Virginia Highlands Community College (VHCC) vs Mountain Empire Community College (MECC)

Virginia Highlands Community College and Mountain Empire Community College, both esteemed institutions of higher learning in Virginia, offer unique educational experiences tailored to diverse student aspirations. While they share a commitment to academic excellence and student success, they also possess distinct characteristics that set them apart. This side-by-side comparison delves into the intricacies of each college, highlighting differences in acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Whether you're a prospective student seeking the ideal academic environment or an individual curious about the nuances of these two institutions, this comprehensive analysis provides valuable insights to aid your decision-making process. Explore the comparison table to discover which college best aligns with your academic goals and personal preferences.

	Mountain Empire Community College	Virginia Highlands Community College
Overview
Location	Big Stone Gap, Virginia	Abingdon, 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%	49.0%
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: $14,370 Out of state: $20,373
Average net price	$8,803	$6,621
Tuition	In state: $4,620 Out of state: $9,918	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)	98.0% Average amount $5,590	76.0% Average amount $5,168
Students receiving federal student loan	0.0% Average amount $0	0.0% Average amount $0
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $3,006	1.0% Average amount $2,681

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,079 Men 37.3% Women 62.7%	2,451 Men 37.4% Women 62.6%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	1.0%	6.5%
International students	0.1%	0.1%
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 Tennessee

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Liberal Arts Engineering Technologies Law Enforcement and Firefighting Construction Trades	Liberal Arts Health Professions Construction Trades Precision Production Automotive Technology
Students to faculty ratio	19:1	21:1
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%	40.7%
Dropout rate	45.6%	40.7%
Transferred out	3.7%	10.1%
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: $49,351 Year 2: $49,370 Year 3: $54,521 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $16,162 Year 2: $17,425 Year 3: $25,114 Electrical and Power Transmission Installers (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $37,568 Year 3: N/A Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $24,704 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $17,846 Year 3: N/A

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