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

11 Colleges in the Plains States Region
1,304 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 11 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation & Refrigeration Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,304 degrees in heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration annually.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

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

Best Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation & Refrigeration Schools in the Plains States Region Your choice of heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. 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.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation & Refrigeration Rankings by Degree Level

Associate Degrees in HVACR

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation & Refrigeration Schools in the Plains States Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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 Plains States 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.

10 Top Plains States Region Schools in HVACR

1
Hennepin Technical College crest
Hennepin Technical College
Brooklyn Park, MN
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
156 HVACR Degrees Awarded
19.9% Growth in Graduates

It's hard to beat Hennepin Technical College if you wish to pursue a degree in heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration. Hennepin Technical College is a small public college located in the suburb of Brooklyn Park. A Best Colleges rank of #282 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Hennepin Technical College is a great college overall.

There were roughly 156 heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration students who graduated with this degree at Hennepin Technical College in the most recent data year. Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation & Refrigeration degree recipients from Hennepin Technical College get an earnings boost of around $28,834 over the typical earnings of heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration majors.

More information about a degree in heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration from Hennepin Technical College

2
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
$56,191 Median Starting Salary

Minneapolis Community and Technical College is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration. Located in the city of Minneapolis, Minneapolis Community and Technical College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population. This college ranks 25th out of 52 colleges for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.

There were about 21 heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration students who graduated with this degree at Minneapolis Community and Technical College in the most recent year we have data available. Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation & Refrigeration degree recipients from Minneapolis Community and Technical College earn a boost of about $19,433 above the average earnings of heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration graduates.

More information about a degree in heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration from Minneapolis Community and Technical College

3
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
35 HVACR Degrees Awarded
14.3% Growth in Graduates

Any student pursuing a degree in heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration has to look into State Technical College of Missouri. STC is a small public college located in the rural area of Linn. A Best Colleges rank of #484 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means STC is a great college overall.

There were roughly 35 heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration students who graduated with this degree at STC in the most recent year we have data available. Those heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration students who get their degree from State Technical College of Missouri earn $6,965 more than the average hvacr graduate.

More information about a degree in heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration from State Technical College of Missouri

4
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
$47,076 Median Starting Salary

Every student pursuing a degree in heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration needs to check out Dunwoody College of Technology. Dunwoody College of Technology is a small private not-for-profit college located in the large city of Minneapolis. This college ranks 26th out of 52 schools for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.

There were approximately 19 heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration students who graduated with this degree at Dunwoody College of Technology in the most recent data year. Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation & Refrigeration degree recipients from Dunwoody College of Technology get an earnings boost of around $10,318 above the typical earnings of heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration graduates.

More information about a degree in heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration from Dunwoody College of Technology

5
Century College crest
Century College
White Bear Lake, MN
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
144 HVACR Degrees Awarded
57.6% Growth in Graduates

Century College is a medium-sized public college located in the large suburb of White Bear Lake. A Best Colleges rank of #486 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Century College is a great college overall.

There were roughly 144 heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration students who graduated with this degree at Century College in the most recent year we have data available. Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation & Refrigeration degree recipients from Century College get an earnings boost of about $15,347 above the typical income of heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration majors.

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

6
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In NE
61 HVACR Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of Omaha, MCC is a public college with a fairly large student population. This college ranks 5th out of 19 colleges for overall quality in the state of Nebraska.

There were about 61 heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration students who graduated with this degree at MCC in the most recent year we have data available.

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

7
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In IA
50.0% Growth in Graduates

DMACC is a very large public college located in the suburb of Ankeny. A Best Colleges rank of #408 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means DMACC is a great college overall.

There were approximately 18 heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration students who graduated with this degree at DMACC in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration from Des Moines Area Community College

8
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
$49,666 Median Starting Salary

Southeast Community College is a moderately-sized public college located in the large city of Lincoln. This college ranks 6th out of 19 schools for overall quality in the state of Nebraska.

There were roughly 10 heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration students who graduated with this degree at Southeast Community College in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration program at Southeast Community College Area earn $12,908 more than the typical college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration from Southeast Community College Area

9
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In IA
64.3% Growth in Graduates

Located in the town of Fort Dodge, Iowa Central Community College is a public college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #498 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Iowa Central Community College is a great college overall.

There were roughly 14 heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration students who graduated with this degree at Iowa Central Community College in the most recent year we have data available.

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

10
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In IA

Located in the rural area of Mason City, North Iowa Area Community College is a public college with a small student population. This college ranks 26th out of 37 schools for overall quality in the state of Iowa.

There were approximately 15 heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration students who graduated with this degree at North Iowa Area Community College in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in heating, air conditioning, ventilation & refrigeration from North Iowa Area Community 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 Plains States Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Minnesota 284 96
Missouri 283 68
Kansas 266 18
Iowa 264 32
Nebraska 238 44
North Dakota 210 4
South Dakota 204 26

View All Rankings >

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 1,304

View All HVACR Focus Areas >

Majors Similar to HVACR

Related Major Annual Graduates
Vehicle Maintenance & Repair 4,030
Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance 526
Electronics Maintenance & Repair 257
Precision Systems Maintenance 117
Energy Systems Maintenance and Repair Technologies. 86
Mechanic & Repair Tech (Other) 37

View All HVACR Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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