UHP Skilled Trades Institute Welding Program
UHP Skilled Trades Institute
At a glance
- Cost: Free training
- Format: In-person
- Length: 5 weeks
- Who qualifies: Vets
- Applications: Open
Full details
- Cost
- Select 2026 pilot cohorts are offered at zero cost to accepted veterans. Availability, acceptance requirements and program dates vary by cohort, so ask Admissions which cohort is zero cost before you commit; other cohorts may use scholarships or self-pay. On-campus housing and meals are provided at no additional charge. If you travel in the night before Day 1, you arrange and pay for your own hotel.
- Who qualifies
- Veterans accepted through UHP Admissions (an Admissions conversation, an interview, then an application with the documents Admissions asks for). No previous welding experience is needed. Acceptance requirements vary by cohort.
- Format
- Immersive, full-time on-campus program: classroom instruction, shop safety, hands-on welding and metal-fabrication labs, and daily welding practice with instructor feedback, with week 5 set aside for mock weld tests and career preparation.
Check current terms: Individual eligibility, seats and coverage must be confirmed with the provider.
Dates and availability: Status evidence: The official UHP Welding page says zero-cost pilot cohorts are currently available and takes applications through its Apply now form. Application window: Rolling; apply on the official page or call Admissions, then complete an interview and application. Availability limits: Only select 2026 pilot cohorts are zero cost, for accepted veterans; UHP confirms enrollment once funding, documents and program placement are complete. Next start: Cohort dates vary; UHP Admissions confirms the dates for each cohort.
- Credential
- Training credentialNCCER Construction Site Safety Orientation, UHP Welding program completion credential
- Exam coverage
- Course credentials includedCredentials are earned during the program; AWS certification is not automatic and needs a separate qualification test.
Before you decide
- What is free
- Tuition is zero cost for accepted veterans in select 2026 pilot cohorts, and on-campus housing and meals are provided at no additional charge.
- Who qualifies
- Veterans accepted through UHP Admissions (an Admissions conversation, an interview, then an application with the documents Admissions asks for). No previous welding experience is needed. Acceptance requirements vary by cohort.
- What you get
- A 5-week welding program for veterans on UHP's Northwest Arkansas campus: welding fundamentals, shop safety, oxyfuel and plasma cutting, Shielded Metal Arc Welding (beads, fillet, groove and open-root welds), blueprint and weld-symbol reading, and mock weld tests. On-campus housing and meals are provided, plus career preparation.
- Credential and key limits
- NCCER Construction Site Safety Orientation and the UHP Welding program completion credential (issued by UHP). UHP says the full welding credential pathway is being finalized and Admissions confirms each cohort's credentials before enrollment. AWS certification is not automatic.
- Format
- Immersive, full-time on-campus program: classroom instruction, shop safety, hands-on welding and metal-fabrication labs, and daily welding practice with instructor feedback, with week 5 set aside for mock weld tests and career preparation.
- Duration
- 5 weeks, full time.
- Location
- Northwest Arkansas: UHP campus (UHP is based in Bentonville, AR; Admissions gives you the campus address). UHP picks students up at Northwest Arkansas National Airport (XNA) in the Day 1 arrival window.
- Deadline
- Status evidence: The official UHP Welding page says zero-cost pilot cohorts are currently available and takes applications through its Apply now form. Application window: Rolling; apply on the official page or call Admissions, then complete an interview and application. Availability limits: Only select 2026 pilot cohorts are zero cost, for accepted veterans; UHP confirms enrollment once funding, documents and program placement are complete.
- Next start
- Cohort dates vary; UHP Admissions confirms the dates for each cohort.
- Stipend / housing / travel
- On-campus housing and meals are provided at no additional charge; a hotel the night before Day 1 is at your own cost.
- Notes
- Run by UHP (Unlock Human Potential), a veteran-focused education organization in Bentonville, Arkansas. AWS welder certification is not automatic; it depends on passing a qualification test through an approved testing process. Many employers use their own weld tests, completion does not guarantee a job, and requirements vary by employer and location.
- Availability
- Open
- Details checked
- 2026-10-21
Application and credential details
- How to apply
- Use the Apply now form on the official UHP Welding page, or call UHP Admissions at 479-432-1176.
- Talk with Admissions about your goals, timeline and funding, and ask which 2026 pilot cohorts are zero cost.
- Complete the Admissions interview, then submit your application and the documents Admissions asks for.
- Once UHP confirms your enrollment, plan travel to arrive on Day 1 between 10 AM and noon.
- Documents to prepare
- The documents Admissions lists for you after reviewing your situation (requirements vary by program and funding path).
- Additional requirements and limits
- Only select 2026 pilot cohorts are zero cost, and only for accepted veterans.
- Admissions confirms the credentials for each cohort before enrollment.
- The full program is on campus in Northwest Arkansas for five weeks.
- Completion does not guarantee a job, and it does not replace employer weld tests or local requirements.
- Application link
- Open official application page
- Credential or outcome
- NCCER Construction Site Safety Orientation and the UHP Welding program completion credential (issued by UHP). UHP says the full welding credential pathway is being finalized and Admissions confirms each cohort's credentials before enrollment. AWS certification is not automatic.
- Application details checked
- 2026-10-21
- Application review status
- Official-source review completed
- Sources for these details
- https://trades.uhp.com/programs/welding/ — checked 2026-10-21
- https://uhp.com/funding-admissions/ — checked 2026-10-21
- https://uhp.com/student-experience/arrival-information/ — checked 2026-10-21
- Availability checked
- 2026-10-21
- Current availability
- Open
- Status evidence
- The official UHP Welding page says zero-cost pilot cohorts are currently available and takes applications through its Apply now form.
- Application window
- Rolling; apply on the official page or call Admissions, then complete an interview and application.
- Program start
- Cohort dates vary; UHP Admissions confirms the dates for each cohort.
- Availability limits
- Only select 2026 pilot cohorts are zero cost, for accepted veterans; UHP confirms enrollment once funding, documents and program placement are complete.
- Timing sources