Program entity

Ridgewater College

Willmar, Minnesota · Public institution

Address 2101 15th Ave NW, Willmar, MN 56201
Phone (800) 722-1151
Website www.ridgewater.edu/
Tuition (in-state) $6,121
Tuition (out-of-state) $6,121
Welding (CIP 48.0508) completions 33 (latest reported year)
AWS ATF co-located No (No AWS ATF facility found in this city+state in the AWS ATF Domestic Site Listing PDF (6.25.2025, 200 domestic facilities) -- not a gap, a computed negative match.)

Program details

What this program covers

Ridgewater College's welding program offers a 16-credit certificate, diplomas of 32/60/64 credits, and a 72-credit AAS degree, teaching MIG, TIG, and stick welding plus fabrication processes (plasma and shears cutting, press brakes and rollers, and robotic welding) and blueprint reading. Classes run Monday-Thursday 8am-4:30pm with a fall-only start, at a facility that is a Certified American Welding Society Testing Facility; the Willmar campus offers all credential levels while Hutchinson offers only the 1-year diploma and certificate.

Processes taught MIG, TIG, stick; fabrication processes (plasma and shears cutting, press brakes and rollers, robotic welding)
Credential types Certificate (16 credits); Diploma (32/60/64 credits); AAS (72 credits)
Schedule Monday-Thursday, 8am-4:30pm; fall-only start
Certifications prepped Certified American Welding Society Testing Facility (AWS credentials); nondestructive testing (radiographic and ultrasonic) certificate tracks also offered
Facilities Willmar campus offers all degree/certificate options; Hutchinson campus offers 1-year diploma and certificate only
Financial aid Starting costs approx. $4,273; tuition $3,573 (certificate) to $16,080 (AAS)

Source: https://www.ridgewater.edu/, retrieved 2026-08-05

Sources & provenance

Identity IPEDS Directory (HD component) via Urban Institute Education Data API (2023) , retrieved 2026-08-04
Completions IPEDS Completions (C2023_A, NCES bulk file) (2023 (2022-23 academic year)) , retrieved 2026-08-04
Tuition College Scorecard institution-level bulk CSV (Most Recent Cohorts) (most-recent-cohort (exact AY not labeled in bulk file; file release timestamp 2026-06-10)) , retrieved 2026-08-04
Atf AWS ATF Domestic Site Listing PDF (aws-p-001-delivery.sitecorecontenthub.cloud/api/public/content/AWS-ATF-Domestic-Site-Listing), dated 6.25.2025, GET-fetched and parsed with pdftotext; 200 facility records extracted (city+state); co-location = program's city+state matches an ATF facility's city+state (2025 (6.25.2025 listing)) , retrieved 2026-08-04