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

HVAC programs typically produce steady, middle-class earnings in the trades, and this program's estimated figures align with national patterns: first-year earnings around $41,400 against roughly $12,000 in debt. That 0.29 debt-to-earnings ratio suggests manageable repayment—you're looking at debt equal to about three months of first-year income, which falls well within the safe zone for career-focused programs.

What makes this particularly relevant for Richland is the school's community college structure and the third of students receiving Pell grants. Similar HVAC programs nationally carry a median debt of $17,500, so the $12,000 estimate here suggests this could be a lower-cost entry point to the trades. HVAC work offers stable demand regardless of economic cycles—buildings always need climate control—and certification requirements mean the associate's degree serves as genuine credentialing, not just resume padding.

The limitation here is that both earnings and debt are drawn from peer programs since Richland's graduate cohort is too small to report publicly. With 18 Illinois schools offering HVAC programs but none publishing comparable data, you're evaluating this largely on national patterns. If your child is mechanically inclined and prefers hands-on work with clear job pathways, the estimated numbers suggest reasonable value. Just verify actual program costs directly with Richland and ask about job placement rates—the fundamentals look sound, but confirmation matters when you're working from estimates rather than this school's track record.