Mountain Empire Community College

Public, 2-4 Years School Located in Big Stone Gap, VA

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How much is the MECC tuition? For the academic year 2023-2024, MECC's tuition & fees is $4,863 for Virginia residents and $10,866 for out-of-state students.
With indirect costs not billed by school, such as room & boards and personal living expenses, the total cost of attendance for one academic year is $18,009 for Virginia residents and $24,012 for out-of-state students when a student lives off-campus.

MECC Tuition & Expenses

2022-2023 Rate
Virginia Residents Tuition & Fees$4,863
Out-of-State Tuition & Fees$10,866
Books & Supplies Costs$1,500
Off-campus Room & Board$4,500
Off-campus Expenses$7,146
2023-2024 Estimates
Virginia Residents Tuition & Fees$5,021
Out-of-State Tuition & Fees$11,021

Average Tuition By School Type and Comparison

Compared to 2-4 years schools nationwide, MECC' tuition is slightly lower than the average tuition of $12,960. Compared to public, 2-4 years colleges in Virginia, its tuition is much lower than the average tuition of $19,087.
In-StateOut-of-State
Mountain Empire Community College$4,863$10,866
U.S. 2-4 Years Colleges$18,672
Public Schools$7,199$12,960
Private Schools$20,937
Virginia 2-4 Years Colleges$19,100
Public Schools$8,992$19,087
Private Schools$19,105

Compare Similar School's Tuition

The next table compares the tuition & fees between MECC and similar schools. The similar colleges are selected by school type & level (public, 2-4 years), ranking, and comparison frequency by our users. The comparison is based on 2022-2023 tuition rate.
LocationIn-StateOut-of-State
Mountain Empire Community CollegeBig Stone Gap, VA$4,863$10,866
Danville Community CollegeDanville, VA$4,848$10,851
Eastern Shore Community CollegeMelfa, VA$4,938$10,941
Laurel Ridge Community CollegeMiddletown, VA$4,928$10,931
New River Community CollegeDublin, VA$4,835$10,837

Financial Aid and COA

At Mountain Empire Community College, 1,102 students (53%) received grant or scholarship from the federal government, state or local government, the institution, and other sources. The average amount of grant/scholarship received is $5,429.
After receiving financial aid, the cost of attendance (COA) at MECC is $18,583 for students living off-campus.
For beginning students (i.e. first-time freshmen), 202 students received any type of financial aid including grants/scholarship and student loans. The average amount of grant/scholarship for the first-time students is $5,398 and the average amount of student loans is $6,000.
The financial aid data is based on 2021-2022 statistics from IPEDS.
Virginia ResidentsOut-of-State
COA (off-campus)$18,009$24,012
Tuition & Fees$4,863$10,866
Indirect Costs (off-campus)$13,146$13,146
COA (off-campus) after Receiving Aid$12,580$18,583
Average Financial Aid$5,429$5,429
Type of AidNumber Receiving AidPercent Receiving AidAverage Amount of Aid Received
Grant or Scholarship1,10253%$5,429
Pell Grants83940%$4,258
Federal Student Loan00%-
Type of AidNumber Receiving AidPercent Receiving AidAverage Amount of Aid Received
Any Financial Aid20295%-
Grants or Scholarships19290%$5,398
Federal Grants13262%$4,674
Pell Grants13262%$4,529
Other Federal Grants3115%$619
State/Local Grants16075%$1,551
Institutional Grants7937%$2,168
Student Loan Aid1-$6,000
Federal Student Loans0--
Other Student Loans1-$6,000
Income LevelNumber of StudentsNumber of Students AwardedAverage Amount Aid Awarded
All level131131$6,430
0-30,0007474$7,234
30,001-48,0002828$5,948
48,001-75,0002626$4,714
75,001-110,00033$5,935
110,001 or more00-

Student Population

Mountain Empire Community College has a total of 1,928 students (all undergraduate). By gender, there are 776 male students and 1,303 female students attending MECC. The school offers online degree programs and 536 students enrolled online exclusively (27.80% of all students).
TotalMaleFemale
Undergraduate2,079 7761,303

Directory & Academic Information

Directory Information
Address3441 Mountain Empire Road, Big Stone Gap, VA
Phone276-523-2400
WEBwww.mecc.edu
Degree & Programs
DegreeUndergraduate
Program Offered53 Programs
Online Program Offered18 Online Programs
Academic Stats
Student Population1,928
Graduation Rate40%
Transfer-out Rate3%
Retention Rate63% (Full-time), 41% (Part-time)
Students to Faculty Ratio Rate18 to 1
Faculty & Staffs
Number of Faculties46 (Full-time), 84 (Part-time)
Number of Staffs141 (Full-time), 107 (Part-time)
Average Faculty Salary$61,897
Average Staff Salary$50,645