Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician (HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR) at Southern Regional Technical College
Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma
southernregional.eduAnalysis
Based on comparable HVAC programs in Georgia, Southern Regional Technical College's certificate appears to offer standard training at a below-average cost. The estimated $9,298 in debt sits comfortably under both the state median ($11,106) and national median ($10,223), while projected first-year earnings of roughly $35,800 align precisely with typical outcomes across Georgia's HVAC programs.
What's harder to gauge is whether this program matches the performance of Georgia's strongest technical colleges. Schools like Georgia Piedmont Technical and Athens Technical report first-year earnings in the $45,000-$49,000 range for their HVAC graduates—outcomes that would represent nearly 40% higher pay than what peer programs suggest for Southern Regional. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.26 looks manageable on paper, but that calculation assumes earnings materialize as peer data predicts.
For families weighing this investment, the lower debt burden offers some downside protection—your child could feasibly pay off less than $10,000 even on modest HVAC wages. However, given that several Georgia technical colleges have documented significantly stronger graduate outcomes in this same field, it's worth understanding why this program's data is suppressed and whether graduates are actually finding comparable work. The 44% Pell grant rate suggests the school serves students who need these credentials to work, but without program-specific outcomes, you're betting on industry averages rather than proven results from this particular campus.
Where Southern Regional Technical College Stands
Earnings vs. debt across all heating, air conditioning, ventilation and refrigeration maintenance technology/technician (hac, hacr, hvac, hvacr) certificate's programs nationally
Compare to Similar Programs in Georgia
Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician (HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR) certificate's programs at peer institutions in Georgia (26 total in state)
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| School | In-State Tuition | Earnings (1yr)* | Earnings (4yr) | Median Debt* | Debt/Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Southern Regional Technical CollegeThomasville | $3,122 | $35,785* | — | $9,298* | — |
 Georgia Piedmont Technical CollegeClarkston | $3,188 | $49,346* | $37,801 | —* | — |
 Athens Technical CollegeAthens | $3,172 | $45,356* | — | —* | — |
 Chattahoochee Technical CollegeMarietta | $3,252 | $41,978* | $52,903 | —* | — |
 Interactive College of Technology-ChambleeChamblee | $11,330 | $41,374* | $43,851 | $11,106* | 0.27 |
 Fortis College-SmyrnaSmyrna | $14,929 | $35,785* | $38,708 | $13,000* | 0.36 |
| National Median | — | $35,749* | — | $10,223* | 0.29 |
Career Paths
Occupations commonly associated with heating, air conditioning, ventilation and refrigeration maintenance technology/technician (hac, hacr, hvac, hvacr) graduates
About This Data
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (October 2025 release)
Population: Graduates who received federal financial aid (Title IV grants or loans). At Southern Regional Technical College, approximately 44% of students receive Pell grants. Students who did not receive federal aid are not included in these figures.
Earnings: Median earnings from IRS W-2 data for graduates who are employed and not enrolled in further education, measured 1 year after completion. Earnings are pre-tax and include wages, salaries, and self-employment income.
Debt: Median cumulative federal loan debt at graduation. Does not include private loans or Parent PLUS loans borrowed on behalf of students.
Estimated Earnings: Actual earnings data is not available for this program (typically due to privacy thresholds when fewer than 30 graduates reported earnings). The estimate shown is based on the median of 9 similar programs in GA. Actual outcomes may vary.