Community CollegePublic

Wilkes Community College

Wilkesboro, North Carolina·Public, 2-year·Southeast·wilkescc.edu
6-yr Graduation
55%
Total enrollment
2,593
peer median 2,271
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Graduation rate & outcomes

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

Overall completion
55%
Full-time retention
69%

Program outcomes

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

Of 45 Title IV programs, 6 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 2 fail. 37 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
45
Passing
6
13.3% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
2
4.4% of portfolio
Fail rate
4.4%
+3.8pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

45programs
  • Passing6 · 13.3%
  • No Data37 · 82.2%
  • Failing2 · 4.4%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
1
Recoverable
1
At Risk
1
Watch
0
Safe
5
No data
37

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.

8
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
-6.6%
$30,091 vs $32,203
Agricultural Production Operations
Associate Degree · Agriculture, Agriculture Operations, And Related Sciences
-3.3%
$31,127 vs $32,203
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Associate Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
+8.2%
$34,852 vs $32,203
Business Administration Management and Operations
Associate Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+28.6%
$41,409 vs $32,203
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Associate Degree · Security And Protective Services
+46.8%
$47,271 vs $32,203
Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians
Associate Degree · Mechanic And Repair Technologies/Technicians
+48.2%
$47,738 vs $32,203
Allied Health Diagnostic Intervention and Treatment Professions
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+79.6%
$57,849 vs $32,203
Registered Nursing Nursing Administration Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+111.4%
$68,076 vs $32,203

Near the line (±5%)

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

1
Agricultural Production Operations
Associate Degree · Agriculture, Agriculture Operations, And Related Sciences
-3.3%
$1,076

Debt vs earnings

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

1
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Associate Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
22%
$7,725 debt · $34,852 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 1970Next review Jun 2026

Programmatic accreditations · 3

Action history · 14

  1. Feb 2025Grant Substantive Change: Program
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  2. Jul 2024Grant Substantive Change: Program
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  3. Oct 2023Renewal of Accreditation
    Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology · Radiologic Technology (RAD) - Programs for radiographers
  4. Jun 2022Removal of Monitoring Status
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  5. Jun 2022Heightened Monitoring or Focused Review
    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$0
$30–48k$563
$48–75k$1,855
$75–110k$982
$110k+

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

Federal loans
0.0%
In-state tuition
$2,572
Out-of-state
$8,716

Federal aid volume & trends

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

In AY 2024–25, 1,029 students received $5.2M in Pell grants.

Pell recipients
1,029
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$5.2M
$5,191,489 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 104 borrowers who entered repayment, 9 (8.6%) defaulted within three years above the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
8.6%
+6.3pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
104
Defaulted
9
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
29.6%
2017
22.5%
2018
16.5%
2019
8.6%
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 Wilkes Community College

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs34
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

346 total completions
01Liberal Arts
16146.5%
02Health Professions
6017.3%
03Business
4212.1%
04Agriculture
195.5%
05Computer Sciences
154.3%
06Security/Protective
113.2%
07Mechanic
102.9%
08Education
102.9%
09Construction Trades
92.6%
10Personal/Culinary
92.6%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

Fall total
2,593
12-mo unduplicated
3,096
Undergraduate
3,096
Graduate
0

Gender split

Men
42%1,298
Women
58%1,798

Race / ethnicity composition

White
78.4%
Hispanic
13.6%
Black
2.8%
Two or more
2.5%
Unknown
1.3%
Asian
0.8%
Non-resident
0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

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

Athletes
32
21 M · 11 W
Women athletes
34.4%
Athletic aid
$0
Total student aid
Budget
$105K
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$0
$0
Recruiting expense
$0
$0
Head-coach salaries
$10K
$3K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 2

Baseball
21 M ·
$67K
Volleyball
· 11 W
$10K

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
0.43
1 offenses · 2,321 students

3-year trend

0.002 yrs ago0.431 yr ago0.43Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
2
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
11
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

Incest
1

By location

1total
  • Public property1

VAWA offenses

7
Domestic violence
2
Dating violence
1
Stalking
10 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons00
Drugs10
Liquor00

Residence-hall fires

No residence-hall fires reported.

Data quality: 3 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
8.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
90

Wilkes Community College vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Wilkes Community College 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
SubjectWilkes Community College
55%2,593Community College
Richmond Community College
2,384$6,042Community College
Southwestern Community College
2,157$4,928Community College
Cleveland Community College
1,558$414Community College
Rockingham Community College
1,803$2,380Community College
Davidson-Davie Community College
4,305$7,258Community College
Peer group median55%2,271$4,928

Frequently asked questions about Wilkes Community College

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Wilkes Community College.

What is the graduation rate at Wilkes Community College?

Wilkes Community College reports a 6-year graduation rate of 55% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Wilkes Community College?

Wilkes Community College reports a total enrollment of 2,593 students per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Wilkes Community College located?

Wilkes Community College is located in Wilkesboro, North Carolina 28697.

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