Community CollegePublic

Virginia Highlands Community College

Abingdon, Virginia·Public, 2-year·Southeast·vhcc.edu
6-yr Graduation
40%
—
Total enrollment
2,082
peer median 2,252
Avg net price
$5,375
-$1.1k 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
40%
Full-time retention
60%

Pell equity

8.7pp gap
Pell recipients
37%76 of 206
Non-Pell (all)
46%53 of 116
No Federal Aid
46%53 of 116

Non-Pell students graduate at a 8.7-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 55 Title IV programs, 4 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 1 fails. 50 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
55
Passing
4
7.3% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
1
1.8% of portfolio
Fail rate
1.8%
+1.2pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

55programs
  • Passing4 · 7.3%
  • No Data50 · 90.9%
  • Failing1 · 1.8%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
1
Recoverable
0
At Risk
1
Watch
1
Safe
2
No data
50

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
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
-11.0%
$32,007 vs $35,969
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Associate Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
+8.2%
$38,920 vs $35,969
Electrical and Power Transmission Installers
Associate Degree · Construction Trades
+19.6%
$43,026 vs $35,969
Allied Health Diagnostic Intervention and Treatment Professions
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+37.8%
$49,569 vs $35,969
Registered Nursing Nursing Administration Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+103.8%
$73,295 vs $35,969

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 1972Next review Jun 2028

Programmatic accreditations · 1

Action history · 9

  1. Dec 2025Heightened Monitoring or Focused Review
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  2. Dec 2024Heightened Monitoring or Focused Review
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  3. Jul 2024Grant Substantive Change: Program
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  4. Dec 2023Heightened Monitoring or Focused Review
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  5. Apr 2023Renewal of Accreditation
    Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc. — May 6, 2013 Formerly: National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission · Nursing (ADNUR) - Associate degree programs

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$4,927
$30–48k$5,078
$48–75k$6,189
$75–110k$7,489
$110k+$8,843

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

Avg net price
$5,375
-$1,133vs Community College median $6,509
Federal loans
0.0%
In-state tuition
$5,022
Out-of-state
$11,460

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, 1,205 students received $5.2M in Pell grants.

Pell recipients
1,205
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$5.2M
$5,208,442 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 VHCC

Top program areas ranked by completions.

IPEDS
Distinct CIP programs48
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

258 total completions
01Liberal Arts
10440.3%
02Health Professions
10139.1%
03Computer Sciences
114.3%
04Business
114.3%
05Construction Trades
83.1%
06Precision Production
62.3%
07Security/Protective
51.9%
08Mechanic
51.9%
09Multi/Interdisciplinary
41.6%
10Engineering
31.2%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

IPEDS
Fall total
2,082
12-mo unduplicated
2,839
Undergraduate
2,839
Graduate
0

Gender split

Men
36%1,027
Women
64%1,812

Race / ethnicity composition

White
87.8%
Hispanic
3.6%
Black
3.5%
Two or more
2.5%
Unknown
1.3%
Asian
0.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.2%
Non-resident
0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
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 · 2,052 students

3-year trend

0.412 yrs ago0.001 yr ago0.00Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
1
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
    17.0:1
    Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
    41

    VHCC vs Peer comparison

    The peer institutions VHCC 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
    SubjectVirginia Highlands Community College
    		40%—2,082$5,375Community College
    Southwest Virginia Community College
    		——2,364$6,005Community College
    Virginia Western Community College
    		——6,332$4,966Community College
    Central Alabama Community College
    		——2,140$15,996Community College
    Virginia Peninsula Community College
    		——6,410$7,012Community College
    George C Wallace State Community College-Selma
    		——1,925$9,272Community College
    Peer group median40%—2,252$6,509

    Institutions like VHCC

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

    IPEDS

    VHCC Institutional Research office

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

    Office
    Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness
    Reports to Virginia Highlands Community College
    Email
    rmay [at] vhcc.edu
    Phone
    276-739-2436
    Address
    LRC 211, 100 VHCC Drive, Abingdon, VA 24210

    The mission of the Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness is to provide comprehensive support for the planning, research, assessment, effectiveness, and decision-making processes of the College.

    Visit IR office page
    Team
    2 members
    • Robert May
      Director of Institutional Research and Effectiveness
    • Jeff Russell
      Research & Assessment Specialist

    Frequently asked questions about Virginia Highlands Community College

    Quick answers to the questions most often asked about VHCC.

    What is the graduation rate at Virginia Highlands Community College?

    Virginia Highlands Community College reports a 6-year graduation rate of 40% per the latest IPEDS.

    How many students attend Virginia Highlands Community College?

    Virginia Highlands Community College reports a total enrollment of 2,082 students per the latest IPEDS.

    What is the average net price at Virginia Highlands Community College?

    The average net price at Virginia Highlands Community College is $5,375 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

    Where is Virginia Highlands Community College located?

    Virginia Highlands Community College is located in Abingdon, Virginia 24212-0828.

    Who runs Institutional Research at Virginia Highlands Community College?

    Virginia Highlands Community College's IR work is done by the Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness, which reports to Virginia Highlands 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.

    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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