ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES
Is a associate's degree in Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician (HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR) worth it?
Compare cost, debt and earnings across 42 college programs with reportable data.
Based onObserved earnings + college priceEstimate10-year payoff
Estimated 10-year payoff
Positive payoff
+$13,457 over 10 years
National scenario across reporting associate's degree programs, using median year-4 earnings, their institutions’ average net prices and a typical 2-year duration.
9.0 yrsTime to earn back the modeled cost
+11%Estimated return after 10 years
$58,608Observed earnings · year 4
$23,040Highest annual price before payoff reaches $0
The price benchmark is $6,728 per year below this threshold.
Start with your decision
What do you need to compare?
PRICE SENSITIVITY
The price can change the verdict.
Hold observed earnings constant and see how the modeled ten-year payoff changes as annual price rises.
← Negative payoff$0Positive payoff →
$0Annual price+$46,080
$8,000Annual price+$30,080
$16,000Current college-wide context+$14,080
$24,000Annual price−$1,920
$32,000Annual price−$17,920
$40,000Annual price−$33,920
Outcomes at a glance
$58,608Typical earnings four years after completion
$53,925Average earnings five years after completion
$17,366Typical federal student debt
71thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
Not availableDegrees awarded in 2024–25
42College programs reporting earnings
Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 1 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.
Four useful answers about Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician (HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR)
How much do Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician (HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR) associate's degree graduates earn?
The national median is $58,608 four years after completion across reportable associate's degree programs in this federal field.
How much federal debt do graduates have?
The median reported federal debt is $17,366. The figure excludes private loans and does not describe every graduate.
Does the college matter for Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician (HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR)?
Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $49,445 to $63,337 in observed year-4 earnings.
What careers are related to Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician (HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR)?
DegreeVerdict links this field to 1 displayed occupations using the official federal CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupational wages are career context, not graduate salary promises.
More schooling changes both the cost and the outcome.
Compare the same field at each degree level with reportable data. These are separate groups of graduates, so the differences do not prove that an additional degree caused higher earnings.
Where the middle half of programs lands
Year‑4 earnings differ by college. This band shows the 25th percentile, national median and 75th percentile among reporting programs.
Median
25th percentile$49,445National median$58,60875th percentile$63,337
42 programs report year‑4 earnings.BEFORE YOU CHOOSE
Compare price, debt and earnings together
SHORTLIST BY QUESTION
Three useful places to start
Each choice answers a different question. These are observed signals, not an overall winner.
Highest observed earnings
Minneapolis Community and Technical College
$87,786 four years after completionMinneapolis, MN · inspect the full program →Lowest reported federal debtIvy Tech Community College
$7,250 among completer borrowersIndianapolis, IN · inspect the full program →Largest recent graduating classIntellitec College-Colorado Springs
60 reported awards in 2024–25Colorado Springs, CO · inspect the full program →PRICE × EARNINGS MAP
Where colleges sit for this exact degree
Move left for a lower annual college-wide net price and up for higher observed year-4 earnings.
$76,972Observed year-4 earnings$49,445
Minneapolis Community and Technical College$13,812 price · $87,786 earningsHennepin Technical College$10,272 price · $86,733 earningsCentury College$10,906 price · $76,972 earningsDunwoody College of Technology$26,939 price · $75,499 earningsNorthern Virginia Community College$9,919 price · $75,318 earningsOklahoma State University Institute of Technology$10,999 price · $68,072 earningsPikes Peak State College$6,007 price · $67,308 earningsSoutheast Community College Area$9,171 price · $65,462 earningsHudson Valley Community College$8,501 price · $64,515 earningsSpartan College of Aeronautics and Technology$30,065 price · $64,183 earningsSoutheast Technical College$17,400 price · $63,423 earningsIvy Tech Community College$7,258 price · $63,337 earningsHarrisburg Area Community College$14,471 price · $63,249 earningsWake Technical Community College$8,759 price · $63,100 earningsSUNY College of Technology at Alfred$15,016 price · $62,447 earningsPennsylvania College of Technology$25,110 price · $61,925 earningsThaddeus Stevens College of Technology$14,104 price · $61,610 earningsSpokane Community College$5,473 price · $60,443 earningsIntellitec College-Grand Junction$19,216 price · $60,311 earningsUniversity of Northwestern Ohio$21,807 price · $59,801 earningsGwinnett Technical College$6,696 price · $59,306 earningsUniversity of Arkansas Community College-Morrilton$8,725 price · $57,910 earningsMonroe Community College$6,353 price · $57,305 earningsRosedale Technical College$19,760 price · $55,380 earningsState Technical College of Missouri$15,190 price · $54,641 earningsNew Castle School of Trades$8,361 price · $53,648 earningsIntellitec College-Colorado Springs$30,716 price · $50,904 earningsSan Joaquin Valley College-Visalia$27,854 price · $49,445 earningsSan Joaquin Valley College-Bakersfield$23,351 price · $49,445 earningsSan Joaquin Valley College-Trades Education Center$27,887 price · $49,445 earnings
$6,007Annual college-wide average net price$27,887
Choose colleges offering this exact degree
Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.
30 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 25 shown
Search every reporting program →
See the spread, not just the national number.
1Minneapolis Community and Technical College$87,7862Hennepin Technical College$86,7333Century College$76,9724Dunwoody College of Technology$75,4995Northern Virginia Community College$75,3186Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology$68,0727Pikes Peak State College$67,3088Southeast Community College Area$65,4629Hudson Valley Community College$64,51510Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology$64,183Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking
Jobs this degree may lead to
Federal education-to-career links identify related occupations. They do not imply that every graduate enters the same job.
Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers$61,010 median wage409,670 jobs nationwide+10.9% projected growth through 2035 · 40,600 openings a yearTypical entry education: Postsecondary nondegree award$40,050–$95,210 typical wage range
BLS May 2025 wages and 2025–35 projections. Career figures describe occupations, not graduates of a specific college.
Where this degree has enough data to compare
State pages are published only when at least five operating colleges report year-4 earnings for this exact field and credential.
This page keeps the field and credential level fixed. Federal categories can still combine multiple catalog programs or concentrations. Automated ROI is limited to associate and bachelor’s degrees because institution-wide annual net price is not a reliable proxy for short certificate prices. ROI is an illustrative scenario, not a federal determination.