Horry-Georgetown Technical College Welding and Machining (Certificate): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Certificate in Precision Metal Working
- Public college
- Conway, SC
- About 61 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
Horry-Georgetown Technical College welding and machining graduates earn about what welding and machining graduates earn nationally, $33,002 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $5,875 in federal loans, less than at 79% of welding and machining programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying welding and machining programs in South Carolina.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The South Carolina and national columns are the medians across all welding and machining certificate programs that report the figure.
Debt and first-year pay at every South Carolina welding and machining program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the South Carolina medians.
Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.
Paying back the loans
On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $62 a month, or 2.3% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
89% of graduates (34 of 38) were working in South Carolina one year after graduating. Prices in the Myrtle Beach area are about 6% below the national average, so a $33,002 salary here buys what about $35,243 buys in a typical US city.
Careers this field leads to
These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to welding and machining, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.
Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers
$49,980Median pay in South Carolina. 7,380 people work in this job in South Carolina. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 2% from 2025 to 2035, with about 40,300 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent.
Machinists
$57,970Median pay in South Carolina. 3,790 people work in this job in South Carolina. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 1% from 2025 to 2035, with about 26,100 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent.
Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
$44,420Median pay in South Carolina. 4,100 people work in this job in South Carolina. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 11% from 2025 to 2035, with about 13,200 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent.
Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators
$51,800Median pay in South Carolina. 2,460 people work in this job in South Carolina. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 9% from 2025 to 2035, with about 12,500 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent.
About Horry-Georgetown Technical College
Welding and Machining ranks 4th of 6 certificate programs at Horry-Georgetown Technical College by first-year earnings. The top three are Diagnostic and Treatment Professions ($42,533), Practical Nursing ($40,724), and HVAC ($40,480).
Other welding and machining certificate programs near Conway
Common questions
The median graduate earns $33,002 one year after graduating. The median across welding and machining certificate programs in South Carolina is $34,928.
The median federal loan balance is $5,875, which ranks the lowest of 7 welding and machining certificate programs in South Carolina. That works out to about $62 a month over 10 years.
On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 18% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 22%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several South Carolina programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.
Most do. 89% (34 of 38) were working in South Carolina one year after graduating.
About this data
- Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
- Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
- Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
- Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of South Carolina comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
- Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
- School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the welding and machining program.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
- Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
- NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024