In short
Missouri adults without a bachelor's degree can apply for the Fast Track Workforce Incentive Grant — for people at least 25 (or out of school for two years) with income under $40,000 single or $80,000 married filing joint, training for a high-demand job. Missouri high school graduates with A+ eligibility get standard tuition and fees covered at participating public community colleges and vocational-technical schools. The state's flagship for trades is State Technical College of Missouri in Linn, which takes A+ money. Start with your city below, or fill out the form to be matched by ZIP.
What Missouri pays for
Missouri money for training
- Fast Track Workforce Incentive Grant
- For Missouri residents without a bachelor's degree who are at least 25 years old — or haven't been enrolled in school for the last two years — with adjusted gross income under $40,000 (single) or $80,000 (married filing joint), training in a state-designated high-demand field. Trades, healthcare, transportation, and IT programs appear on the eligible list. Apply through the state financial aid portal; a FAFSA is required.
- A+ Scholarship
- For graduates of A+ designated high schools who attend full-time at participating public community colleges or vocational-technical schools. It covers standard tuition and fees — reimbursement is capped at State Technical College of Missouri's published standard rate, per DHEWD.
- Pell Grant
- Federal, up to about $7,395 for 2025–26, applied for with the free FAFSA at studentaid.gov.
- WIOA
- Free training through your local Missouri Job Center if you qualify. Ask about it before you pay any school anything.
- GI Bill
- Covers most Missouri trade schools, community colleges, CDL programs, and apprenticeships for veterans and eligible family members.
Sources: Missouri Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development (dhewd.mo.gov — Fast Track and A+ program pages); Federal Student Aid. Rules change; confirm with the school.
Read those two state programs again and notice who each one is for. A+ is a high-school-earned benefit — if you graduated with it, it's yours and it's sitting there waiting. Fast Track is the state's bet on adults: if you're 25 or older and have never finished a bachelor's, that's the program written for you. Many Missouri adults get through community college training for close to nothing out of pocket by combining Pell with one of these.
Where to train
State Technical College of Missouri (Linn)
Missouri's dedicated technical college, about two hours from both St. Louis and Kansas City. State Tech runs dozens of hands-on trade and technical programs — from electrical and heavy equipment to health sciences — across a campus with more than 50 lab spaces, and it's A+ eligible, meaning A+ money covers standard tuition and fees there. It has on-campus housing, which matters when the program you want isn't near your town. Admissions details at statetechmo.edu.
Your region's community college
Metropolitan Community College in Kansas City (mcckc.edu), St. Louis Community College (stlcc.edu), and Ozarks Technical Community College in Springfield (otc.edu) are the big public systems, and each teaches the common trades — HVAC, welding, electrical, auto, CDL, and health programs. This is where A+ and Fast Track money stretches furthest.
Private trade schools & apprenticeships
Private schools offer faster start dates and focused programs — but they generally can't use A+ or Fast Track money, so compare their written total cost against your community college number before deciding. Union apprenticeships (electrical, plumbing, sheet metal) run in the St. Louis and Kansas City metros and pay you to learn instead. Both are legitimate; run the money on both.
Cities
Written and checked:
In progress: St. Louis, Springfield, Columbia, Independence, Lee's Summit, St. Joseph, and more. Until each page is up, the form matches by ZIP — and it works anywhere in the state.
Missouri schools near you
Give us a ZIP code and what you'd like to do. Schools that teach it and take Missouri aid will reach out.
Questions from Missouri
I'm 32 and never went to college. Do I qualify for anything?
Fast Track was written for exactly this situation: 25 or older, no bachelor's, income under the limit, training in a high-demand field. File the FAFSA first, then apply through the state's financial aid portal. Ask any Missouri school's aid office to walk you through both — it's their job.
I earned A+ in high school years ago. Is it still good?
It can be — eligibility rules include income and program limits, you can't have already earned an associate or bachelor's degree, and you must attend full-time at a participating school. Confirm your status with the college's aid office; they can check it in the state system quickly.
I live in Kansas but want to go to school in Missouri. Whose aid?
Missouri's A+ and Fast Track are for Missouri residents. Kansas has its own — the Kansas Promise Scholarship for trade programs at Kansas schools. If you're on the state line, look at the Kansas City, KS page and the Kansas state page, and compare both sides.
Which trades pay best in Missouri?
Nationally, electricians earn a median of about $62,350 and diesel techs about $61,770 (BLS), and both pay above national median in Missouri's metros for experienced workers. The career pages on this site break each trade down with sources.