Mountain Empire Community College (MECC) vs Aiken Technical College

Mountain Empire Community College and Aiken Technical College, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer unique educational experiences to students seeking a solid foundation for their academic and professional pursuits. While they share a commitment to providing quality education, they differ in several key aspects. Mountain Empire Community College boasts a higher acceptance rate, welcoming a broader range of students, while Aiken Technical College maintains a more selective admissions process. In terms of student body demographics, Mountain Empire Community College hosts a larger and more diverse student population, reflecting its commitment to inclusivity. Aiken Technical College, on the other hand, offers a more focused curriculum, specializing in technical and career-oriented programs. To help you make an informed decision about your educational journey, we have compiled a comprehensive comparison table that delves into these differences and more, including popular majors, graduation rates, and available student support services. Explore the table to discover which institution aligns best with your academic goals and aspirations.

	Aiken Technical College	Mountain Empire Community College
Overview
Location	Graniteville, South Carolina	Big Stone Gap, Virginia
Campus setting	Rural: Fringe	Town: Distant
College type	2 year	2 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	55.0%	68.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	Open Admission	Open Admission
Application fees
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants
Total number of admissions given out
Admitted students who chose to enroll
Yield rate
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	Not required	Not required
High school GPA	N/A	N/A
Recommendation letters	N/A	N/A
High school transcript	N/A	N/A
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	N/A	N/A

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $16,956 Out of state: $18,530	In state: $14,385 Out of state: $20,388
Average net price	$4,033	$8,803
Tuition	In state: $4,896 Out of state: $6,408	In state: $4,620 Out of state: $9,918
Room & board
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	96.0% Average amount $6,860	98.0% Average amount $5,590
Students receiving federal student loan	6.0% Average amount $5,597	0.0% Average amount $0
Students taking out private loans	0.0% Average amount $0	1.0% Average amount $3,006

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,873 Men 35.2% Women 64.8%	2,079 Men 37.3% Women 62.7%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Very Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	1.0%
International students	N/A	0.1%
Campus local/setting	Rural: Fringe	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	N/A	N/A
First year students are required to live on campus?	N/A	N/A
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Virginia Tennessee

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Liberal Arts Multidisciplinary Studies Computer and Information Science Automotive Technology	Health Professions Liberal Arts Engineering Technologies Law Enforcement and Firefighting Construction Trades
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	19:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	22.5%	44.1%
Dropout rate	57.6%	45.6%
Transferred out	9.8%	3.7%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $57,657 Year 3: $59,775 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $35,303 Year 2: $36,848 Year 3: $35,918 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $31,848 Year 3: $30,543 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $23,623 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $37,568 Year 3: N/A Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $34,284 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Nuclear and Industrial Radiologic Technologies/Technicians (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $65,871 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $55,338 Year 3: N/A Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $46,236 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $22,652 Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: N/A	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $49,999 Year 2: $50,161 Year 3: $52,521 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $39,541 Year 2: $36,166 Year 3: $41,849 Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $30,771 Year 3: $30,684 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $15,964 Year 3: $21,826 Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $18,788 Year 2: $19,508 Year 3: $21,200 Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $31,719 Year 2: $35,600 Year 3: N/A Criminal Justice and Corrections (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $30,449 Year 2: $20,140 Year 3: N/A Business Operations Support and Assistant Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $24,047 Year 2: $20,824 Year 3: N/A

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