2025 Best Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation & Refrigeration Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region

Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation & Refrigeration is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #59 most popular associate degree program in the country. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

College Factual reviewed 6 schools in the Great Lakes Region to determine which ones were the best for associate degree seekers in the field of heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 297 associate degrees in heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration during the 2022-2023 academic year.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

• Best Associate Degree Schools List

Choosing a Great Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation & Refrigeration School for Your Associate Degree

The hvacr associate degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality hvacr program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To take this into account we include a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a combination of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Average Early-Career Salaries

To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their associate degree from the school. After all, your associate degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

• Major Focus - How many resources a school devotes to heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration students as compared to other majors.
• Major Demand - How many other heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration students want to attend this school to pursue a associate degree.
• Educational Resources - How many resources are allocated to students. These resources may include educational expenditures per student, number of students per instructor, and graduation rate among other things.
• Student Debt - How easy is it for heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration to pay back their student loans after receiving their associate degree.
• Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration related body.

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration students working on their associate degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation & Refrigeration Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list to help you make the college decision.

Best Schools for Associate Students to Study Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation & Refrigeration in the Great Lakes Region

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing an associate degree in heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration.

Top Great Lakes Region Schools for an Associate in HVACR

1

Chippewa Valley Technical College
Eau Claire, WI

11 Annual Graduates

It is difficult to beat Chippewa Valley Technical College if you want to pursue an associate degree in heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration. CVTC is a medium-sized public college located in the small city of Eau Claire.More information about a associate in heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration from Chippewa Valley Technical College

2

Milwaukee Area Technical College
Milwaukee, WI

11 Annual Graduates

Milwaukee Area Technical College is one of the finest schools in the country for getting an associate degree in heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration. Located in the large city of Milwaukee, MATC is a public college with a fairly large student population.More information about a associate in heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration from Milwaukee Area Technical College

3

Ivy Tech Community College
Indianapolis, IN

79 Annual Graduates

$57,323 Median Starting Salary

Ivy Tech Community College is a wonderful option for individuals pursuing an associate degree in heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration. Ivy Tech Community College is a fairly large public college located in the large city of Indianapolis.

Those heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration students who get their associate degree from Ivy Tech Community College make $7,317 more than the average hvacr grad.

More information about a associate in heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration from Ivy Tech Community College

4

University of Northwestern Ohio
Lima, OH

20 Annual Graduates

$42,690 Median Starting Salary

University of Northwestern Ohio is one of the finest schools in the country for getting an associate degree in heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration. Located in the small suburb of Lima, University of Northwestern Ohio is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.

After graduating, hvacr associate recipients usually make about $42,690 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a associate in heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration from University of Northwestern Ohio

5

Grand Rapids Community College
Grand Rapids, MI

14 Annual Graduates

Located in the medium-sized city of Grand Rapids, Grand Rapids Community College is a public college with a fairly large student population.More information about a associate in heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration from Grand Rapids Community College

6

Southwestern Illinois College
Belleville, IL

11 Annual Graduates

Located in the large suburb of Belleville, SWIC is a public college with a medium-sized student population.More information about a associate in heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration from Southwestern Illinois College

Best Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation & Refrigeration Colleges by State

Explore the best heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration colleges for a specific state in the Great Lakes Region .

State	Colleges	Degrees Awarded
Ohio	196	16
Michigan	192	25
Indiana	123	89
Illinois	119	87
Wisconsin	114	28

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Rankings in Majors Related to HVACR

Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation & Refrigeration is one of 7 different types of Mechanic & Repair Technologies programs to choose from.

HVACR Focus Areas

Major	Annual Graduates
Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation & Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician	297

Majors Similar to HVACR

Related Major	Annual Graduates
Vehicle Maintenance & Repair	1,919
Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance	204
Electronics Maintenance & Repair	111
Mechanics & Repairers	106
Energy Systems Maintenance and Repair Technologies.	4

Notes and References

• The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
• 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.