Portland CC vs Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC)

Portland Community College (PCC) and Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) stand out as two of the most prominent community colleges in the United States, each offering a diverse range of academic programs and opportunities. While both institutions share a commitment to providing accessible and affordable education, they differ in several key aspects. PCC boasts a higher acceptance rate, making it a more accessible option for students seeking admission. In contrast, NOVA has a more extensive selection of popular majors, including nursing, business, and engineering, catering to a broader range of academic interests. Additionally, the student body demographics and graduation rates vary between the two colleges, reflecting their unique characteristics and strengths. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve deeper into these differences and discover which institution aligns best with your academic aspirations and goals.

	Northern Virginia Community College	Portland Community College
Overview
Location	Annandale, Virginia	Portland, Oregon
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	City: Large
College type	2 year	2 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Quarter
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	69.0%	61.0%
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: $23,961 Out of state: $30,044	In state: $22,399 Out of state: $27,259
Average net price	$9,627	$9,922
Tuition	In state: $5,412 Out of state: $10,790	In state: $4,428 Out of state: $9,288
Room & board
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	53.0% Average amount $6,083	71.0% Average amount $4,852
Students receiving federal student loan	18.0% Average amount $4,754	19.0% Average amount $4,643
Students taking out private loans	0.0% Average amount $7,370	0.0% Average amount $9,043

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	49,560 Men 46.7% Women 53.3%	21,029 Men 42.2% Women 57.8%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	1.5%	N/A
International students	2.5%	0.8%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: 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 Maryland District of Columbia West Virginia North Carolina	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Liberal Arts Business Computer and Information Science Social Sciences Health Professions	Liberal Arts Business Health Professions Computer and Information Science Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	28:1	19:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Outcome
Graduation rate	32.9%	17.8%
Dropout rate	36.7%	61.9%
Transferred out	15.4%	17.1%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $63,563 Year 2: $71,015 Year 3: $80,297 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $61,693 Year 2: $59,253 Year 3: $70,372 Electrical Engineering Technologies/Technicians (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $58,748 Year 2: $59,950 Year 3: $68,990 Biomedical/Medical Engineering (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $57,302 Year 2: $61,218 Year 3: $66,206 Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $67,691 Year 2: $58,673 Year 3: $62,015 Dental Support Services and Allied Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $45,851 Year 2: $50,856 Year 3: $52,238 Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $52,580 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $51,288 Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $46,384 Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: $50,966 Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician (HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR) (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $51,482 Year 3: $49,064 Legal Support Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $43,544 Year 2: $38,072 Year 3: $45,373

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