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2025 Best Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation & Refrigeration Schools in the Southwest Region

7 Colleges in the Southwest Region
2,814 HVACR Degrees Awarded
$36,758 Avg Early-Career Salary
Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation & Refrigeration is about average in terms of popularity for degree programs. That is, it ranks #192 out of the 395 majors across the country that we analyze each year. So, you may have to do some digging around to find quality schools that offer the degree program. This list can help with that.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 7 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation & Refrigeration Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 2,814 degrees in heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation & Refrigeration School

Best Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation & Refrigeration Schools in the Southwest Region The hvacr program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation & Refrigeration rankings. For our Best Overall Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation & Refrigeration School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Pick Your Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation & Refrigeration Degree Level

Associate Degrees in HVACR

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 Schools in the Southwest Region list to help you make the college decision. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation & Refrigeration in the Southwest Region

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the hvacr degrees they offer, see the list below.

Top Southwest Region Schools in HVACR

1
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
$58,336 Median Starting Salary

Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration. Located in the distant town of Okmulgee, OSU Institute of Technology is a public university with a small student population. This university ranks 7th out of 31 colleges for overall quality in the state of Oklahoma.

There were approximately 24 heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration students who graduated with this degree at OSU Institute of Technology in the most recent data year. Those heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration students who get their degree from Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology earn $21,578 more than the typical hvacr grad.

More information about a degree in heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration from Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology

2
North Harris Montgomery crest
Lone Star College System
The Woodlands, TX
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
173 HVACR Degrees Awarded
$32,070 Median Starting Salary

Lone Star College System is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration. North Harris Montgomery is a very large public college located in the city of The Woodlands. A Best Colleges rank of #557 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means North Harris Montgomery is a great college overall.

There were about 173 heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration students who graduated with this degree at North Harris Montgomery in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the hvacr program earn around $32,070 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a degree in heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration from Lone Star College System

3
DMC crest
Del Mar College
Corpus Christi, TX
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
8th Most Popular In TX
90 HVACR Degrees Awarded

It is difficult to beat Del Mar College if you wish to pursue a degree in heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration. DMC is a moderately-sized public college located in the city of Corpus Christi. This college ranks 29th out of 115 colleges for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were about 90 heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration students who graduated with this degree at DMC in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration from Del Mar College

4
El Centro College crest
El Centro College
Dallas, TX
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
118 HVACR Degrees Awarded
$28,849 Median Starting Salary

El Centro College is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration. El Centro College is a very large public college located in the city of Dallas. A Best Colleges rank of #281 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means El Centro College is a great college overall.

There were about 118 heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration students who graduated with this degree at El Centro College in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the hvacr program report average early career earnings of $28,849.

More information about a degree in heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration from El Centro College

5
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
56 HVACR Degrees Awarded
3.6% Growth in Graduates

South Texas College is a fairly large public college located in the city of McAllen. A Best Colleges rank of #485 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means South Texas College is a great college overall.

There were roughly 56 heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration students who graduated with this degree at South Texas College in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the hvacr program state that they receive average early career earnings of $25,711.

More information about a degree in heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration from South Texas College

6
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In NM
44 HVACR Degrees Awarded

Located in the large city of Albuquerque, CNM is a public college with a fairly large student population. This college ranks 2nd out of 24 colleges for overall quality in the state of New Mexico.

There were roughly 44 heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration students who graduated with this degree at CNM in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration from Central New Mexico Community College

7
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
6th Most Popular In TX
90 HVACR Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of Tyler, Tyler Junior College is a public college with a fairly large student population. This college ranks 54th out of 115 colleges for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were roughly 90 heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration students who graduated with this degree at Tyler Junior College in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration from Tyler Junior College

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

Explore the best heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration schools for a specific state in the Southwest Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Texas 317 172
Arizona 287 5
Oklahoma 257 38
New Mexico 219 16

View All Rankings >

One of 7 majors within the Mechanic & Repair Technologies area of study, Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation & Refrigeration has other similar majors worth exploring.

HVACR Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation & Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician 2,814

View All HVACR Concentrations >

Majors Similar to HVACR

Related Major Annual Graduates
Vehicle Maintenance & Repair 11,782
Precision Systems Maintenance 1,474
Electronics Maintenance & Repair 811
Mechanic & Repair Tech (Other) 180
Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance 133
Energy Systems Maintenance and Repair Technologies. 7
Mechanics & Repairers 2

View All HVACR Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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