Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC) vs New River Community College

Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) and New River Community College (NRCC) are two of Virginia's most prominent community colleges, each offering a diverse range of academic programs and opportunities. While both institutions share a commitment to providing affordable, accessible education, they differ in several key aspects. NOVA boasts a significantly higher acceptance rate and a larger student body, reflecting its location in the populous Northern Virginia region. NRCC, on the other hand, has a smaller student population and a more selective admissions process. Additionally, the two colleges vary in their popular majors, with NOVA offering a wider selection of programs in fields such as business, health sciences, and engineering, while NRCC focuses on programs in areas like agriculture, forestry, and natural resources. To help you make an informed decision about which college is the right fit for you, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table that delves into these differences and more, including graduation rates, student demographics, and available student services.

	New River Community College	Northern Virginia Community College
Overview
Location	Dublin, Virginia	Annandale, Virginia
Campus setting	Town: Fringe	Suburb: Large
College type	2 year	2 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	59.0%	69.0%
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: $18,717 Out of state: $24,719	In state: $23,961 Out of state: $30,044
Average net price	$6,730	$9,627
Tuition	In state: $4,620 Out of state: $9,918	In state: $5,412 Out of state: $10,790
Room & board
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	54.0% Average amount $5,028	53.0% Average amount $6,083
Students receiving federal student loan	3.0% Average amount $4,395	18.0% Average amount $4,754
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $5,029	0.0% Average amount $7,370

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,903 Men 48.8% Women 51.2%	49,560 Men 46.7% Women 53.3%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	1.6%	1.5%
International students	1.1%	2.5%
Campus local/setting	Town: Fringe	Suburb: Large
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 West Virginia Florida North Carolina South Carolina	Virginia Maryland District of Columbia West Virginia North Carolina

Academics
Popular study areas	Liberal Arts Health Professions Engineering Technologies Business Automotive Technology	Liberal Arts Business Computer and Information Science Social Sciences Health Professions
Students to faculty ratio	28:1	28:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	41.6%	32.9%
Dropout rate	42.0%	36.7%
Transferred out	9.0%	15.4%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Electrical/Electronics Maintenance and Repair Technology (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $56,917 Year 2: $57,995 Year 3: $66,020 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $51,869 Year 2: $50,161 Year 3: $49,966 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $22,602 Year 2: $41,025 Year 3: $34,908 Precision Metal Working (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $31,371 Year 2: $28,960 Year 3: $29,883 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $22,112 Year 2: $21,508 Year 3: $29,624 Business Operations Support and Assistant Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $20,795 Year 2: $23,456 Year 3: $24,044 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $32,569 Year 3: N/A Electrical Engineering Technologies/Technicians (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $53,023 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $28,236 Year 3: N/A Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: N/A	Dental Support Services and Allied Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $74,638 Year 2: $69,757 Year 3: $77,964 Computer Science (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $39,274 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $69,522 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $58,587 Year 2: $57,657 Year 3: $62,620 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $61,136 Year 2: $60,903 Year 3: $61,377 Accounting and Related Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $53,059 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $33,646 Year 2: $33,382 Year 3: $50,541 Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician (HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR) (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $61,129 Year 2: $38,829 Year 3: $48,517 Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $41,037 Year 2: $54,778 Year 3: $45,252 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $29,169 Year 2: $29,350 Year 3: $42,383 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $34,656 Year 2: $37,568 Year 3: $41,957

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