About
Catawba Valley Community College (CVCC) is a public community college in Hickory, North Carolina. The college, established April 3, 1958, is part of the North Carolina Community College System. The main campus covers 162 acres (0.66 km2) and includes 16 buildings. The college also operates a Cosmetology Center in downtown Newton, the CVCC Alexander Center for Education in Taylorsville, and East Campus, where continuing education and business & industry services are provided. Specialty programs include the Manufacturing Solutions Center, where US manufacturers are provided assistance to increase sales, improve quality and improve efficiency. A 28,000-square-foot (2,600 m2) Regional Simulated Hospital, ValleySim Hospital, opened in 2011. CVCC now has two furniture academies, one in Newton, North Carolina, and one in Taylorsville, North Carolina.
Graduation rate & outcomes
Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.
Pell equity
Non-Pell students graduate at a 19.9-point higher rate than Pell recipients.
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 56 Title IV programs, 6 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 1 fails. 49 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.
Pass / fail distribution
- Passing6 · 10.7%
- No Data49 · 87.5%
- Failing1 · 1.8%
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 · 3
Action history · 18
- Nov 2025Grant Substantive Change: ProgramSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
- Nov 2025Deny Substantive Change: ProgramSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
- Jun 2025Renewal of AccreditationSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
- Jan 2024Renewal of AccreditationJoint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology · Radiologic Technology (RAD) - Programs for radiographers
- Dec 2023Grant Substantive Change: OtherSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
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, 1,719 students received $8.0M in Pell grants.
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 208 borrowers who entered repayment, 10 (4.8%) 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 CVCC
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
Athletics & Title IX gender equity
How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.
Men vs women · spending splits
Sport-by-sport · 4
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 campus1
- Non-campus1
VAWA offenses
Hate crimes by bias
No hate crimes reported.
Arrests vs disciplinary referrals
Residence-hall fires
Data quality: 3 reports were later determined unfounded across the reporting period and are excluded from the totals above.
Student-faculty ratio
Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.
CVCC vs Peer comparison
The peer institutions CVCC 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 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SubjectCatawba Valley Community College | 35% | — | 4,904 | $10,528 | Community College |
| — | — | 8,964 | $8,983 | Community College | |
| — | — | 6,232 | $6,389 | Community College | |
| — | — | 3,914 | $10,810 | Community College | |
| — | — | 5,053 | $4,714 | Community College | |
| — | — | 4,332 | $12,266 | Community College | |
| — | — | 6,121 | $7,397 | Community College | |
| — | — | 9,901 | $536 | Community College | |
| — | — | 5,062 | $9,204 | Community College | |
| — | — | 6,538 | $9,490 | Community College | |
| — | — | 6,131 | $8,895 | Community College | |
| — | — | 8,905 | $6,618 | Community College | |
| — | — | 6,606 | $10,065 | Community College | |
| — | — | 10,109 | $12,254 | Community College | |
| — | — | 9,336 | $12,414 | Community College | |
| — | — | 8,544 | $5,541 | Community College | |
| — | — | 6,334 | $2,979 | Community College | |
| — | — | 4,358 | $7,606 | Community College | |
| — | — | 9,463 | $13,250 | Community College | |
| — | — | 9,374 | $2,624 | Community College | |
| — | — | 6,909 | $5,080 | Community College | |
| — | — | 7,173 | $11,373 | Community College | |
| — | — | 11,920 | $6,483 | Community College | |
| — | — | 4,585 | $10,575 | Community College | |
| — | — | 9,355 | $5,029 | Community College | |
| — | — | 8,412 | $7,196 | Community College | |
| — | — | 8,537 | $8,562 | Community College | |
| — | — | 6,620 | $5,344 | Community College | |
| — | — | 4,871 | $9,132 | Community College | |
| — | — | 5,327 | $8,940 | Community College | |
| — | — | 7,655 | $3,423 | Community College | |
| Peer group median | 35% | — | 6,620 | $8,562 |
Institutions like CVCC
Explore the federal data for institutions in CVCC's comparison group.
- Community CollegeArizona
Arizona Western College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment8,964Net price$8,983View data - Community CollegePennsylvania
Bucks County Community College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment6,232Net price$6,389View data - Community CollegeNorth Carolina
Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment3,914Net price$10,810View data - Community CollegeArizona
Central Arizona College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment5,053Net price$4,714View data - Community CollegeOregon
Central Oregon Community College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment4,332Net price$12,266View data - Community CollegeIllinois
City Colleges of Chicago-Harold Washington College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment6,121Net price$7,397View data - Community CollegeCalifornia
College of San Mateo
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment9,901Net price$536View data - Community CollegeMaryland
College of Southern Maryland
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment5,062Net price$9,204View data - Community CollegeCalifornia
Contra Costa College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment6,538Net price$9,490View data - Community CollegeNew Jersey
County College of Morris
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment6,131Net price$8,895View data - Community CollegeCalifornia
Cuyamaca College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment8,905Net price$6,618View data - Community CollegeNew York
Dutchess Community College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment6,606Net price$10,065View data - Community CollegeArizona
Estrella Mountain Community College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment10,109Net price$12,254View data - Community CollegeCalifornia
Evergreen Valley College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment9,336Net price$12,414View data - Community CollegeVirginia
Germanna Community College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment8,544Net price$5,541View data - Community CollegeMichigan
Kalamazoo Valley Community College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment6,334Net price$2,979View data - Community CollegeOhio
Lakeland Community College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment4,358Net price$7,606View data - Community CollegeCalifornia
Los Angeles Harbor College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment9,463Net price$13,250View data - Community CollegeMassachusetts
Middlesex Community College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment9,374Net price$2,624View data - Community CollegeCalifornia
Mission College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment6,909Net price$5,080View data - Community CollegeCalifornia
Monterey Peninsula College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment7,173Net price$11,373View data - Community CollegeCalifornia
Moreno Valley College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment11,920Net price$6,483View data - Community CollegeIdaho
North Idaho College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment4,585Net price$10,575View data - Community CollegeTexas
Northeast Lakeview College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment9,355Net price$5,029View data - Community CollegeArkansas
NorthWest Arkansas Community College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment8,412Net price$7,196View data - Community CollegeNew York
Onondaga Community College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment8,537Net price$8,562View data - Community CollegeNew Jersey
Rowan College at Burlington County
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment6,620Net price$5,344View data - Community CollegeWashington
South Puget Sound Community College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment4,871Net price$9,132View data - Community CollegeNew York
SUNY Broome Community College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment5,327Net price$8,940View data - Community CollegeCalifornia
West Valley College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment7,655Net price$3,423View data
Reports & documents (1)
Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.
Frequently asked questions about Catawba Valley Community College
Quick answers to the questions most often asked about CVCC.
What is the graduation rate at Catawba Valley Community College?
How many students attend Catawba Valley Community College?
What is the average net price at Catawba Valley Community College?
Where is Catawba Valley Community College located?
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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