Mountain Empire Community College (MECC) vs Virginia Western Community College (VWCC)

Mountain Empire Community College and Virginia Western Community College, both esteemed institutions of higher learning in Virginia, offer diverse educational opportunities to students seeking a solid foundation for their academic and professional pursuits. While they share a commitment to excellence, these colleges have distinct characteristics that set them apart. Mountain Empire boasts a higher acceptance rate, making it a more accessible option for students from various backgrounds. Virginia Western, on the other hand, has a larger student body, providing a vibrant and diverse campus community. Both colleges offer a wide range of programs, with popular majors such as Business, Health Sciences, and Liberal Arts. However, Virginia Western offers a broader selection of programs, including specialized fields like Aviation and Engineering. Explore the comprehensive comparison table to delve into further details about these colleges, including graduation rates, student demographics, and more, to make an informed decision that aligns with your unique educational goals and aspirations.

	Mountain Empire Community College	Virginia Western Community College
Overview
Location	Big Stone Gap, Virginia	Roanoke, Virginia
Campus setting	Town: Distant	City: Midsize
College type	2 year	2 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	68.0%	65.0%
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: $17,877 Out of state: $23,880
Average net price	$8,803	$6,400
Tuition	In state: $4,620 Out of state: $9,918	In state: $4,680 Out of state: $9,978
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	77.0% Average amount $5,233
Students receiving federal student loan	0.0% Average amount $0	6.0% Average amount $4,890
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $3,006	0.0% Average amount $0

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,079 Men 37.3% Women 62.7%	5,625 Men 42.0% Women 58.0%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	1.0%	0.1%
International students	0.1%	0.4%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	City: Midsize
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 New York

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Liberal Arts Engineering Technologies Law Enforcement and Firefighting Construction Trades	Health Professions Business Liberal Arts Multidisciplinary Studies Engineering Technologies
Students to faculty ratio	19:1	22:1
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%	33.0%
Dropout rate	45.6%	41.1%
Transferred out	3.7%	14.1%
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	Dental Support Services and Allied Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $55,728 Year 2: $61,350 Year 3: $61,579 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $49,377 Year 2: $48,823 Year 3: $56,203 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $55,070 Year 2: $53,537 Year 3: $53,680 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: $42,349 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $28,104 Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: $36,188 Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $33,709 Accounting and Related Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $34,126 Year 2: $21,964 Year 3: $31,709 Biological and Physical Sciences (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $23,933 Year 2: $21,508 Year 3: $30,083 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $21,594 Year 2: $26,585 Year 3: $27,245 Social Sciences, General (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $19,236 Year 2: $19,455 Year 3: $27,196

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