Community CollegePublic

Catawba Valley Community College

Hickory, North Carolina·Public, 2-year·Southeast·cvcc.edu
6-yr Graduation
35%
Total enrollment
4,904
peer median 2,959
Avg net price
$9,415
+$2.4k vs Community College
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Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
35%
Full-time retention
65%

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.

Total programs
56
Passing
6
10.7% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
1
1.8% of portfolio
Fail rate
1.8%
+1.2pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

56programs
  • Passing6 · 10.7%
  • No Data49 · 87.5%
  • Failing1 · 1.8%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
1
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
1
Safe
5
No data
49

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.

7
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Associate Degree · Education
-13.9%
$27,722 vs $32,203
Health and Medical Administrative Services
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+12.2%
$36,141 vs $32,203
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Associate Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
+28.9%
$41,497 vs $32,203
Business Administration Management and Operations
Associate Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+33.8%
$43,089 vs $32,203
Allied Health Diagnostic Intervention and Treatment Professions
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+80.4%
$58,094 vs $32,203
Dental Support Services and Allied Professions
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+105.2%
$66,069 vs $32,203
Registered Nursing Nursing Administration Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+106.1%
$66,385 vs $32,203

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

4
Health and Medical Administrative Services
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
19%
$6,928 debt · $36,141 earn
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Associate Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
16%
$6,500 debt · $41,497 earn
Allied Health Diagnostic Intervention and Treatment Professions
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
15%
$8,500 debt · $58,094 earn
Registered Nursing Nursing Administration Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
14%
$9,375 debt · $66,385 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges

Accredited since 1969Next review Dec 2030

Programmatic accreditations · 3

Action history · 18

  1. Nov 2025Grant Substantive Change: Program
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  2. Nov 2025Deny Substantive Change: Program
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  3. Jun 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  4. Jan 2024Renewal of Accreditation
    Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology · Radiologic Technology (RAD) - Programs for radiographers
  5. Dec 2023Grant Substantive Change: Other
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$8,728
$30–48k$9,310
$48–75k$10,862
$75–110k$11,295
$110k+

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price
$9,415
+$2,433vs Community College median $6,983
Federal loans
0.0%
In-state tuition
$2,367
Out-of-state
$7,743

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 1,709 students received $8.0M in Pell grants.

Pell recipients
1,709
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$8.0M
$8,012,720 total

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

1k
20
1k
21
1k
22
1k
23
2k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

No Direct Loan volume reported.

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.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

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
4.8%
+2.5pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
208
Defaulted
10
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
16.9%
2017
20.0%
2018
14.4%
2019
4.8%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* 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.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at CVCC

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs49
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

777 total completions
01Liberal Arts
45858.9%
02Health Professions
14118.1%
03Business
536.8%
04Security/Protective
263.3%
05Engineering Tech
222.8%
06Visual/Performing Arts
212.7%
07Computer Sciences
172.2%
08Precision Production
162.1%
09Mechanic
162.1%
10Agriculture
70.9%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
4,904
12-mo unduplicated
6,241
Undergraduate
6,241
Graduate
0

Gender split

Men
44%2,719
Women
56%3,522

Race / ethnicity composition

White
61.5%
Hispanic
18.6%
Asian
7.1%
Black
6.2%
Two or more
3.7%
Unknown
1.4%
Non-resident
1.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.2%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

Athletes
127
102 M · 25 W
Women athletes
19.7%
Athletic aid
$92K
Total student aid
Budget
$725K
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$42K
$49K
Recruiting expense
$1K
$1K
Head-coach salaries
$26K
$14K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 4

Baseball
48 M ·
$245K
Basketball
15 M · 12 W
$173K
Other Sports
18 M ·
$117K
Softball
· 11 W
$88K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
0.24
1 offenses · 4,172 students

3-year trend

1.392 yrs ago0.241 yr ago0.24Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
8
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
2
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

Motor vehicle theft
1

By location

1total
  • On campus1

VAWA offenses

0
Domestic violence
0
Dating violence
0
Stalking
0 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons10
Drugs25
Liquor00

Residence-hall fires

No residence-hall fires reported.

Data quality: 4 reports were later determined unfounded across the reporting period and are excluded from the totals above.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
10.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
147

CVCC vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions CVCC selected for federal comparison reporting.

GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

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$9,415Community College
Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute
3,914$5,517Community College
Craven Community College
3,103$4,402Community College
Randolph Community College
2,814$7,242Community College
Brunswick Community College
2,009$8,785Community College
Isothermal Community College
1,918$6,723Community College
Peer group median35%2,959$6,983

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?

Catawba Valley Community College reports a 6-year graduation rate of 35% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Catawba Valley Community College?

Catawba Valley Community College reports a total enrollment of 4,904 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Catawba Valley Community College?

The average net price at Catawba Valley Community College is $9,415 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

Where is Catawba Valley Community College located?

Catawba Valley Community College is located in Hickory, North Carolina 28602-0699.

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