person · High school diploma or equivalent

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourselfLeft out
    Program website, CORE/Plumbing at Associated Builders and Contractors
    More details about CORE/Plumbing at Associated Builders and Contractors
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    36 weeks, 40 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    Not reported
    Students counted
    Not reported
    Earned a year, estimated
    Not reported
    Price if you pay yourself
    Left out
    Program website, CORE/Plumbing at Associated Builders and Contractors

  • Plumbing apprenticeshipHybridNo diploma needed

    Plumber

    Interplay Learning Inc.

    Austin, TX

    No diploma needed

    Interplay Learning Inc., Austin, TXPlumbing apprenticeshipHybrid · No diploma needed

    Classes are outside Illinois; Illinois approved the program for its funding.

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourselfLeft out
    School website, Plumber at Interplay Learning Inc.
    More details about Plumber at Interplay Learning Inc.
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    Left out
    Cost of supplies
    Not reported
    Students counted
    Not reported
    Earned a year, estimated
    Not reported
    Price if you pay yourself
    Left out
    School website, Plumber at Interplay Learning Inc.

  • Plumbing apprenticeshipIn personNo diploma needed

    Plumber

    Education Design Development and Research Corp - RAP Rockford

    Rockford

    No diploma needed

    Education Design Development and Research Corp - RAP Rockford, RockfordPlumbing apprenticeshipIn person · No diploma needed

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourselfLeft out
    More details about Plumber at Education Design Development and Research Corp - RAP Rockford
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    160 weeks, 40 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    Not reported
    Students counted
    Not reported
    Earned a year, estimated
    Not reported
    Price if you pay yourself
    Left out

  • Plumbing apprenticeshipIn personNo diploma needed

    Plumber Pipefitter Welder HVAC Service Technician

    Plumbers and Pipe Fitters Local 149

    Savoy

    No diploma needed

    Plumbers and Pipe Fitters Local 149, SavoyPlumbing apprenticeshipIn person · No diploma needed

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourselfLeft out
    Program website, Plumber Pipefitter Welder HVAC Service Technician at Plumbers and Pipe Fitters Local 149
    More details about Plumber Pipefitter Welder HVAC Service Technician at Plumbers and Pipe Fitters Local 149
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    240 weeks, 40 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    Not reported
    Students counted
    Not reported
    Earned a year, estimated
    Not reported
    Price if you pay yourself
    Left out
    Program website, Plumber Pipefitter Welder HVAC Service Technician at Plumbers and Pipe Fitters Local 149

  • Plumbing certificate or diplomaIn personNo diploma needed

    Plumbing

    Associated Builders and Contractors

    Elk Grove Village

    No diploma needed

    Associated Builders and Contractors, Elk Grove VillagePlumbing certificate or diplomaIn person · No diploma needed

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourselfLeft out
    Program website, Plumbing at Associated Builders and Contractors
    More details about Plumbing at Associated Builders and Contractors
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    40 weeks, 40 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    Not reported
    Students counted
    Not reported
    Earned a year, estimated
    Not reported
    Price if you pay yourself
    Left out
    Program website, Plumbing at Associated Builders and Contractors

  • Short course or single levelIn personHigh school diploma or equivalent

    Plumbing Level 2

    Associated Builders and Contractors

    Elk Grove Village

    High school diploma or equivalent

    Associated Builders and Contractors, Elk Grove VillageShort course or single levelIn person · High school diploma or equivalent

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourselfLeft out
    Program website, Plumbing Level 2 at Associated Builders and Contractors
    More details about Plumbing Level 2 at Associated Builders and Contractors
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    36 weeks, 40 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    Not reported
    Students counted
    Not reported
    Earned a year, estimated
    Not reported
    Price if you pay yourself
    Left out
    Program website, Plumbing Level 2 at Associated Builders and Contractors

  • Short course or single levelIn personHigh school diploma or equivalent

    Plumbing Level 3

    Associated Builders and Contractors

    Elk Grove Village

    High school diploma or equivalent

    Associated Builders and Contractors, Elk Grove VillageShort course or single levelIn person · High school diploma or equivalent

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourselfLeft out
    Program website, Plumbing Level 3 at Associated Builders and Contractors
    More details about Plumbing Level 3 at Associated Builders and Contractors
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    36 weeks, 40 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    Not reported
    Students counted
    Not reported
    Earned a year, estimated
    Not reported
    Price if you pay yourself
    Left out
    Program website, Plumbing Level 3 at Associated Builders and Contractors

  • Short course or single levelIn personHigh school diploma or equivalent

    Plumbing Level 4

    Associated Builders and Contractors

    Elk Grove Village

    High school diploma or equivalent

    Associated Builders and Contractors, Elk Grove VillageShort course or single levelIn person · High school diploma or equivalent

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourselfLeft out
    Program website, Plumbing Level 4 at Associated Builders and Contractors
    More details about Plumbing Level 4 at Associated Builders and Contractors
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    36 weeks, 40 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    Not reported
    Students counted
    Not reported
    Earned a year, estimated
    Not reported
    Price if you pay yourself
    Left out
    Program website, Plumbing Level 4 at Associated Builders and Contractors

  • Plumbing certificate or diplomaIn personEducation and courses

    Plumbing and Fire Protection

    Dawson Technical Institute

    Chicago

    Accredited school

    Education and courses

    Dawson Technical Institute, ChicagoPlumbing certificate or diploma · Accredited schoolIn person · Education and courses

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourselfLeft out
    Program website, Plumbing and Fire Protection at Dawson Technical Institute
    More details about Plumbing and Fire Protection at Dawson Technical Institute
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    16 weeks, 40 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    Not reported
    Students counted
    Not reported
    Earned a year, estimated
    Not reported
    Price if you pay yourself
    Left out
    Program website, Plumbing and Fire Protection at Dawson Technical Institute

How to pay for plumbing school in Illinois

WIOA funding can pay for plumbing school in Illinois

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?

Paid plumbing apprenticeships

An apprenticeship is a job: you're paid to learn, with a raise as your skills grow, and most include classroom teaching. You apply to the employer or the program sponsor. Ask what you'll pay for the classroom part and what you'll earn on the job.6

Financial aid and grants for plumbing school

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 plumbing school

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.

Plumbing apprenticeships in Illinois

Most plumbers train in a four- or five-year apprenticeship. Each year usually brings about 2,000 hours of paid work on the job plus classes in safety, local plumbing codes and blueprint reading. Unions, trade associations and businesses run the programs; some people start as helpers or with a pre-apprenticeship course. To work on your own, states and cities often ask for two to five years of experience and a passed exam.1

You apply to the employer or the program sponsor, not through a school.6 The Department of Labor's Apprenticeship Finder lists openings by place and job. This page lists 3 plumbing apprenticeships approved for WIOA funding in Illinois, none of them with a price listed. Ask what you'll pay for the classes and what you'll earn on the job.

Show only the 3 plumbing apprenticeships

What is an apprenticeship, and can WIOA pay for one?

Plumbing school in Chicago, Austin, Rockford and other Illinois cities

Choosing an area filters the program list above.

Other training in Illinois

How plumbing school compares with the rest of skilled trades: Trade school programs in Illinois

Where the Illinois plumbing program numbers come from

Which Illinois plumbing programs are on this list?

These are the plumbing programs Illinois 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 Illinois offers.

How the prices and results of Illinois plumbing 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.

How reliable are the Illinois figures?

The US Department of Labor's own results site lists Illinois among the states with "known data quality concerns".11 We leave out the share who finished for Illinois: only a few programs report it, and those at a typical 11%. We leave out prices for Illinois: the state files a code in place of each price, so no price can be shown.

Sources for the facts about plumbing school in Illinois

Show the 11 sourcesHide the sources
  1. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters
  2. US Department of Labor, TrainingProviderResults.gov: About This Site
  3. US Department of Labor: WIOA Adult Program
  4. 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)
  5. US Department of Labor: American Job Centers
  6. US Department of Labor, Apprenticeship.gov: Discover Apprenticeship: Earn While You Learn Today (fact sheet)
  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
  11. US Department of Labor, TrainingProviderResults.gov: search page, note on states with known data quality concerns