How fast does each New Jersey program pay for itself?
Pick a program. Cost and length are pre-filled from its listing below where the school publishes a total, and every field is yours to change.
Gross pay, before tax and living costs, so the real payback is longer. Pay figure defaults to the New Jersey median for experienced technicians ($76,400, BLS May 2024); entry pay is lower, so adjust it down for a realistic first year. Full method on our methodology page.
Eastwick College
Nutley, NJEastwick graduates leave with Universal EPA and R-410A certifications plus NJPHCC recognition as second-year apprentices, which matters enormously in a state whose only license requires apprenticeship-grade experience: the diploma literally advances your standing on the licensing clock.
- Credential
- HVACR diploma, 12 months days or 16 months evenings
- Length
- 12 to 16 months
- Cost
- Private tuition; confirm the current program total in writing
- Format
- In person, day or evening tracks
- EPA 608 prep
- Universal EPA and R-410A certifications earned in the program
- Accreditation
- Accredited private institution
Worth knowing: The second-year apprentice standing is the quiet headline; in New Jersey's one-license system, time credit is worth more than coursework.
Steamfitters Local 475 HVAC-R Service Apprenticeship
Warren, NJLocal 475's dedicated HVAC-R service division recruits on a hard calendar: for 2026, applications run September 14 through 25, with 75 applications available first come, first served at the Warren training center.
- Credential
- Five-year HVAC-R service technician apprenticeship
- Length
- 5 years, paid
- Cost
- No tuition; paid throughout
- Format
- On the job plus classroom at the Warren training center
- EPA 608 prep
- Earned during the apprenticeship
- Accreditation
- US DOL registered apprenticeship
Worth knowing: Seventy-five applications, first come, first served, one window a year: be in line early on day one. Ranked on merit.
UA Local 274 Apprenticeship
Parsippany, NJLocal 274's Parsippany program pairs 1,700 to 2,000 annual on-the-job hours with a minimum 160 classroom hours per year for five years, feeding north Jersey's dense commercial and institutional mechanical market.
- Credential
- Five-year HVAC apprenticeship, 1,700 to 2,000 on-the-job hours plus at least 160 classroom hours per year
- Length
- 5 years, paid
- Cost
- No tuition; paid throughout
- Format
- On the job plus classroom
- EPA 608 prep
- Earned during the apprenticeship
- Accreditation
- US DOL registered apprenticeship
Worth knowing: New Jersey's four UA locals share statewide classroom training through the state association, so the local you join is mostly a geography question. Ranked on merit.
UA Local 9 Apprenticeship
Englishtown, NJLocal 9's training center covers central Jersey's corridor from the shore towns to the turnpike's warehouse belt, whose logistics refrigeration adds a distinct specialty to the usual commercial mix.
- Credential
- Five-year plumbers and pipefitters HVAC apprenticeship
- Length
- 5 years, paid
- Cost
- No tuition; paid throughout
- Format
- On the job plus classroom
- EPA 608 prep
- Earned during the apprenticeship
- Accreditation
- US DOL registered apprenticeship
Worth knowing: Applications are competitive and accepted once a year; treat the window like Local 475's. Ranked on merit.
Mercer County Community College
West Windsor and Trenton, NJMercer's 60-credit AAS is the state's college-credit route, useful because New Jersey's degree pathways to the Master HVACR license explicitly credit formal education against the experience requirement.
- Credential
- 60-credit AAS in heating, refrigeration and air conditioning
- Length
- 2 years
- Cost
- New Jersey county college rates
- Format
- In person
- EPA 608 prep
- Prepared for during the program
- Accreditation
- MSCHE
Worth knowing: Read our New Jersey licensing guide's pathway table before choosing between this and a diploma; the license math differs by route.
Lincoln Tech
Mahwah and Union, NJLincoln Tech's Mahwah and Union campuses carry HVAC Excellence programmatic accreditation, compressing a technician curriculum into about ten months with live commercial equipment and the chain's employer pipeline.
- Credential
- HVAC diploma
- Length
- About 10 months
- Cost
- Roughly $20,000 to $25,000 per published national figures; get the campus total in writing
- Format
- In person
- EPA 608 prep
- Prepared for during the program
- Accreditation
- HVAC Excellence accredited campuses
Worth knowing: You are paying four to five figures more than county colleges for speed and the accreditation stamp; make admissions itemize what that buys.
Pennco Tech
Blackwood, NJPennco Tech gives south Jersey a 35-week private route within reach of the Philadelphia metro's labor market, filling a region the union training centers and north Jersey privates leave thin.
- Credential
- 35-week HVAC program
- Length
- 35 weeks
- Cost
- Private tuition; confirm the current program total in writing
- Format
- In person
- EPA 608 prep
- Prepared for during the program
- Accreditation
- Accredited private institution
Worth knowing: South Jersey students can also price Philadelphia-side programs; the license you eventually need is New Jersey's either way.
New Jersey HVAC schools compared
| # | Program | Credential | Length | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eastwick College | HVACR diploma, 12 months days or 16 months evenings | 12 to 16 months | Private tuition |
| 2 | Steamfitters Local 475 HVAC-R Service Apprenticeship | Five-year HVAC-R service technician apprenticeship | 5 years, paid | No tuition |
| 3 | UA Local 274 Apprenticeship | Five-year HVAC apprenticeship, 1,700 to 2,000 on-the-job hours plus at least 160 classroom hours per year | 5 years, paid | No tuition |
| 4 | UA Local 9 Apprenticeship | Five-year plumbers and pipefitters HVAC apprenticeship | 5 years, paid | No tuition |
| 5 | Mercer County Community College | 60-credit AAS in heating, refrigeration and air conditioning | 2 years | New Jersey county college rates |
| 6 | Lincoln Tech | HVAC diploma | About 10 months | Roughly $20,000 to $25,000 per published national figures |
| 7 | Pennco Tech | 35-week HVAC program | 35 weeks | Private tuition |
What do HVAC techs earn in New Jersey?
New Jersey HVAC technicians average about $76,400 per year, with entry-level graduates typically starting between $25 and $36 per hour and experienced techs in major metros pushing well beyond that. Licensing status moves the number more than anything else, which is why the New Jersey licensing guide should be read alongside this list.
New Jersey HVAC schools: frequently asked questions
Do you need a license to work in HVAC in New Jersey?
Not as a technician, and there is no journeyman card to get: New Jersey issues exactly one credential, the Master HVACR license, at minimum age 21, through pathways that credit degrees, diplomas, and apprenticeship years differently. Our New Jersey licensing guide tables the pathways; read it before picking a program, because the license math differs by route.
How much does HVAC school cost in New Jersey?
County colleges like Mercer charge standard per-credit rates for the 60-credit AAS, private diplomas at Eastwick, Lincoln Tech, and Pennco run five figures with Lincoln's national range near $20,000 to $25,000, and all four UA apprenticeships charge nothing while paying wages for five years.
What makes Eastwick's diploma unusual?
Graduates leave with Universal EPA and R-410A certifications plus NJPHCC recognition as second-year apprentices, meaning the diploma advances your standing toward the experience the Master license requires. In a one-license state, that time credit is worth more than most coursework.
How do the union application windows work?
They are hard and brief: Local 475's HVAC-R service division opens September 14 through 25 in 2026 with 75 applications first come, first served, and the other locals run similar once-a-year windows. The four locals share statewide classroom training, so apply by geography and treat the window like a job interview.