Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician (HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR) at Gateway Technical College

Gateway Technical College's HVAC program operates in a Wisconsin market where similar programs typically produce first-year earnings around $48,000—substantially higher than the national median of $36,000 that informs these estimates. Other Wisconsin technical colleges with reported outcomes show graduates earning between $43,000 and $53,000, suggesting this program may underperform the state standard if these national-based estimates hold true.

The estimated debt load of $9,300 is actually reasonable compared to Wisconsin's median of $5,500 for HVAC programs, though the debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.26 assumes those lower national earnings rather than Wisconsin's stronger wages. If Gateway's actual outcomes align more closely with the Wisconsin market, this program could represent solid value for a skilled trade that typically requires less than a year of training. However, that's a significant "if" given we're working from national proxies rather than this school's actual graduate data.

For parents, the question centers on why Gateway's outcomes aren't being reported when 13 Wisconsin schools offer this program and many do report data. The small sample size explanation could mean anything from a newly launched program to low enrollment. Before committing, you'd want to know: how many students complete this program annually, what their job placement rate looks like, and whether graduates actually match the stronger Wisconsin wage benchmarks rather than the national estimates used here.