PVCC vs. Southwest Virginia

Deciding between Piedmont Virginia Community College and Southwest Virginia Community College? The table below shows tuition, aid, admissions, and outcomes side by side. Data comes from public sources across more than 3,000 U.S. colleges and universities. No account is required.

Frequently compared to these colleges. Click a college to add to the comparison. 

  • Overview

  • Location
  • PVCC Charlottesville, VA
  • Southwest Virginia Cedar Bluff, VA
  • Setting
  • PVCC Small Suburban
  • Southwest Virginia Distant Rural
  • Total enrollment
  • PVCC 5,263
  • Southwest Virginia 2,364
  • Type
  • PVCC Public 2 Year
  • Southwest Virginia Public 2 Year
  • National Ranking
  • PVCC
  • Southwest Virginia
  • Religious Affiliation
  • PVCC -
  • Southwest Virginia -
  • Status
  • PVCC Non-profit
  • Southwest Virginia Non-profit
  • Team Colors
  • PVCC
  • Southwest Virginia

  • Cost

  • Tuition (In State)
  • PVCC $5,072
  • Southwest Virginia $5,075
  • Tuition (Out of State)
  • PVCC $11,510
  • Southwest Virginia $11,513
  • Room & Board
  • PVCC $10,665
  • Southwest Virginia $9,000
  • Average Net Price
  • PVCC $6,710
  • Southwest Virginia $6,275
  • Average Grant Aid
  • PVCC $6,471
  • Southwest Virginia $7,232
  • % Receiving Grant Aid
  • PVCC 64%
  • Southwest Virginia 94%

  • Admissions

  • Applied
  • PVCC -
  • Southwest Virginia -
  • Admitted
  • PVCC -
  • Southwest Virginia -
  • Acceptance Rate
  • PVCC Open
  • Southwest Virginia Open
  • Enrolled
  • PVCC Open
  • Southwest Virginia Open
  • Typical SAT score
  • PVCC
  • Southwest Virginia
  • Typical ACT score
  • PVCC
  • Southwest Virginia
  • Average High School GPA
  • PVCC -
  • Southwest Virginia -
  • Typical High School Grades
  • PVCC -
  • Southwest Virginia -
  • Admissions Standards
  • PVCC Unavailable
  • Southwest Virginia Unavailable
  • Applicant Competition
  • PVCC
  • Southwest Virginia
  • ACT Range
  • PVCC
  • Southwest Virginia
  • SAT Range
  • PVCC
  • Southwest Virginia
  • Submit Test Scores
  • PVCC Open admission
  • Southwest Virginia Open admission
  • Application Deadline
  • PVCC
  • Southwest Virginia

  • Academics

  • Student to Faculty Ratio
  • PVCC 21:1
  • Southwest Virginia 20:1
  • Popular Majors
  • PVCC
    • Liberal Arts and Humanities (35%)
    • Health Professions (22%)
    • Business (15%)
    • Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting (6%)
    • Education (4%)
  • Southwest Virginia
    • Liberal Arts and Humanities (36%)
    • Health Professions (27%)
    • Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting (17%)
    • Construction Trades (7%)
    • Engineering Technology (3%)

  • Outcomes

  • Graduation Rate
  • PVCC -
  • Southwest Virginia -
  • Median Earnings (After 10 years)
  • PVCC $33,300
  • Southwest Virginia $29,100
  • Making Student Loan Payments
  • PVCC 40%
  • Southwest Virginia -
  • Median Student Loan Debt
  • PVCC $7,509
  • Southwest Virginia N/A
  • Median Loan Payment
  • PVCC $77
  • Southwest Virginia N/A

  • Diversity

  • % Men
  • PVCC 42%
  • Southwest Virginia 38%
  • % Women
  • PVCC 58%
  • Southwest Virginia 62%
  • Racial Diversity
  • PVCC Medium
  • Southwest Virginia Extremely Low
  • HBCU
  • PVCC No
  • Southwest Virginia No
  • % White
  • PVCC 68%
  • Southwest Virginia 95%
  • % Asian
  • PVCC 4%
  • Southwest Virginia 0%
  • % Black
  • PVCC 15%
  • Southwest Virginia 1%
  • % Hispanic
  • PVCC 7%
  • Southwest Virginia 1%
  • % Native American
  • PVCC 0%
  • Southwest Virginia 1%
  • % Pacific Islander
  • PVCC 0%
  • Southwest Virginia 0%
  • % Two or More Races
  • PVCC 4%
  • Southwest Virginia 1%
  • % International
  • PVCC 1%
  • Southwest Virginia 0%
  • % Unknown Race
  • PVCC 1%
  • Southwest Virginia 0%

  • Students

  • % In-State
  • PVCC 99%
  • Southwest Virginia 88%
  • % Out-of-State
  • PVCC 1%
  • Southwest Virginia 12%

  • Campus

  • Campus Housing
  • PVCC No
  • Southwest Virginia No
  • Freshman Dorm Required
  • PVCC No
  • Southwest Virginia No
  • Meal Plan
  • PVCC No
  • Southwest Virginia No
  • Weekend/Evening Classes
  • PVCC Yes
  • Southwest Virginia Yes
  • Daycare Facility
  • PVCC No
  • Southwest Virginia No

Comparable Facts

Compare Piedmont Virginia Community College in Charlottesville, VA with Southwest Virginia Community College in Cedar Bluff, VA on tuition, admissions, graduation, earnings, and student body data using the table above.

Piedmont Virginia Community College is larger than Southwest Virginia based on total student enrollment (5,263 students vs. 2,364 students)

Location, institution type, and student-faculty ratio

  • Piedmont Virginia Community College is located in Charlottesville, VA (Small Suburban setting); Southwest Virginia Community College is in Cedar Bluff, VA (Distant Rural setting).
  • Piedmont Virginia Community College is a public, non-profit 2-year institution. Southwest Virginia Community College is a public, non-profit 2-year institution.
  • Student-to-faculty ratio: Piedmont Virginia Community College 21:1; Southwest Virginia Community College 20:1.

PVCC vs. Southwest Virginia Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, PVCC or Southwest Virginia? Published tuition is the sticker price; many students pay less after aid (see average net price below).

  • The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Southwest Virginia Community College than PVCC ($6,275 vs. $6,710).
  • Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Southwest Virginia Community College are 15.6% lower than at Piedmont Virginia Community College ($9,000 vs. $10,665).
  • Southwest Virginia Community College is 0.1% more expensive for in-state tuition than PVCC (about $3 more per year; $5,075.00 vs. $5,072.00).
  • Out-of-state tuition is 0% higher at Southwest Virginia than at Piedmont Virginia Community College (about $3 more per year; $11,513.00 vs. $11,510.00).
  • A larger share of students receive grant aid at Southwest Virginia Community College than at Piedmont Virginia Community College (94% vs. 64%).
  • The average total grant financial aid received by Southwest Virginia Community College students is 11.8% larger than aid received by Piedmont Virginia Community College students ($7,232 vs. $6,471).

PVCC vs. Southwest Virginia Admissions comparison

Which college is harder to get into, PVCC or Southwest Virginia? Typical SAT and ACT scores (same estimates as in the table above), middle 50% test ranges where reported, test score submission policy, deadlines, and acceptance rates summarize admission difficulty between Southwest Virginia and PVCC.

  • Both colleges report an open admissions policy; selectivity can still vary by program or major.
  • Submitting SAT or ACT scores: PVCC - Open admission; Southwest Virginia - Open admission.

PVCC vs. Southwest Virginia Graduation Outcomes Comparison

How do outcomes compare for PVCC and Southwest Virginia? Graduation rate, earnings, and student loan debt are common indicators. The bullets below summarize the same federal outcomes fields as the comparison table (College Scorecard / IPEDS where applicable).

  • Graduates from Piedmont Virginia Community College earn a median of about $4,200 more per year than Southwest Virginia graduates about ten years after starting college ($33,300 vs. $29,100), per the same Scorecard earnings definition.

Sources: U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov IPEDS and College Scorecard https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/. Values reflect the most recent year available in our dataset.