Community CollegePublic

Western Piedmont Community College

Morganton, North Carolina·Public, 2-year·Southeast·wpcc.edu
6-yr Graduation
49%
Total enrollment
1,813
peer median 1,823
Avg net price
$6,448
+$2.8k vs Community College
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Graduation rate & outcomes

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

Overall completion
49%
Full-time retention
75%

Pell equity

42.9pp gap
Pell recipients
33%16 of 49
Non-Pell (all)
76%22 of 29
No Federal Aid
76%22 of 29

Non-Pell students graduate at a 42.9-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 54 Title IV programs, 3 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 51 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
54
Passing
3
5.6% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

54programs
  • Passing3 · 5.6%
  • No Data51 · 94.4%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
1
Safe
2
No data
51

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.

3
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Associate Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
+18.0%
$37,986 vs $32,203
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Associate Degree · Security And Protective Services
+44.2%
$46,450 vs $32,203
Registered Nursing Nursing Administration Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+123.6%
$72,011 vs $32,203

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 1968Next review Dec 2029

Programmatic accreditations · 2

Action history · 11

  1. Jan 2025Grant Substantive Change: Program
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  2. Jun 2024Renewal of Accreditation
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  3. Jun 2024Renewal of Accreditation
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  4. Apr 2024Grant Substantive Change: Program
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  5. Jul 2023Grant Substantive Change: Program
    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$4,471
$30–48k$6,147
$48–75k$7,386
$75–110k$13,421
$110k+

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

Avg net price
$6,448
+$2,831vs Community College median $3,618
Federal loans
0.0%
In-state tuition
$2,650
Out-of-state
$8,794

Federal aid volume & trends

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

In AY 2024–25, 886 students received $4.1M in Pell grants.

Pell recipients
886
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$4.1M
$4,085,064 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.

Of 54 borrowers who entered repayment, 6 (11.1%) defaulted within three years above the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
11.1%
+8.8pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
54
Defaulted
6
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
13.7%
2017
18.7%
2018
13.2%
2019
11.1%
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 WPCC

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs39
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

288 total completions
01Liberal Arts
12242.4%
02Health Professions
6622.9%
03Engineering Tech
258.7%
04Business
175.9%
05Personal/Culinary
165.6%
06Legal Professions
113.8%
07Security/Protective
103.5%
08Visual/Performing Arts
72.4%
09Foreign Languages
72.4%
10Computer Sciences
72.4%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

Fall total
1,813
12-mo unduplicated
2,392
Undergraduate
2,392
Graduate
0

Gender split

Men
37%895
Women
63%1,497

Race / ethnicity composition

White
70.1%
Hispanic
14.9%
Asian
7.2%
Black
6.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.4%
Two or more
0.4%
Unknown
0.4%
Non-resident
0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.2%

Campus safety & crime statistics

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

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
0.00
0 offenses · 1,791 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.

    Student-to-faculty
    10.0:1
    Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
    65

    WPCC vs Peer comparison

    The peer institutions WPCC 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
    SubjectWestern Piedmont Community College
    49%1,813$6,448Community College
    1,526$3,108Community College
    1,832$3,064Community College
    896$1,095Community College
    2,591$4,127Community College
    2,468$5,721Community College
    Peer group median49%1,823$3,618

    Institutions like WPCC

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

    WPCC Institutional Research office

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

    Office
    Institutional Research & Evaluation
    Reports to President’s Office
    Email
    webmaster [at] wpcc.edu
    Phone
    828-448-3126

    The Institutional Research & Evaluation page on the WPCC Intranet provides contact information, including an email and phone number. The page is restricted to WPCC employees, requiring a login for access.

    Visit IR office page
    Team
    1 member
    • Katie Dunnagan
      Coordinator, Institutional Research & Evaluation

    Frequently asked questions about Western Piedmont Community College

    Quick answers to the questions most often asked about WPCC.

    What is the graduation rate at Western Piedmont Community College?

    Western Piedmont Community College reports a 6-year graduation rate of 49% per the latest IPEDS.

    How many students attend Western Piedmont Community College?

    Western Piedmont Community College reports a total enrollment of 1,813 students per the latest IPEDS.

    What is the average net price at Western Piedmont Community College?

    The average net price at Western Piedmont Community College is $6,448 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

    Where is Western Piedmont Community College located?

    Western Piedmont Community College is located in Morganton, North Carolina 28655-4511.

    Who runs Institutional Research at Western Piedmont Community College?

    Western Piedmont Community College's IR work is done by the Institutional Research & Evaluation, which reports to President’s Office.

    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.
    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.
    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.
    DAPIP accreditationContinuously refreshed
    Accreditation status for institutions and programs, reported by recognized accrediting agencies.
    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.
    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.
    Cohort Default RatesFY 2022 official rates
    Institution-level federal student loan default rates, measuring borrowers who default within three years of entering repayment.
    Equity in Athletics (EADA)Academic year 2024–25
    Athletics participation, coaching, revenues, and expenses by sport and gender for Title IV institutions.
    Campus Safety & SecurityData through reporting year 2024
    Criminal offenses, arrests, disciplinary actions, VAWA offenses, and fire statistics reported by campus under the Clery Act.

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