Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician (HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR)

642
Schools
Certificate
Credential Level
$57,465
National Avg Earnings

What the IPEDS & College Scorecard Data Shows for Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician (HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR)

Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician (HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR) is tracked across 642 U.S. postsecondary institutions in the College Scorecard field-of-study file, which links CIP code classifications from IPEDS to Treasury earnings records. This profile covers the certificate credential level specifically, because the Department of Education reports program-level outcomes separately for associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral awards. The CIP (Classification of Instructional Programs) taxonomy lets analysts roll up specialties into broader families, which is why earnings medians across schools can be compared on a common basis.

Across all reporting institutions, the mean of school-level medians is $57,465, calculated from 100 schools with published earnings data. The earnings distribution stretches from $50,471 at the low end to $83,230 at the top, with a 25th-75th percentile band between $52,475 and $60,752 around a median of $55,594. The top-reporting institution in this program is Perry Technical Institute at $83,230. These numbers reflect earnings measured roughly a year after completion, using Social Security Administration tax records linked to federal financial aid applicants.

Variation across schools matters more than a single national figure. Completers counts reported per school indicate how many graduates’ earnings feed the median, which means small programs produce more volatile numbers. Median debt at the program level, when paired with earnings, yields a debt-to-earnings ratio that is the College Scorecard’s standard affordability signal — ratios under 1.0 indicate earnings exceed cumulative debt. Use the school-by-school table to spot institutions where Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician (HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR) graduates out-earn peers at comparable cost, and to surface gainful-employment patterns that only become visible at the CIP-code level.

Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician (HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR) certificate credential median debt varies 3.8× across entities

Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician (HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR) certificate credential median debt ranges from $5,000 (lowest) to $19,000 (highest), a spread of $14,000. That spread reflects typical institutional cost differences — public in-state, public out-of-state, and private school financing models produce predictable spreads. Median debt counts only those students who borrowed federal loans — students who paid out-of-pocket or received institutional grants are excluded from the borrower median, which can flatter low-debt schools.

Source: College Scorecard Field of Study file; IPEDS financial aid data College Scorecard Field of Study file; IPEDS financial aid data

Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician (HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR) debt-to-earnings ratio is 0.19 — low (typically associated with graduates earn substantially more than they borrowed, which is the College Scorecard standard signal for affordability — a ratio under 0.5 means a year of post-completion earnings would clear half the federal-loan principal)

debt-to-earnings ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: this ratio uses federal loan principal, not all education debt — private loans, parent PLUS loans not in the borrower’s name, and institutional debt are excluded Lower values often correlate with smaller scale and population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se.

Source: College Scorecard Field of Study file College Scorecard Field of Study file

Earnings Distribution

Min
$50,471
25th %ile
$52,475
Median
$55,594
75th %ile
$60,752
Max
$83,230
$50,471 $83,230

Top Schools for This Program

School Name State Completers Median Earnings Median Debt
Perry Technical Institute WA 33 $83,230 $17,146
Hennepin Technical College MN 117 $80,039
Manatee Technical College FL 0 $70,853
Northern Virginia Community College VA 27 $70,726
Century College MN 116 $70,613 $11,000
Southwestern Illinois College IL 36 $69,893
Northwood Technical College WI 55 $69,787
Capstone College CA 67 $67,596 $9,500
St Cloud Technical and Community College MN 24 $67,307
Illinois Central College IL 55 $66,318
Dakota County Technical College MN 11 $65,334
Chippewa Valley Technical College WI 78 $65,275 $5,500
Fort Myers Technical College FL 26 $64,719
Motoring Technical Training Institute MA 67 $64,367 $9,500
Minnesota State Community and Technical College MN 38 $63,894 $5,500
Eastwick College-Nutley NJ $63,886 $9,500
DeHart Technical School CA 62 $63,650 $8,950
Wake Technical Community College NC 139 $62,956
Rowan-Cabarrus Community College NC 69 $62,881
Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology CO $62,482
Western Technical College WI 14 $62,205
Refrigeration School Inc AZ 113 $62,122 $8,233
Northeast Technical Institute ME 87 $61,455 $8,550
Midlands Technical College SC 17 $60,853
Northwest HVAC/R Training Center WA 26 $60,752 $9,500
YTI Career Institute-York PA 28 $60,748 $8,404
Pinnacle Career Institute MO 22 $60,603
Porter & Chester Institute CT 144 $60,224 $14,120
New England Tractor Trailer Training School of Rhode Island RI 86 $60,203 $13,437
New England Tractor Trailer Training School of Massachusetts MA 89 $60,203 $13,437
Lanier Technical College GA 48 $59,639
Chattahoochee Technical College GA 149 $59,617
Advanced Training Institute NV 151 $59,213 $8,867
Brownson Technical School CA 161 $59,132
Georgia Piedmont Technical College GA 88 $58,854
Charter College AK 138 $57,910 $14,750
Institute for Business and Technology CA 159 $57,714 $9,238
National Career Education CA 115 $57,714 $9,238
Lamson Institute TX 127 $57,714 $9,238
ETI School of Skilled Trades IL 213 $57,074 $9,500
Orleans Technical College PA 86 $56,529 $7,521
Ivy Tech Community College IN 309 $56,064 $5,000
Brightpoint Community College VA 17 $56,038
Georgia Northwestern Technical College GA 29 $56,029
York Technical College SC 12 $56,027
San Joaquin Valley College-Visalia CA 64 $55,594 $13,000
San Joaquin Valley College-Bakersfield CA 18 $55,594 $13,000
San Joaquin Valley College-Trades Education Center CA 14 $55,594 $13,000
San Joaquin Valley College-Ontario CA 24 $55,594 $13,000
San Joaquin Valley College-Hesperia CA 26 $55,594 $13,000
San Joaquin Valley College-Temecula CA 31 $55,594 $13,000
San Joaquin Valley College-Lancaster CA 23 $55,594 $13,000
San Joaquin Valley College-Rancho Mirage CA 17 $55,594 $13,000
Erie Community College NY 24 $55,395
Porter & Chester Institute of Hamden CT 41 $55,385 $14,120
Greenville Technical College SC 62 $55,189
Tennessee College of Applied Technology Northwest TN 19 $55,150
Chattanooga State Community College TN $54,846 $5,500
Butler Technology and Career Development Schools OH 34 $54,800 $6,840
Robeson Community College NC 29 $54,627
Madison Area Technical College WI 15 $54,373
San Jacinto Community College TX 69 $54,160
Industrial Management Training Institute CT 17 $54,103 $9,500
Horry-Georgetown Technical College SC 45 $54,062 $8,875
Onondaga Cortland Madison BOCES NY 30 $53,726 $5,134
Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Knoxville TN 44 $53,417
Springfield Technical Community College MA 17 $53,391
Institute of Technology CA 178 $52,951 $9,500
Maysville Community and Technical College KY 164 $52,806
InterCoast Colleges-Riverside CA 8 $52,718 $9,500
InterCoast Colleges-West Covina CA 16 $52,718 $9,500
InterCoast Colleges-Rancho Cordova CA 44 $52,718 $9,500
InterCoast Colleges-Fairfield CA 32 $52,718 $9,500
Delgado Community College LA 34 $52,614 $19,000
Pennco Tech-Bristol PA 118 $52,475 $11,817
Pennco Tech-Blackwood NJ 165 $52,427 $12,901
Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Dickson TN 42 $52,375
Universal Technical Institute-Canton MI 211 $52,372 $11,799
Iowa Western Community College IA 29 $52,345
Kiamichi Technology Center-McAlester OK 33 $52,269
Tennessee College of Applied Technology Nashville TN 45 $51,996
Interactive College of Technology-Chamblee GA 101 $51,841 $10,810
Interactive College of Technology-Newport KY 20 $51,841 $10,810
Miller-Motte College-Arizona Automotive Institute AZ 16 $51,837 $12,139
Miller-Motte College-Chattanooga TN $51,837 $12,139
Miller-Motte College-STVT-Arlington TX 15 $51,837 $12,139
Great Oaks Career Campuses OH 16 $51,509 $6,757
Auburn Career Center OH 17 $51,307
Western Iowa Tech Community College IA 47 $51,294
Southeast Kentucky Community & Technical College KY 27 $51,290
Metropolitan Community College-Kansas City MO 55 $51,184
Gateway Community and Technical College KY 56 $51,140
Career and Technology Education Centers of Licking County OH 9 $51,093 $9,043
Kansas City Kansas Community College KS 40 $51,091
Quinsigamond Community College MA 6 $50,978
Dallas College TX 99 $50,877
Virginia Western Community College VA 27 $50,813
Fortis College-Salt Lake City UT 47 $50,471 $13,000
Fortis College-Cuyahoga Falls OH 44 $50,471 $13,000
Fortis Institute-Cookeville TN 18 $50,471 $13,000

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician (HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR) graduates earn?
Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician (HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR) graduates earn $57,465 on average across 642 schools. Earnings range from $50,471 to $83,230 depending on the institution.
Which school pays the most for Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician (HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR)?
Perry Technical Institute has the highest reported median earnings for Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician (HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR) graduates at $83,230, based on College Scorecard data.
What credential do you get in Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician (HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR)?
Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician (HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR) programs typically award a Certificate credential. Earnings vary by school and credential level.

Top Schools for Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician (HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR)

Closest schools offering this program — compare earnings side by side

About This Data

Earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard Field of Study file. Median earnings represent graduates who received federal financial aid, drawn from U.S. Treasury tax records linked to federal student aid applicants. Completers count and debt figures reflect program-level data reported through IPEDS. Data is updated annually.

Earnings data sourced from IRS records via the U.S. Treasury–Department of Education matching protocol used by the College Scorecard.