Associate's · Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Is Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician (HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR) at Rosedale Technical College worth it?

Low confidence Low confidence: fewer than 40 graduates behind the earnings figures.

The verdict · all families, in-state, half paid with loans

Pays back fast: graduates typically recover the cost in about 2.4 years.

Earnings 1 year after graduating: $51,950; Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Earnings 4 years after graduating: $59,485; Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Typical federal debt at graduation: $12,000; NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
Net cost to graduate, all families: $29k (likely $29k – $29k); AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
Earnings bump, year 4: $20k a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in PA; 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
Payback: 2.4 years (likely 1.6–4.2); Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
10-year net return: $91k (likely $2k – $198k); Today's dollars
20-year net return: $351k (likely $152k – $598k); Today's dollars
Odds of finishing (school-wide): 76%; Fall 2019 or AcadYr 2019-20 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26