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

Greenville Technical's HVAC program launches graduates into $50,802 first-year salaries—42% above the national median and comfortably ahead of other South Carolina programs. While this ranks in the 60th percentile statewide (meaning some in-state alternatives perform better), it still outpaces programs at Horry-Georgetown and Fortis by significant margins. The $12,546 debt load sits right at the state median and translates to a quarter of first-year earnings, a manageable burden that most HVAC technicians can handle.

The concerning element here is the slight earnings dip to $49,045 by year four, though with fewer than 30 graduates in this dataset, that decline could reflect individual career paths rather than a systemic problem. What matters more: even at the four-year mark, graduates earn 37% more than the national median for this credential.

For parents evaluating technical training options, this represents solid value. Your child would enter a high-demand field with immediate earning power and modest debt, though you might also compare outcomes at Midlands Technical, which shows slightly higher earnings in the state data. The small sample size warrants caution, but the fundamentals—strong starting salary, reasonable debt, and performance well above national averages—suggest this program delivers what technical education should: quick entry to stable, above-average wages.