Federal Data — September 2026
HVAC Trade Schools: What They Cost And What Graduates Earn
HVAC and refrigeration programs sit comfortably above the national median on payback. Here is the federal data, program level and school by school.
See The SchoolsU.S. Department of Education data. No school paid to be listed.
Across the 191 US institutions that report both figures, an HVAC or refrigeration program leaves $10,649 of median federal debt and produces $35,970 of median earnings one year after completion. That works out at 3.9 months of gross pay to cover the debt, against a national median of 4.7 months across all vocational programs.
Heating, ventilation and refrigeration technicians are in structural shortage, and the training reflects it in the numbers.
Both routes exist in this field, and they are not equivalent. The certificate leaves $9,720 of median debt against $17,366 for the associate degree, with first-year earnings of $34,064 and $41,852 respectively. On payback the certificate comes out ahead: 3.9 months against 4.2.
The table below ranks the individual schools. Every number is reproduced from the federal files, and the method is the same one behind our payback ranking of 58 programs and our ranking of 153 institutions.
The Numbers
HVAC and Refrigeration at a glance
School By School
The 60 HVAC or refrigeration programs with the strongest reported outcomes
Filter by state. Click any column heading to sort. Lower is better.
| # | School▲▼ | Credential▲▼ | Months▲▼ | Debt▲▼ | Earnings▲▼ | Completion▲▼ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ivy Tech Community CollegeIndianapolis, IN | Associate | 1.5 | $7,250 | $57,323 | 40% |
| 2 | Chippewa Valley Technical CollegeEau Claire, WI | Certificate | 1.5 | $5,500 | $42,963 | 50% |
| 3 | Chattanooga State Community CollegeChattanooga, TN | Certificate | 1.6 | $5,500 | $40,038 | 26% |
| 4 | Ivy Tech Community CollegeIndianapolis, IN | Certificate | 1.7 | $5,940 | $41,270 | 40% |
| 5 | Minnesota State Community and Technical CollegeFergus Falls, MN | Certificate | 1.9 | $7,500 | $46,285 | 47% |
| 6 | Maysville Community and Technical CollegeMaysville, KY | Certificate | 2.0 | $6,760 | $39,622 | 56% |
| 7 | Butler Technology and Career Development SchoolsMonroe, OH | Certificate | 2.0 | $6,840 | $41,108 | 76% |
| 8 | Mech-Tech CollegeCaguas, PR | Certificate | 2.0 | $3,500 | $21,521 | 72% |
| 9 | HVAC Technical InstituteChicago, IL | Certificate | 2.0 | $6,851 | $41,644 | 86% |
| 10 | CET-San JoseSan Jose, CA | Certificate | 2.1 | $6,160 | $35,970 | 81% |
| 11 | CET-ColtonColton, CA | Certificate | 2.1 | $6,160 | $35,970 | 72% |
| 12 | Lone Star College SystemThe Woodlands, TX | Certificate | 2.1 | $5,500 | $32,070 | 21% |
| 13 | CET-CoachellaCoachella, CA | Certificate | 2.1 | $6,160 | $35,970 | 84% |
| 14 | Onondaga Cortland Madison BOCESLiverpool, NY | Certificate | 2.1 | $7,422 | $42,145 | 73% |
| 15 | Refrigeration School IncPhoenix, AZ | Certificate | 2.2 | $8,835 | $48,145 | 76% |
| 16 | St Cloud Technical and Community CollegeSaint Cloud, MN | Certificate | 2.2 | $10,394 | $57,178 | 45% |
| 17 | Motoring Technical Training InstituteSeekonk, MA | Certificate | 2.2 | $9,500 | $51,281 | 89% |
| 18 | Northeast Technical InstituteScarborough, ME | Certificate | 2.3 | $8,550 | $44,276 | 90% |
| 19 | Bluegrass Community and Technical CollegeLexington, KY | Certificate | 2.4 | $8,250 | $41,731 | 43% |
| 20 | Oklahoma State University Institute of TechnologyOkmulgee, OK | Associate | 2.4 | $11,500 | $58,336 | 42% |
| 21 | Orleans Technical CollegePhiladelphia, PA | Certificate | 2.4 | $7,521 | $37,848 | 90% |
| 22 | DeHart Technical SchoolModesto, CA | Certificate | 2.4 | $8,950 | $43,927 | 93% |
| 23 | YTI Career Institute-YorkYork, PA | Certificate | 2.5 | $9,212 | $44,157 | 45% |
| 24 | Lincoln Land Community CollegeSpringfield, IL | Certificate | 2.6 | $6,292 | $28,504 | 48% |
| 25 | Century CollegeWhite Bear Lake, MN | Associate | 2.6 | $11,500 | $52,105 | 31% |
| 26 | Erie Community CollegeBuffalo, NY | Certificate | 2.6 | $6,500 | $29,804 | 28% |
| 27 | Advanced Training InstituteLas Vegas, NV | Certificate | 2.6 | $8,867 | $40,633 | n/a |
| 28 | Institute for Business and TechnologySan Jose, CA | Certificate | 2.7 | $9,316 | $41,695 | 84% |
| 29 | Great Oaks Career CampusesCincinnati, OH | Certificate | 2.7 | $8,152 | $36,172 | 90% |
| 30 | National Career EducationCitrus Heights, CA | Certificate | 2.7 | $9,316 | $41,695 | 83% |
| 31 | Industrial Management Training InstituteWaterbury, CT | Certificate | 2.7 | $9,500 | $41,746 | 78% |
| 32 | Lamson InstituteSan Antonio, TX | Certificate | 2.7 | $9,316 | $41,695 | 80% |
| 33 | Horry-Georgetown Technical CollegeConway, SC | Certificate | 2.8 | $9,500 | $40,480 | 38% |
| 34 | Eastland-Fairfield Career and Technical SchoolsGroveport, OH | Certificate | 2.8 | $9,298 | $40,131 | 81% |
| 35 | Automeca Technical College-AguadillaAguadilla, PR | Certificate | 2.8 | $4,000 | $17,204 | 80% |
| 36 | Automeca Technical College-BayamonBayamon, PR | Certificate | 2.8 | $4,000 | $17,204 | 80% |
| 37 | Automeca Technical College-CaguasCaguas, PR | Certificate | 2.8 | $4,000 | $17,204 | 85% |
| 38 | Automeca Technical College-PoncePonce, PR | Certificate | 2.8 | $4,000 | $17,204 | 73% |
| 39 | New Castle School of TradesNew Castle, PA | Associate | 2.9 | $9,219 | $38,074 | 76% |
| 40 | Thaddeus Stevens College of TechnologyLancaster, PA | Associate | 2.9 | $10,096 | $41,954 | 71% |
| 41 | ETI School of Skilled TradesWillowbrook, IL | Certificate | 2.9 | $9,500 | $39,169 | 80% |
| 42 | Capstone CollegePasadena, CA | Certificate | 2.9 | $9,500 | $38,740 | 64% |
| 43 | Career and Technology Education Centers of Licking CountyNewark, OH | Certificate | 2.9 | $9,430 | $38,833 | 79% |
| 44 | Institute of TechnologyClovis, CA | Certificate | 2.9 | $9,500 | $39,935 | 73% |
| 45 | Northwest HVAC/R Training CenterSpokane, WA | Certificate | 2.9 | $9,500 | $39,949 | 91% |
| 46 | Century CollegeWhite Bear Lake, MN | Certificate | 3.0 | $13,000 | $52,870 | 31% |
| 47 | Greenville Technical CollegeGreenville, SC | Certificate | 3.0 | $12,546 | $50,802 | 21% |
| 48 | InterCoast Colleges-RiversideRiverside, CA | Certificate | 3.0 | $9,500 | $38,137 | 60% |
| 49 | InterCoast Colleges-West CovinaWest Covina, CA | Certificate | 3.0 | $9,500 | $38,137 | 97% |
| 50 | InterCoast Colleges-Rancho CordovaRancho Cordova, CA | Certificate | 3.0 | $9,500 | $38,137 | 67% |
| 51 | InterCoast Colleges-FairfieldFairfield, CA | Certificate | 3.0 | $9,500 | $38,137 | 71% |
| 52 | Hudson Valley Community CollegeTroy, NY | Associate | 3.1 | $12,000 | $47,134 | 35% |
| 53 | Interactive College of Technology-ChambleeChamblee, GA | Certificate | 3.2 | $11,106 | $41,374 | 37% |
| 54 | Eastwick College-NutleyNutley, NJ | Certificate | 3.2 | $10,703 | $40,270 | 57% |
| 55 | Apex Technical SchoolLong Island City, NY | Certificate | 3.2 | $9,500 | $36,136 | 78% |
| 56 | Pennsylvania College of TechnologyWilliamsport, PA | Associate | 3.2 | $13,975 | $51,770 | 53% |
| 57 | Interactive College of Technology-NewportNewport, KY | Certificate | 3.2 | $11,106 | $41,374 | 30% |
| 58 | SUNY College of Technology at AlfredAlfred, NY | Associate | 3.3 | $12,000 | $42,992 | 55% |
| 59 | Mayfield CollegeCathedral City, CA | Certificate | 3.3 | $9,500 | $35,007 | 82% |
| 60 | UEI College-Huntington ParkHuntington Park, CA | Certificate | 3.4 | $9,500 | $33,444 | 70% |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, Most Recent Cohorts by Field of Study and by Institution (published 9 June 2026), CIP 4702. 191 institutions report this program with both debt and earnings; the 60 with the fastest payback are shown. Debt is median federal Stafford and Grad PLUS loan debt of completers; earnings are median earnings one year after completion; completion is the institution’s published rate.
Read It Carefully
What these figures do not tell you
It is a ratio, not a repayment plan
Months of gross pay to cover the debt is a way of comparing programs on one consistent basis. Nobody repays a loan with their entire gross salary.
Local wages move the numbers
The same program pays differently in different labour markets. Use the state filter and compare within a state before comparing across the country.
Only federal loan debt is counted
Cash payments, private loans and employer sponsorship are invisible here. A school whose students pay out of pocket shows low debt without being cheap.
One year out is an early snapshot
Trades where pay climbs steeply with experience are penalised by a first-year measure. Absence from the table usually means suppressed data, not a poor school.
Go Deeper
The wider picture
Related Reading
Before you choose a program
For School Operators
If you run one of these programs
By State
The same ranking, one state at a time
Local wages shape earnings as much as the school does, so comparing programs inside a single state is more informative than comparing across the country. These 11 states have at least three ranked institutions each, covering 53 of the 191 in the national table.
Use This Data
Want your own program’s numbers against this benchmark?
We run this analysis for individual schools, program by program, against their own federal data. Where the answer is good, it is the strongest recruitment argument a school owns, and almost nobody publishes it.
Book Your Free Enrollment AuditBy application only — reserved for trade and vocational school operators enrolling 50+ students a year.