Mountain Empire Community College (MECC) vs Blue Ridge CC

Mountain Empire Community College and Blue Ridge 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.

	Blue Ridge Community College	Mountain Empire Community College
Overview
Location	Weyers Cave, Virginia	Big Stone Gap, Virginia
Campus setting	Rural: Fringe	Town: Distant
College type	2 year	2 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	61.0%	68.0%
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: $23,995 Out of state: $29,998	In state: $14,385 Out of state: $20,388
Average net price	$9,182	$8,803
Tuition	In state: $4,620 Out of state: $9,918	In state: $4,620 Out of state: $9,918
Room & board
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	61.0% Average amount $5,895	98.0% Average amount $5,590
Students receiving federal student loan	8.0% Average amount $4,748	0.0% Average amount $0
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $5,334	1.0% Average amount $3,006

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,386 Men 38.4% Women 61.6%	2,079 Men 37.3% Women 62.7%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	1.0%	1.0%
International students	0.9%	0.1%
Campus local/setting	Rural: Fringe	Town: Distant
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 Pennsylvania Florida Maryland Nevada	Virginia Tennessee

Academics
Popular study areas	Liberal Arts Health Professions Business Agriculture Automotive Technology	Health Professions Liberal Arts Engineering Technologies Law Enforcement and Firefighting Construction Trades
Students to faculty ratio	20:1	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	32.6%	44.1%
Dropout rate	52.1%	45.6%
Transferred out	7.1%	3.7%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $55,606 Year 2: $49,883 Year 3: $47,113 Ground Transportation (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $39,009 Year 3: $36,462 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: $36,082 Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $32,795 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $35,140 Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $33,735 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $18,766 Year 2: $22,485 Year 3: $31,560 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $28,357 Year 2: $28,443 Year 3: $30,949 Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $34,562 Year 3: N/A Biological and Physical Sciences (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $30,467 Year 2: $26,739 Year 3: N/A Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: N/A	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

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