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Trade schools · 590 schools

❄️ HVAC & Refrigeration Schools

HVAC training covers the refrigeration cycle, electrical controls, airflow and duct design, heat pumps, and diagnostics. It is one of the few trades where the physics genuinely has to be taught — you cannot reason your way to a correct charge from first principles on a jobsite — which is why classroom time pays off here more than in most trades.

How people actually get in

EPA Section 608 certification is federally required to handle refrigerant and nearly every programme includes it. Beyond that, expect to start as an install helper regardless of your certificate, because speed and hand skills only come from doing it. Service work, where the money is, typically comes after a year or two on installs.

Ask before you enrol

  • Confirm EPA 608 certification is included and tested, not just mentioned.
  • Ask how much time is on live equipment versus a simulator or a trainer board.
  • Check whether heat pumps and inverter-driven systems are taught — that is where the work is going.

Already working in this trade? See software for hvac businesses in our directory.

Largest programs

Where the most people graduate

By credentials awarded in the reporting year. That is a size signal, not a quality ranking — big programs are easier to get into and easier to get lost in.

Eastern Arizona College

Thatcher, AZ · Public · Four-year

❄️ HVAC & Refrigeration 🔥 Welding & Metal Fabrication 🏗️ Construction Technology & Management 🚗 Automotive & Collision Repair +5 more
School details →
Every school, by state

All 590 hvac & refrigeration schools

Alabama 7

Alaska 3

Arizona 14

Arkansas 16

California 38

Colorado 7

Connecticut 3

Delaware 3

Florida 21

Georgia 27

Hawaii 1

Idaho 3

Illinois 30

Indiana 2

Iowa 11

Kansas 12

Kentucky 16

Louisiana 16

Maine 6

Maryland 3

Massachusetts 7

Michigan 16

Minnesota 11

Mississippi 13

Missouri 12

Montana 2

Nebraska 5

Nevada 3

New Hampshire 1

New Jersey 7

New Mexico 3

New York 13

North Carolina 36

North Dakota 2

Ohio 29

Oklahoma 23

Oregon 1

Pennsylvania 27

Rhode Island 1

South Carolina 14

South Dakota 3

Tennessee 25

Texas 38

Utah 7

Virginia 24

Washington 10

West Virginia 7

Wisconsin 11

Other trades

⚡ Electrical🔧 Plumbing & Pipefitting🔥 Welding & Metal Fabrication🪚 Carpentry🧱 Masonry & Concrete🏗️ Construction Technology & Management🎨 Finishing Trades & Roofing🛠️ Building Maintenance & Inspection⚙️ Machining & CNC🔩 Industrial & Electrical Maintenance📟 Appliance, Security & Electronics Repair🚗 Automotive & Collision Repair🚜 Diesel & Heavy Equipment🪵 Woodworking & Cabinetmaking

CIP codes folded into this page: 47.0201. Source: IPEDS, US Department of Education.

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