Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician (HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR) programs in Illinois
48 schools in Illinois teach this, at certificate or associate level. 6 of them report what graduates earn two years out; the highest is $40,188 at Elgin Community College.
What this work pays in Illinois
Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers in Illinois earn a median of $77,410 a year across 9,740 jobs. That is what the occupation pays everyone in it — not what graduates of any one program below earned.
Occupation wages: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.
Schools
| School | Credential | Median debt | Graduate earnings, 2 yrs | Graduates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elgin Community College Elgin | Associate's degree | — | $40,188 (12 grads) | 5 |
| ETI School of Skilled Trades Willowbrook | Undergraduate certificate | $9,500 | $38,061 (186 grads) | 213 |
| Southwestern Illinois College Belleville | Associate's degree | — | $32,711 (30 grads) | 13 |
| Southwestern Illinois College Belleville | Undergraduate certificate | — | $32,321 (12 grads) | 36 |
| Lincoln Land Community College Springfield | Undergraduate certificate | $7,445 | $29,141 (21 grads) | 35 |
| HVAC Technical Institute Chicago | Undergraduate certificate | $6,851 | $26,585 (15 grads) | 106 |
| Stautzenberger College-Rockford Career College Rockford | Undergraduate certificate | $13,682 | not published | 28 |
| Chicago Professional Center Prospect Heights | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 175 |
| City Colleges of Chicago-Kennedy-King College Chicago | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 41 |
| City Colleges of Chicago-Kennedy-King College Chicago | Associate's degree | — | not published | 7 |
| College of DuPage Glen Ellyn | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 10 |
| College of DuPage Glen Ellyn | Associate's degree | — | not published | 7 |
| College of Lake County Grayslake | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 148 |
| College of Lake County Grayslake | Associate's degree | — | not published | 10 |
| Danville Area Community College Danville | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 2 |
| Elgin Community College Elgin | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 52 |
| Illinois Central College East Peoria | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 55 |
| Illinois Central College East Peoria | Associate's degree | — | not published | 0 |
| Illinois Eastern Community Colleges Olney | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 10 |
| Illinois Valley Community College Oglesby | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 8 |
| John A Logan College Carterville | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 12 |
| John A Logan College Carterville | Associate's degree | — | not published | 12 |
| John Wood Community College Quincy | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 2 |
| Joliet Junior College Joliet | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 7 |
| Joliet Junior College Joliet | Associate's degree | — | not published | 2 |
| Kankakee Community College Kankakee | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 12 |
| Kankakee Community College Kankakee | Associate's degree | — | not published | 1 |
| Kaskaskia College Centralia | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 14 |
| Kaskaskia College Centralia | Associate's degree | — | not published | 1 |
| Lake Land College Mattoon | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 6 |
| Moraine Valley Community College Palos Hills | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 283 |
| Moraine Valley Community College Palos Hills | Associate's degree | — | not published | 28 |
| Morton College Cicero | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 5 |
| Morton College Cicero | Associate's degree | — | not published | 1 |
| Oakton College Des Plaines | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 10 |
| Oakton College Des Plaines | Associate's degree | — | not published | 5 |
| Parkland College Champaign | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 11 |
| Parkland College Champaign | Associate's degree | — | not published | 3 |
| Prairie State College Chicago Heights | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 7 |
| Richland Community College Decatur | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 12 |
| Richland Community College Decatur | Associate's degree | — | not published | 2 |
| Sauk Valley Community College Dixon | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 6 |
| Shawnee Community College Ullin | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | — |
| Triton College River Grove | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 1 |
| Waubonsee Community College Sugar Grove | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 8 |
| Waubonsee Community College Sugar Grove | Associate's degree | — | not published | 4 |
| William Rainey Harper College Palatine | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 28 |
| William Rainey Harper College Palatine | Associate's degree | — | not published | 1 |
A dash under earnings or debt means the U.S. Department of Education has not published a figure for that program — it withholds any median computed from too few graduates, which covers about four of every five programs. It never means zero, and it says nothing about whether the program is any good. Where a figure is shown, the number of graduates behind it is shown with it.
Email me when these figures change
The U.S. Department of Education publishes new cost, debt and earnings figures once a year, and every number on this page changes at once. One email when that happens for Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician (HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR) — nothing else, and nothing in between.
Program and outcome figures: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, released 2026-06-10.