Mountain Empire Community College (MECC) vs Piedmont Virginia Community College (PVCC)

Mountain Empire Community College (MECC) and Piedmont Virginia Community College (PVCC) stand out as two prominent community colleges in Virginia, each offering unique educational opportunities. While both institutions share a commitment to providing quality education, they differ in several key aspects. MECC boasts a higher acceptance rate, making it a more accessible option for students. PVCC, on the other hand, has a slightly higher graduation rate, indicating a strong focus on student success. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details, including popular majors, student body demographics, and additional factors that may influence your decision. Discover which college aligns best with your academic goals and personal preferences, ensuring a fulfilling and rewarding educational experience.

	Mountain Empire Community College	Piedmont Virginia Community College
Overview
Location	Big Stone Gap, Virginia	Charlottesville, Virginia
Campus setting	Town: Distant	Suburb: Small
College type	2 year	2 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	68.0%	57.0%
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: $14,385 Out of state: $20,388	In state: $18,010 Out of state: $24,013
Average net price	$8,803	$6,873
Tuition	In state: $4,620 Out of state: $9,918	In state: $4,650 Out of state: $9,948
Room & board
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	98.0% Average amount $5,590	52.0% Average amount $5,241
Students receiving federal student loan	0.0% Average amount $0	9.0% Average amount $4,750
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $3,006	0.0% Average amount $0

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,079 Men 37.3% Women 62.7%	4,997 Men 41.5% Women 58.5%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	1.0%	1.1%
International students	0.1%	0.8%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Suburb: Small
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	Virginia Tennessee	Virginia Colorado Florida Indiana Michigan

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Liberal Arts Engineering Technologies Law Enforcement and Firefighting Construction Trades	Liberal Arts Health Professions Business Computer and Information Science Engineering Technologies
Students to faculty ratio	19:1	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	44.1%	31.9%
Dropout rate	45.6%	46.3%
Transferred out	3.7%	9.3%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $50,473 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $64,130 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $47,940 Year 2: $50,543 Year 3: $53,793 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $32,237 Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: $35,837 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $20,585 Year 2: $19,719 Year 3: $24,290 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $41,252 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $44,678 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A

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Mountain Empire Community College (MECC) vs Piedmont Virginia Community College (PVCC)

Mountain Empire Community College

Piedmont Virginia Community College

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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