Southwest Virginia Community College (SwVCC) vs Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC)

Southwest Virginia Community College (SWCC) and Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) are two of the most prominent community colleges in Virginia, each offering a unique educational experience. SWCC, located in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains, boasts a close-knit community and a focus on hands-on learning, while NOVA, situated in the bustling suburbs of Washington, D.C., offers a diverse student body and a wide range of academic programs. With different acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates, these institutions cater to distinct student populations. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which college aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Northern Virginia Community College	Southwest Virginia Community College
Overview
Location	Annandale, Virginia	Cedar Bluff, Virginia
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	Rural: Fringe
College type	2 year	2 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	69.0%	51.0%
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: $19,133 Out of state: $25,136
Average net price	$9,627	$8,669
Tuition	In state: $5,412 Out of state: $10,790	In state: $4,620 Out of state: $9,918
Room & board
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	53.0% Average amount $6,083	98.0% Average amount $5,504
Students receiving federal student loan	18.0% Average amount $4,754
Students taking out private loans	0.0% Average amount $7,370

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	49,560 Men 46.7% Women 53.3%	2,135 Men 35.9% Women 64.1%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Very Low
Out-of-state students	1.5%	8.2%
International students	2.5%	0.2%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Rural: Fringe
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	Virginia West Virginia Tennessee North Carolina

Academics
Popular study areas	Liberal Arts Business Computer and Information Science Social Sciences Health Professions	Liberal Arts Health Professions Precision Production Family and Consumer Sciences Business
Students to faculty ratio	28:1	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	32.9%	34.6%
Dropout rate	36.7%	48.7%
Transferred out	15.4%	7.0%
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: $50,932 Year 2: $55,151 Year 3: $50,342 Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $26,400 Year 2: $41,937 Year 3: $46,541 Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $22,336 Year 2: $20,596 Year 3: $23,477 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $13,601 Year 2: $16,345 Year 3: $21,365 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $26,609 Year 2: $28,792 Year 3: N/A Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: N/A

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