Community CollegePublic

Mountain Empire Community College

Big Stone Gap, Virginia·Public, 2-year·Southeast·mecc.edu
6-yr Graduation
48%
—
Total enrollment
2,116
peer median 2,291
Avg net price
$7,226
+$834 vs Community College
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OutcomesProgram outcomesAccreditationCostFederal aidLoan defaultsAcademic programsEnrollment trendsCampus safetyFacultyPeers

Graduation rate & outcomes

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

IPEDS
Overall completion
48%
Full-time retention
64%

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

FVT/GE

Of 44 Title IV programs, 5 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 39 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
44
Passing
5
11.4% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

44programs
  • Passing5 · 11.4%
  • No Data39 · 88.6%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
1
Watch
1
Safe
3
No data
39

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.

5
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Associate Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
+4.1%
$37,452 vs $35,969
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Associate Degree · Security And Protective Services
+21.6%
$43,752 vs $35,969
Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians
Associate Degree · Engineering Technologies/Technicians
+45.0%
$52,159 vs $35,969
Allied Health Diagnostic Intervention and Treatment Professions
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+63.6%
$58,843 vs $35,969
Registered Nursing Nursing Administration Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+94.4%
$69,922 vs $35,969

Near the line (±5%)

Programs within five points of the pass line, one cohort year from flipping.

1
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Associate Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
+4.1%
+$1,483

Accreditation status & history

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

DAPIP
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges

Accredited since 1974Next review Dec 2025

Programmatic accreditations · 1

Action history · 8

  1. Apr 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc. — May 6, 2013 Formerly: National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission · Nursing (ADNUR) - Associate degree programs
  2. Feb 2025Grant Substantive Change: Program
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  3. Jan 2025Grant Substantive Change: Program
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  4. Apr 2023Probation or Equivalent or a More Severe Status: Probation
    Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc. — May 6, 2013 Formerly: National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission · Nursing (ADNUR) - Associate degree programs
  5. Sep 2020Renewal of Accreditation
    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.

College Scorecard

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$7,015
$30–48k$7,027
$48–75k$8,008
$75–110k$8,686
$110k+—

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

Avg net price
$7,226
+$834vs Community College median $6,392
Federal loans
0.0%
In-state tuition
$4,863
Out-of-state
$10,866

Federal aid volume & trends

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

Federal Student Aid

In AY 2024–25, 1,148 students received $5.3M in Pell grants.

Pell recipients
1,148
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$5.3M
$5,287,556 total

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

1k
’20
1k
’21
1k
’22
1k
’23
1k
’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.

Cohort Default Rate

Of 0 borrowers who entered repayment, 0 (0.0%) defaulted within three years — below the 13.2% national rate.

Default rate
0.0%
-13.2pp vs 13.2% national
Borrowers in repayment
0
Defaulted
0
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2009
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at MECC

Top program areas ranked by completions.

IPEDS
Distinct CIP programs43
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

279 total completions
01Liberal Arts
12645.2%
02Health Professions
6021.5%
03Engineering Tech
4215.1%
04Security/Protective
196.8%
05Business
186.5%
06Natural Resources
113.9%
07Legal Professions
31.1%
08Multi/Interdisciplinary
00.0%
09Engineering
00.0%
10Education
00.0%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

IPEDS
Fall total
2,116
12-mo unduplicated
2,654
Undergraduate
2,654
Graduate
0

Gender split

Men
39%1,039
Women
61%1,615

Race / ethnicity composition

White
91.8%
Hispanic
2.6%
Two or more
2.3%
Black
2.3%
Unknown
0.6%
Asian
0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.1%

Campus safety & crime statistics

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

Clery Act
Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
0.00
0 offenses · 1,928 students

3-year trend

0.002 yrs ago0.001 yr ago0.00Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
0
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
0
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

No criminal offenses reported.

By location

0total

    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
    Weapons00
    Drugs00
    Liquor00

    Residence-hall fires

    No residence-hall fires reported.

    Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

    Student-faculty ratio

    Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

    IPEDS
    Student-to-faculty
    22.0:1
    Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
    45

    MECC vs Peer comparison

    The peer institutions MECC selected for federal comparison reporting.

    IPEDS
    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
    SubjectMountain Empire Community College
    		48%—2,116$7,226Community College
    Danville Community College
    		——2,465$7,158Community College
    New River Community College
    		——4,254$6,031Community College
    Eastern Shore Community College
    		——859$4,975Community College
    Laurel Ridge Community College
    		——5,902$5,586Community College
    Wilson Community College
    		——1,832$6,753Community College
    Peer group median48%—2,291$6,392

    Frequently asked questions about Mountain Empire Community College

    Quick answers to the questions most often asked about MECC.

    What is the graduation rate at Mountain Empire Community College?

    Mountain Empire Community College reports a 6-year graduation rate of 48% per the latest IPEDS.

    How many students attend Mountain Empire Community College?

    Mountain Empire Community College reports a total enrollment of 2,116 students per the latest IPEDS.

    What is the average net price at Mountain Empire Community College?

    The average net price at Mountain Empire Community College is $7,226 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

    Where is Mountain Empire Community College located?

    Mountain Empire Community College is located in Big Stone Gap, Virginia 24219.

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