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

Horry-Georgetown Technical College delivers HVAC training at a price that's hard to beat—just $9,500 in debt versus the state's typical $12,546—but earnings fall short of what South Carolina's strongest programs deliver. Starting at $40,480 and climbing to $48,502 after four years, graduates earn solidly above the national average (76th percentile) yet lag behind the state median of $43,642, landing at the 40th percentile among South Carolina schools. That gap matters: top programs like Greenville Technical College produce graduates earning $50,802 within a year.

The core question is whether lower debt compensates for lower earnings. With a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.23, graduates can realistically pay off loans within a year or two of focused effort. The 20% earnings growth over four years suggests the trade fundamentals are strong, even if immediate post-graduation salaries don't match competitors. For students who need to minimize borrowing—particularly relevant given that 39% of students here receive Pell grants—this becomes a viable path into skilled trades work.

If your child can access one of South Carolina's higher-performing HVAC programs without substantially more debt, that's worth exploring. But for students prioritizing low financial risk and manageable debt loads, Horry-Georgetown offers a reasonably safe entry point into a field with national earnings momentum, even if it doesn't represent the strongest earning potential within the state.