Asheville - Buncombe Technical Community College
About
Asheville–Buncombe Technical Community College is a public community college in Asheville, North Carolina. Established in 1959, the college is one of the oldest in the North Carolina Community College System and serves Buncombe and Madison counties across four different campuses, although students from anywhere may enroll. As of the 2014–15 school year, the curriculum enrollment was 10,070 and continuing education enrollment was 14,053 students. As of 2019–20, the college is the seventh largest in the North Carolina system and the largest in Western North Carolina. A-B Tech offers more than 120 degrees, diplomas, and certificates.
Graduation rate & outcomes
Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.
Pell equity
Pell recipients here graduate at a 52.6-point higher rate than non-Pell students, unusual and worth a closer look.
Source: IPEDS Graduation Rates (GR) — Pell/SSL cohort, 2024 cohort.
Program outcomes
Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.
Of 72 Title IV programs, 12 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 60 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.
Pass / fail distribution
- Passing12 · 16.7%
- No Data60 · 83.3%
- Failing0 · 0.0%
Severity spectrum
Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.
Earnings premium gap
Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.
Debt vs earnings
Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.
Accreditation status & history
Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
Programmatic accreditations · 6
Action history · 15
- Jun 2025Grant Substantive Change: OtherSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
- Jan 2025Grant Substantive Change: ProgramAmerican Dental Association, Commission on Dental Accreditation · Dental Hygiene (DH)
- Jun 2024Renewal of AccreditationJoint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology · Radiologic Technology (RAD) - Programs for radiographers
- May 2024Renewal of AccreditationJoint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology · Radiologic Technology (RAD) - Programs for radiographers
- Feb 2023Grant Substantive Change: OtherNational League for Nursing, Commission for Nurse Education Accreditation · Nursing - Associate degree
Tuition & cost
What families actually pay, broken down by family income.
Net price by family income
Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.
Federal aid volume & trends
Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.
In AY 2024–25, 2,077 students received $9.3M in Pell grants, alongside $2.6M in federal Direct Loans.
Pell recipients · 5-year trend
Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25
Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.
Student loan default rate
The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.
Of 572 borrowers who entered repayment, 34 (5.9%) defaulted within three years — above the 2.3% national rate.
Default rate vs national, by cohort
* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.
Academic programs at Abtech
Top program areas ranked by completions.
Top program families by completions
Enrollment trends & demographics
Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.
Gender split
Race / ethnicity composition
Campus safety & crime statistics
Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.
3-year trend
Criminal offenses by type
By location
- On campus2
- Non-campus3
VAWA offenses
Hate crimes by bias
No hate crimes reported.
Arrests vs disciplinary referrals
Residence-hall fires
Student-faculty ratio
Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.
Abtech vs Peer comparison
The peer institutions Abtech selected for federal comparison reporting.
A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.
| Carnegie | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SubjectAsheville-Buncombe Technical Community College | 40% | — | 6,510 | $11,602 | Community College |
| — | — | 4,827 | $6,109 | Community College | |
| — | — | 2,723 | $5,756 | Community College | |
| — | — | 14,082 | $9,610 | Community College | |
| — | — | 4,904 | $10,528 | Community College | |
| — | — | 5,882 | $5,446 | Community College | |
| — | — | 20,375 | $3,345 | Community College | |
| — | — | 5,157 | $1,664 | Community College | |
| — | — | 11,755 | $3,589 | Community College | |
| — | — | 9,099 | $7,200 | Community College | |
| — | — | 6,443 | $6,592 | Community College | |
| — | — | 11,485 | $15,002 | Community College | |
| — | — | 1,395 | $6,723 | Community College | |
| — | — | 1,918 | $10,758 | Community College | |
| — | — | 850 | $5,861 | Community College | |
| — | — | 1,249 | $7,784 | Community College | |
| — | — | 7,684 | $7,337 | Community College | |
| — | — | 7,028 | $7,981 | Community College | |
| Peer group median | 40% | — | 6,163 | $6,962 |
Institutions like Abtech
Explore the federal data for institutions in Abtech's comparison group.
- Community CollegeNorth Carolina
Alamance Community College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment4,827Net price$6,109View data - Community CollegeNorth Carolina
Blue Ridge Community College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment2,723Net price$5,756View data - Community CollegeNorth Carolina
Cape Fear Community College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment14,082Net price$9,610View data - Community CollegeNorth Carolina
Catawba Valley Community College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment4,904Net price$10,528View data - Community CollegeNorth Carolina
Central Carolina Community College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment5,882Net price$5,446View data - Community CollegeNorth Carolina
Central Piedmont Community College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment20,375Net price$3,345View data - Community CollegeNorth Carolina
Durham Technical Community College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment5,157Net price$1,664View data - Community CollegeNorth Carolina
Fayetteville Technical Community College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment11,755Net price$3,589View data - Community CollegeNorth Carolina
Forsyth Technical Community College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment9,099Net price$7,200View data - Community CollegeNorth Carolina
Gaston College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment6,443Net price$6,592View data - Community CollegeNorth Carolina
Guilford Technical Community College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment11,485Net price$15,002View data - Community CollegeNorth Carolina
Haywood Community College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment1,395Net price$6,723View data - Community CollegeNorth Carolina
Isothermal Community College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment1,918Net price$10,758View data - Community CollegeNorth Carolina
Mayland Community College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment850Net price$5,861View data - Community CollegeNorth Carolina
McDowell Technical Community College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment1,249Net price$7,784View data - Community CollegeNorth Carolina
Pitt Community College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment7,684Net price$7,337View data - Community CollegeNorth Carolina
Rowan-Cabarrus Community College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment7,028Net price$7,981View data
Abtech Institutional Research office
The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.
This online publication is intended to provide answers to questions frequently asked about the college by the administration, faculty, students, and others. It is designed to provide a 'snapshot' of the principal characteristics of A-B Tech.
Visit IR office pageReports & documents (2)
Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.
- DFR reportIPEDS Data Feedback Report 20242024nces.ed.gov
- Strategic planStrategic Plan 2020-252020The Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College's Strategic Plan for 2020-2025 outlines their institutional goals for the five-year period. This plan is designed to guide the college's initiatives and resource allocations to enhance educational offerings and community engagement. It focuses on improving college infrastructure, student support services, and program accessibility.abtech.edu
Frequently asked questions about Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College
Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Abtech.
What is the graduation rate at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College?
How many students attend Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College?
What is the average net price at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College?
Where is Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College located?
Who runs Institutional Research at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College?
About the data on this page
Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.
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