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

In a field where steady employment matters more than stratospheric earnings, this HVAC program appears positioned to deliver practical value—though the numbers here are estimated from peer programs nationally rather than Savannah Tech's specific outcomes. Based on comparable programs, graduates typically earn around $41,400 in their first year, while carrying an estimated $12,000 in debt. That 0.29 debt-to-earnings ratio suggests manageable repayment: roughly three months of gross pay to clear the educational investment.

What makes this estimate encouraging is that HVAC work in Georgia tracks closely with national benchmarks—the state median of $40,342 sits just below the national figure, and Gwinnett Technical College's reported outcomes align with these estimates. The skilled trades don't vary wildly by location the way some white-collar fields do, which lends some confidence to using peer program data here. With 47% of students receiving Pell grants, Savannah Tech serves a population for whom that modest debt load could open doors to middle-class stability.

The practical takeaway: if your child has aptitude for hands-on work and local employment data supports demand for HVAC technicians in your area, the estimated debt burden looks reasonable compared to what similar programs typically produce. The uncertainty lies in whether Savannah Tech specifically matches these peer outcomes, but the fundamentals of the trade—stable demand, clear licensing paths, limited debt—suggest a lower-risk investment than many alternatives.