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Most Popular Heating, Ventilation, Air & Cooling Trade Schools

2023 Most Popular Heating, Ventilation, Air & Cooling Trade Schools

651 Colleges
$33,330 Avg Salary
$11,259 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation & Refrigeration School for You

Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation & Refrigeration is the #12 most popular major in the country with 21,891 degrees and certificates awarded in 2021-2022.

There are so many trade school programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses.

The Most Popular Heating, Ventilation, Air & Cooling Trade Schools ranking is one of many tools that Trade College Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 651 schools in the United States to see which ones were the most popular programs for trade school students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation & Refrigeration program at each school on the list.

Check out the hvacr programs at these schools if you want to attend one of the most popular in the United States.

#1

Ivy Tech Community College

Indianapolis, IN

Our 2023 rankings named Ivy Tech Community College the most popular school in the United States for heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration students. Ivy Tech Community College is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Indianapolis.

Full Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation & Refrigeration at Ivy Tech Community College Report

#2

Lone Star College System

The Woodlands, TX

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Lone Star College System. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Most Popular Heating, Ventilation, Air & Cooling Trade Schools list. North Harris Montgomery is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of The Woodlands.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Southern Technical College. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Most Popular Heating, Ventilation, Air & Cooling Trade Schools list. Located in the large suburb of Orlando, Southern Technical College is a private for-profit college with a small student population.

Full Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation & Refrigeration at Southern Technical College Report

#4

ETI School of Skilled Trades

Willowbrook, IL

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means ETI School of Skilled Trades is a great place for heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration students. ETI is a small private for-profit school located in the large suburb of Willowbrook.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Moraine Valley Community College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Popular Heating, Ventilation, Air & Cooling Trade Schools list. MVCC is a large public school located in the large suburb of Palos Hills.

Read full report on Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation & Refrigeration at Moraine Valley Community College

Chattahoochee Technical College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration programs. Located in the large suburb of Marietta, Chattahoochee Technical College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

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#7

Apex Technical School

Long Island City, NY

Apex Technical School came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Heating, Ventilation, Air & Cooling Trade Schools ranking. Apex Technical School is a small private for-profit school located in the city of Long Island City.

Full Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation & Refrigeration at Apex Technical School Report

#7

Pennco Tech-Blackwood

Blackwood, NJ

Pennco Tech-Blackwood did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration students. It came in at #7 on the list. Pennco Tech-Blackwood is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the suburb of Blackwood.

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With a ranking of #9, Porter and Chester Institute of Stratford did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration students. Porter and Chester Institute is a small private for-profit school located in the midsize city of Bridgeport.

Full Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation & Refrigeration at Porter and Chester Institute of Stratford Report

The Refrigeration School did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration students. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the city of Phoenix, RSI is a private for-profit college with a small student population.

Full Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation & Refrigeration at The Refrigeration School Report

Brownson Technical School ranked #9 on this year’s Most Popular Heating, Ventilation, Air & Cooling Trade Schools list. Located in the large city of Anaheim, Brownson Technical School is a private for-profit school with a small student population.

Read full report on Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation & Refrigeration at Brownson Technical School

MIAT College of Technology did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration students. It came in at #12 on the list. Located in the large suburb of Canton, MIAT College of Technology is a private for-profit school with a small student population.

Full Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation & Refrigeration at MIAT College of Technology Report

National University College ranked #12 on this year’s Most Popular Heating, Ventilation, Air & Cooling Trade Schools list. National University College is a fairly large private for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Bayamon.

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#14

College of Lake County

Grayslake, IL

College of Lake County landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration programs. Located in the suburb of Grayslake, College of Lake County is a public school with a large student population.

Full Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation & Refrigeration at College of Lake County Report

Florida Career College - Houston Campus landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration programs. Located in the large city of Houston, Florida Career College - Houston Campus is a private for-profit school with a small student population.

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With a ranking of #16, Wake Technical Community College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration students. Wake Technical Community College is a very large public school located in the suburb of Raleigh.

Full Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation & Refrigeration at Wake Technical Community College Report

#17

UEI College-Riverside

Riverside, CA

UEI College-Riverside did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration students. It came in at #17 on the list. UEI College-Riverside is a small private for-profit school located in the large city of Riverside.

Full Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation & Refrigeration at UEI College-Riverside Report

With a ranking of #18, United Education Institute-Anaheim did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration students. United Education Institute-Anaheim is a small private for-profit school located in the large suburb of Garden Grove.

Full Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation & Refrigeration at United Education Institute-Anaheim Report

Tulsa Welding School-Jacksonville landed the #19 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration programs. TWS is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the city of Jacksonville.

Read full report on Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation & Refrigeration at Tulsa Welding School-Jacksonville

#20

Advanced Training Institute

Las Vegas, NV

Advanced Training Institute came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Heating, Ventilation, Air & Cooling Trade Schools ranking. Advanced Training Institute is a small private for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Las Vegas.

Read full report on Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation & Refrigeration at Advanced Training Institute

Houston School of Carpentry ranked #21 on this year’s Most Popular Heating, Ventilation, Air & Cooling Trade Schools list. Located in the large city of Houston, Houston School of Carpentry is a private for-profit college with a student population.

Full Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation & Refrigeration at Houston School of Carpentry Report

#22

El Centro College

Dallas, TX

El Centro College ranked #22 on this year’s Most Popular Heating, Ventilation, Air & Cooling Trade Schools list. Located in the large city of Dallas, El Centro College is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Full Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation & Refrigeration at El Centro College Report

With a ranking of #23, Florida Career College - Orlando did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration students. Florida Career College - Orlando is a small private for-profit school located in the suburb of Orlando.

Full Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation & Refrigeration at Florida Career College - Orlando Report

#23

Hennepin Technical College

Brooklyn Park, MN

Hennepin Technical College came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Heating, Ventilation, Air & Cooling Trade Schools ranking. Hennepin Technical College is a small public school located in the large suburb of Brooklyn Park.

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With a ranking of #25, United Education Institute-Huntington Park Campus did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration students. United Education Institute-Huntington Park Campus is a small private for-profit school located in the suburb of Huntington Park.

Full Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation & Refrigeration at United Education Institute-Huntington Park Campus Report

#31

Charter College

Vancouver, WA
#34

Institute of Technology

Clovis, CA
#35

UEI College-Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA
#38

Central Georgia Technical College

Warner Robins, GA
#43

Summit College

San Bernardino, CA
#44

Pennco Tech-Bristol

Bristol, PA
#45

HVAC Technical Institute

Chicago, IL
#48

UEI College-Fresno

Fresno, CA

Additional Award Winners

This list represents the rest of the schools awarded a Most Popular Heating, Ventilation, Air & Cooling Trade Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 15% of the 651 different United States heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration schools we analyzed.

Rank College Location
51 Lamson Institute San Antonio, TX
53 Tidewater Tech-Trades Norfolk, VA
54 Coastal Carolina Community College Jacksonville, NC
54 Atlantic Technical College Coconut Creek, FL
54 Maysville Community and Technical College Maysville, KY
57 School Removed
57 Florida Career College - Tampa Tampa, FL
57 Rowan-Cabarrus Community College Salisbury, NC
60 Metropolitan Community College - Kansas City Kansas City, MO
60 Indian Capital Technology Center, Muskogee Muskogee, OK
60 Intellitec College - Colorado Springs Colorado Springs, CO
63 El Paso Community College El Paso, TX
63 Northshore Technical Community College Lacombe, LA
65 Gateway Community and Technical College Florence, KY
66 Fortis College - Cincinnati Cincinnati, OH
67 New England Tractor Trailer Training School of Rhode Island Pawtucket, RI
68 United Education Institute - UEI College - Phoenix Phoenix, AZ
69 Northeast Technical Institute Scarborough, ME
70 Orleans Technical College Philadelphia, PA
71 Jefferson Community and Technical College Louisville, KY
71 Fortis College - Salt Lake City Salt Lake City, UT
73 Florida Career College - Hialeah Hialeah, FL
74 MotoRing Technical Training Institute Seekonk, MA
74 Gwinnett Technical College Lawrenceville, GA
76 Fortis Institute - Wayne Wayne, NJ
76 College of Business and Technology-Hialeah Hialeah, FL
78 Del Mar College Corpus Christi, TX
78 Mayfield College Cathedral City, CA
80 New England Tractor Trailer Training School of Massachusetts North Andover, MA
80 Interactive College of Technology - Chamblee Chamblee, GA
80 San Jacinto Community College Pasadena, TX
83 Florida Career College Pembroke Pines, FL
83 Ohio Business College-Sheffield Sheffield Village, OH
83 Fortis College - Columbus Westerville, OH
83 United Education Institute-UEI College Stockton Stockton, CA
87 Century College White Bear Lake, MN
88 Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology Lancaster, PA
88 Elgin Community College Elgin, IL
88 Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology Boston, MA
91 Cape Fear Community College Wilmington, NC
92 CET, Alexandria Alexandria, VA
93 Ingram State Technical College Deatsville, AL
93 Northwest Mississippi Community College Senatobia, MS
95 Fortis Institute - Birmingham Birmingham, AL
95 UEI College-Sacramento Sacramento, CA
95 Hazard Community and Technical College Hazard, KY
95 Central Piedmont Community College Charlotte, NC
95 Fortis College - Richmond Richmond, VA
95 Hinds Community College Raymond, MS

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional popular schools for Heating, Ventilation, Air & Cooling students that almost earned our Most Popular Heating, Ventilation, Air & Cooling Trade Schools award.

Rank College Location
101 South Texas College McAllen, TX
101 Centura College - Newport News Newport News, VA
103 Horry-Georgetown Technical College Conway, SC
103 San Joaquin Valley College-Visalia Visalia, CA
103 West Kentucky Community and Technical College Paducah, KY
103 Fortis College - Centerville Centerville, OH
103 West Georgia Technical College Waco, GA
103 National Career Education Citrus Heights, CA
109 Central Louisiana Technical Community College Alexandria, LA
109 Gaston College Dallas, NC
109 Virginia Western Community College Roanoke, VA
112 Fortis Institute - Lawrenceville Lawrenceville, NJ
112 All-State Career School - Pittsburgh West Mifflin, PA
112 Tulsa Technology Center Tulsa, OK
112 Escuela Tecnica de Electricidad Ponce, PR
116 Fortis College - Montgomery Montgomery, AL
116 Alamance Community College Graham, NC
116 Columbus Technical College Columbus, GA
119 Pitt Community College Winterville, NC
119 Tyler Junior College Tyler, TX
119 DeHart Technical School Modesto, CA
119 Arkansas State University - Newport Newport, AR
119 Fortis College - Smyrna Smyrna, GA
124 North American Trade Schools Baltimore, MD
124 Florida Career College - Miami Miami, FL
124 Mohave Community College Kingman, AZ
127 William Rainey Harper College Palatine, IL
128 Northern Virginia Community College Annandale, VA
128 Erie Community College Buffalo, NY
130 North Georgia Technical College Clarkesville, GA
130 Fayetteville Technical Community College Fayetteville, NC
130 Texarkana College Texarkana, TX
130 Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College Shell Lake, WI
130 Eastern Arizona College Thatcher, AZ
130 Hudson Valley Community College Troy, NY

Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation & Refrigeration by Region

View the Most Popular Heating, Ventilation, Air & Cooling Trade Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

One of 7 majors within the trade school area of study, heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration has other similar majors worth exploring.

HVACR Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation & Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician 21,891

Related Major Annual Graduates
Vehicle Maintenance & Repair 63,451
Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance 8,446
Electronics Maintenance & Repair 8,127
Precision Systems Maintenance 2,185
Mechanic & Repair Tech (Other) 1,184

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 26 schools only.

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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