MECC vs. Southwest Virginia

Should I go to Mountain Empire Community College or Southwest Virginia Community College? Compare 50+ facts and figures about the colleges to help you determine if MECC or Southwest Virginia is the better college for you. The CollegeSimply comparison tool allows side-by-side comparison of 50+ statistics and facts for over 2,500 colleges and universities.
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Mountain Empire Community College vs. Southwest Virginia Community College comparison
Mountain Empire Community College Southwest Virginia Community College College 3 College 4
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Overview

 MECC Southwest Virginia
Location Big Stone Gap, VA Richlands, VA
Setting Rural Fringe Distant Rural
Enrollment 1,928 2,163
Type Public 2 Year Public 2 Year
National Ranking
Religious Affiliation - - - -
Status Non-profit Non-profit
Website mecc.edu sw.edu
Team Colors                    

Costs

 MECC Southwest Virginia
Tuition (In State) $4,620 $4,620
Tuition (Out of State) $9,918 $9,918
Room & Board $4,500 $4,900
Avg Net Price $6,331 $9,444
Avg Grant Aid $5,398 $6,207
% Receiving Grant Aid 90% 95%

Admission

 MECC Southwest Virginia
Admission Chances Calculate Calculate
Applied - -
Admitted - -
Acceptance Rate Open Open
Enrolled % Open Open
Avg High School GPA - -
Typical High School Grades - -
Admissions Standards Unavailable Unavailable
Applicant Competition
ACT Range
SAT Range
Submit Test Scores
Application Deadline

Academics

 MECC Southwest Virginia
Student to Faculty Ratio 18:1 19:1
Popular Majors
  • Health Professions (47%)
  • Liberal Arts and Humanities (16%)
  • Business (10%)
  • Engineering Technology (8%)
  • Computer and Information Sciences (3%)
  • Liberal Arts and Humanities (36%)
  • Health Professions (27%)
  • Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting (17%)
  • Construction Trades (7%)
  • Engineering Technology (3%)

Outcomes

 MECC Southwest Virginia
Graduation Rate - -
Median Earnings (After 10 years) $27,300 $29,100
Making Student Loan Payments - -
Median Student Loan Debt N/A N/A
Median Loan Payment N/A N/A

Diversity

 MECC Southwest Virginia
% Men 37% 37%
% Women 63% 63%
Racial Diversity Extremely Low Extremely Low
HBCU No No
% White 95% 95%
% Black 2% 1%
% Hispanic 1% 1%
% Native American 0% 1%
% Pacific Islander 0% 0%
% Two or More Races 1% 1%
% International 0% 0%
% Unknown Race 0% 0%

Students

 MECC Southwest Virginia
% In-State 97% 90%
% Out-of-State 3% 9%

Campus

 MECC Southwest Virginia
Campus Housing No No
Freshman Dorm Required No No
Meal Plan No No
Weekend/Evening Classes Yes Yes
Daycare Facility No No
Learn More Details Details

Comparable Facts

  • Southwest Virginia Community College is larger than than MECC based on total student enrollment (2,163 students vs. 1,928 students)

MECC vs. Southwest Virginia Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, MECC or Southwest Virginia?

  • Mountain Empire Community College and Southwest Virginia cost the same to attend based on in-state tuition ($4,620.00 vs. $4,620.00)
  • Out of state tuition is the same at MECC as Southwest Virginia Community College ($9,918.00 vs. $9,918.00)
  • The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Mountain Empire Community College than Southwest Virginia ($6,331 vs. $9,444)
  • Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Mountain Empire Community College are 8.9% lower than costs at Southwest Virginia Community College ($4,500 vs. $4,900)
  • More students receive financial grant aid at Southwest Virginia Community College than Mountain Empire Community College (95% vs. 90%)
  • The average total grant financial aid received by Southwest Virginia Community College students is 15% larger than aid received Mountain Empire Community College ($6,207 vs. $5,398)

Which college is harder to get into, MECC or Southwest Virginia? Average SAT and ACT scores plus acceptance rates offer good insight into the difficulty of admission between Southwest Virginia or MECC .

MECC vs. Southwest Virginia Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, MECC or Southwest Virginia? Graduation rate, salary and amount of student loan debt are indicators of a college which offers better outcomes for its graduates. Compare the following outcomes facts between Southwest Virginia and MECC.

  • Graduates from Southwest Virginia Community College earn on average $1,800 more per year than MECC graduates after ten years. ($29,100 vs. $27,300)

Sources: U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov IPEDS and College Scorecard https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/