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
$8,852
+$2.7k vs Community College
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OutcomesProgram outcomesAccreditationCostFederal aidLoan defaultsAcademic programsEnrollment trendsCampus safetyFacultyPeersIR Office

Graduation rate & outcomes

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

IPEDS
Overall completion
48%
Full-time retention
64%

Pell equity

20.5pp gap
Pell recipients
40%56 of 139
Non-Pell (all)
60%52 of 86
No Federal Aid
60%52 of 86

Non-Pell students graduate at a 20.5-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.

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$8,148
$30–48k$8,064
$48–75k$10,770
$75–110k$11,741
$110k+—

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

Avg net price
$8,852
+$2,706vs Community College median $6,146
Federal loans
0.0%
In-state tuition
$5,007
Out-of-state
$11,445

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, 1,181 students received $5.4M in Pell grants.

Pell recipients
1,181
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$5.4M
$5,442,727 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 programs46
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

276 total completions
01Liberal Arts
12344.6%
02Health Professions
4917.8%
03Engineering Tech
4817.4%
04Security/Protective
196.9%
05Business
176.2%
06Natural Resources
145.1%
07Legal Professions
31.1%
08Engineering
20.7%
09Multi/Interdisciplinary
10.4%
10Education
00.0%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

IPEDS
Fall total
2,116
12-mo unduplicated
2,723
Undergraduate
2,723
Graduate
0

Gender split

Men
39%1,066
Women
61%1,657

Race / ethnicity composition

White
91.8%
Black
2.5%
Hispanic
2.3%
Two or more
2.3%
Unknown
0.7%
Asian
0.5%

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 · 2,015 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$8,852Community College
    Danville Community College
    		——2,465$6,669Community College
    New River Community College
    		——4,254$6,279Community College
    Eastern Shore Community College
    		——859$2,495Community College
    Laurel Ridge Community College
    		——5,902$6,013Community College
    Wilson Community College
    		——1,832$3,064Community College
    Peer group median48%—2,291$6,146

    Institutions like MECC

    Explore the federal data for institutions in MECC's comparison group.

    IPEDS

    MECC Institutional Research office

    The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.

    Office
    Department of Institutional Effectiveness
    Email
    ntabor [at] mecc.edu
    Phone
    276-523-2400
    Address
    3441 Mountain Empire Road, Big Stone Gap, VA 24219

    The College’s Department of Institutional Effectiveness works with campus stakeholders in order to engage in comprehensive planning, data-driven decision making, and continuous improvement.

    Visit IR office page
    Team
    1 member
    • Natasha Tabor
      Coordinator of Institutional Effectiveness

    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 $8,852 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.

    Who runs Institutional Research at Mountain Empire Community College?

    Mountain Empire Community College's IR work is done by the Department of Institutional Effectiveness.

    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.

    IPEDS2025 provisional data (Fall 2025–26 release, July 28, 2026)
    Enrollment, completions, graduation rates, tuition, financial aid, staffing, and finance for every U.S. institution in federal student aid programs.
    National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education
    College ScorecardJune 10, 2026 release (merged 2025–26 files)
    Institution and field-of-study costs, graduate earnings, debt, completion, and admissions outcomes compiled from federal aid records, tax data, and IPEDS.
    U.S. Department of Education
    FVT/GE program performanceProvisional preview, May 18, 2026 release
    Program-level debt-to-earnings and earnings-premium measures behind the FVT/GE and STATS accountability frameworks.
    U.S. Department of Education
    DAPIP accreditationContinuously refreshed
    Accreditation status for institutions and programs, reported by recognized accrediting agencies.
    U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
    Federal Pell Grant volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
    Pell Grant recipient counts, award amounts, and disbursements by institution and award year.
    U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
    Federal student loan volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
    Federal Direct Loan recipient counts and disbursement volume by institution and award year.
    U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
    Cohort Default RatesFY 2022 official rates
    Institution-level federal student loan default rates, measuring borrowers who default within three years of entering repayment.
    U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
    Equity in Athletics (EADA)Academic year 2024–25
    Athletics participation, coaching, revenues, and expenses by sport and gender for Title IV institutions.
    U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
    Campus Safety & SecurityData through reporting year 2024
    Criminal offenses, arrests, disciplinary actions, VAWA offenses, and fire statistics reported by campus under the Clery Act.
    U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
    Last reviewed July 2026All data sources & release dates →

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