How Much Does HVAC School Cost in Florida?
At Florida's state colleges, in-state tuition and fees for a full-time year (2024-25) run from $2,026 at Tallahassee Community College to $3,165 at South Florida State College. District technical colleges publish whole-program prices as low as $2,000 at M-DCPS The English Center. Private schools cost far more: $14,030 a year at CBT Technology Institute, $16,920 at Jones Technical Institute, and $20,025 for the whole Refrigeration Technologies program at Tulsa Welding School in Jacksonville.
HVAC school in Florida can cost about as much as a used car or about as much as a new one. The difference comes down to which kind of school you pick. Florida has three distinct tiers: state colleges that charge by the year, district technical colleges that post one price for the whole program, and private career schools that charge the most.
All tuition figures below are tuition and fees for a full-time year in 2024-25, from NCES College Navigator, unless a figure is labeled as a whole-program price. Whole-program prices are what NCES publishes for the entire program from start to finish.
Florida HVAC Costs Fall Into Three Tiers
Here is the short version before the detail:
- State colleges such as Florida State College at Jacksonville and Palm Beach State College charge in-state students between $2,026 and $3,165 for a full-time year.
- District technical colleges such as Manatee Technical College and Lively Technical College publish whole-program prices, from $2,000 up to $7,238.
- Private schools such as CBT Technology Institute, Fortis Institute and Jones Technical Institute charge $14,030 to $16,920 a year, or $8,700 to $20,025 for a whole program.
If you live in Florida and can attend during the day, the public options are hard to beat on price. If you need Spanish-language classes, weekends or a quick start, some of the private schools offer schedules the public ones don’t, and you pay for that.
State College Tuition Starts at $2,026 a Year
Florida’s state colleges run most of their HVAC programs as 1,350-hour or 750-hour career certificates. Out-of-state tuition is roughly three to four times the in-state rate, so residency matters.
| School | City | In-state tuition and fees | Out-of-state | Books and supplies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tallahassee Community College | Tallahassee | $2,026 | $8,062 | $800 |
| Pensacola State College | Pensacola | $2,361 | $9,460 | $1,800 |
| Eastern Florida State College | Cocoa | $2,496 | $9,739 | $600 |
| Santa Fe College | Gainesville | $2,563 | $9,189 | $783 |
| Indian River State College | Fort Pierce | $2,764 | $10,201 | $1,620 |
| Florida State College at Jacksonville | Jacksonville | $2,878 | $9,992 | $1,400 |
| Palm Beach State College | Lake Worth | $3,050 | $10,910 | $2,700 |
| Florida Gateway College | Lake City | $3,100 | $11,747 | $1,271 |
| Daytona State College | Daytona Beach | $3,106 | $11,994 | $1,800 |
| Seminole State College of Florida | Sanford | $3,122 | $11,447 | $1,450 |
| South Florida State College | Avon Park | $3,165 | $11,859 | $1,200 |
A few things stand out. Tallahassee Community College has the lowest in-state tuition in the state and offers HVAC/R 1 (750 clock hours) and HVAC/R 2 (600 clock hours) as separate certificates, so you can stop after the first one and go to work.
Florida State College at Jacksonville suits people who can’t quit a day job: its part-time evening program meets Monday to Thursday, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., for 24 months, alongside a 12-month day cohort.
Palm Beach State College lists the highest books-and-supplies figure on the table at $2,700, so its lower tuition doesn’t tell the whole story. It runs the full 1,350-hour certificate in 45 weeks by day or 70 weeks in the evening.
Indian River State College is the one to look at if you want a degree. It offers a 64-credit Associate in Applied Science alongside four certificates, with day or evening schedules for the clock-hour certificates.
Technical Colleges Post One Price for the Whole Program
Florida’s district technical colleges, run by county school districts, publish a single whole-program price rather than a yearly rate. That makes them easy to compare with each other but harder to line up against state colleges.
Some examples of whole-program tuition and fees:
- M-DCPS The English Center, Miami: $2,000 for 750 clock hours, taught evenings and Saturdays with open-entry enrollment
- South Dade Technical College, Homestead: $2,030 for 750 clock hours
- Manatee Technical College, Bradenton: $5,100 for 1,350 clock hours over about 12 months
- Lorenzo Walker Technical College, Naples: $7,238 for 1,350 clock hours over 14 months
The spread depends mostly on program length: 750-hour HVAC/R 1 certificates cost less than full 1,350-hour programs. The full list, with hours and months for every technical college that reports them, is in the guide to Florida’s clock-hour HVAC programs.
Ridge Technical College in Winter Haven is the exception. It reports yearly tuition instead: $3,930 in state and $10,530 out of state for its 750-hour HVAC/R 1 certificate.
Private HVAC Schools Cost $8,700 to $20,025
Private career schools in Florida report their prices two ways. Some list a yearly tuition, and others list a whole-program price.
| School | City | Price | What it covers | Books and supplies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CBT Technology Institute | Miami, Hialeah, Cutler Bay | $14,030 | Yearly tuition and fees | $1,865 |
| Fortis Institute-Port Saint Lucie | Port St. Lucie | $14,839 | Yearly tuition and fees | $1,215 |
| Fortis Institute-Pensacola | Pensacola | $15,069 | Yearly tuition and fees | $1,232 |
| Jones Technical Institute | Jacksonville | $16,920 | Yearly tuition and fees | $1,338 |
| Futura Career Institute | Hialeah | $8,700 | Whole program, 36 credit hours | Included |
| Florida International Training Institute | Miami | $9,050 | Whole program, 660 clock hours | $250 |
| InterAmerican Technical Institute | Miami | $11,115 | Whole program, 28 credit hours | $360 |
| Florida Academy | Fort Myers | $13,000 | Whole program, 600 clock hours | $945 |
| Florida Education Institute | Miami | $16,979 | Whole program, 54 credit hours | $500 |
| Southern Technical College | Orlando | $18,900 | Whole program, 48 credit hours | Included |
| Tulsa Welding School-Jacksonville | Jacksonville | $20,025 | Whole program, 28 credit hours | $2,800 |
What you get for the higher price is mostly flexibility. CBT Technology Institute teaches both its 8-month diploma and its 20-month associate degree in English or Spanish, on campus or in a hybrid format, at three Miami-Dade campuses. Florida International Training Institute offers mornings, evenings and weekends. InterAmerican Technical Institute runs a morning shift and an evening shift, also in English and Spanish.
Florida Academy in Fort Myers is worth a look if you want electrical skills too: besides its 600-hour HVAC/R diploma, it offers a combined HVAC and electrical diploma.
Books, Tools and Fees Change the Real Price
Tuition is only part of what you pay. Where schools charge for them, books and supplies in Florida range from $150 at Lorenzo Walker Technical College to $3,119 at Orange Technical College-West Campus, which is more than that school’s own whole-program tuition of $2,552.
Certification exams can also be extra. Atlantic Technical College says exam costs are extra but may be reimbursed when you pass. Eastern Florida State College’s catalog lists the EPA 608 exam at $27, and Charlotte Technical College’s 2026-27 cost sheet includes a $40 industry certification fee. The EPA 608 testing guide for Florida covers which schools test on campus.
For a wider look at what drives these numbers, see the HVAC training cost guide.
Ways to Pay Less for HVAC Training in Florida
Three routes can cut your cost:
Registered apprenticeships. You work for a participating contractor and take classes at night or on weekends. Hillsborough Community College’s HVACR apprenticeship carries no tuition for classroom instruction, and The College of the Florida Keys says its apprentices are paid full-time employees and classes are free. The catch: you usually need to be hired by a participating employer first. The HVAC apprenticeship guide explains how that works.
Stacking a short certificate. Many public schools split the program into HVAC/R 1 (750 hours) and HVAC/R 2 (600 hours). You can finish the first, start working, and come back for the second later.
Articulation into a degree. Some technical college certificates carry credit toward an associate degree later. Atlantic Technical College completers may earn free articulated credit toward an associate degree at Broward College, and Charlotte Technical College’s program articulates into AAS and AS degrees at Florida state colleges.
Which Florida HVAC School Fits Your Budget
If price is your main concern and you can attend weekdays, start with a state college or a technical college near you. Tallahassee, Jacksonville and the Miami area all have public programs priced in the low thousands, whether by the year or for the whole program.
If you work days, look at evening programs at public schools before paying private tuition. Florida State College at Jacksonville, Manatee Technical College and M-DCPS The English Center all run evening classes.
If you need Spanish instruction or weekend classes and have the budget, CBT Technology Institute and InterAmerican Technical Institute are built around those needs.
Search by city on the Florida HVAC schools page or start with the Jacksonville HVAC schools or Miami HVAC schools lists to see every program near you. Once you know the cost, the Florida HVAC technician salary guide shows what the work pays.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Out-of-State Students Pay More at Florida Colleges?
Yes, a lot more. Daytona State College charges $3,106 in state and $11,994 out of state, and Palm Beach State College charges $3,050 in state and $10,910 out of state (2024-25 tuition and fees for a full-time year).
Which Florida HVAC School Has the Lowest Tuition?
Among the state colleges, Tallahassee Community College has the lowest in-state tuition and fees at $2,026 for a full-time year. For a whole-program price, M-DCPS The English Center in Miami lists $2,000 for its 750-hour HVAC/R 1 certificate.
Can You Get HVAC Training in Florida Without Paying Tuition?
Through some registered apprenticeships, yes. Hillsborough Community College's HVACR apprenticeship carries no tuition for its classroom instruction, and The College of the Florida Keys says its apprentices are paid full-time employees whose classes are free.
Are Books Included in Private School Prices?
At some schools. Southern Technical College says required materials and textbooks are provided at no additional cost, and Futura Career Institute says books and supplies are included in its price. Others list them separately, such as $2,800 at Tulsa Welding School-Jacksonville.
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