10-yr median earnings
$32,622
Federal aid recipients only
Public · Big Stone Gap, Virginia
Mountain Empire Community College
Mountain Empire Community College is a public institution in Big Stone Gap, Virginia. as a public institution, published Scorecard outcomes are the federal Title-IV cohort view of former students — not every graduate and not a guarantee for any one enrollee.
- $8,852
- Avg net price / yr
- $32,622
- 10-yr median earnings
- 50.8%
- 150%-time completion
The verdict
Mountain Empire Community College posts modest former-student earnings.
According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
- 26th pct.
- former-student earnings, US
- 50.8%
- 150%-time completion
- +7%
- earnings, 6→10 yrs
Town: Distant
Carnegie: Associate's
Institution data retrieved July 2026; field-of-study data retrieved March 2026.
How to read this Mountain Empire Community College profile
Figures above come from IPEDS institution records published through the College Scorecard (retrieved July 2026 for institution fields; March 2026 for field-of-study). Peer groups and cost cohorts follow IPEDS ownership sector, Carnegie class ("Associate's Colleges: Mixed Transfer/Career & Technical-High Nontraditional"), and locale, not an editorial shortlist.
Average net price subtracts grant and scholarship aid from cost of attendance for full-time, first-time undergraduate Title IV recipients. It is a defined cohort average, not a personalized price; income-band fields add context but do not replace the school's current net-price calculator.
Earnings use Treasury-linked records for federally aided former students who were working and not enrolled in the measurement year (completers and noncompleters). IPEDS completion and retention use separate first-time, full-time cohorts, so those denominators are not the earnings cohort. Read cost, completion, and earnings as distinct historical measures, not a causal verdict or individual forecast.
College Value Score
D
College Value Score
48/100
Mountain Empire Community College
A 6-metric composite of earnings, cost, and completion outcomes benchmarked against every reporting US college, not a ranking of teaching quality, campus life, or fit for any individual student. See the full methodology.
Earnings F
$32,622
10-year median former-student earnings
Net Price A-
$8,852
Average annual cost after grants and aid
Completion Rate D
50.8%
Completion within 150% of normal time
Debt N/A
N/A
Median federal debt at graduation
Loan Repayment N/A
N/A
Borrowers repaying loans within 3 years
Retention N/A
N/A
First-year students returning for year two
Each axis is the percentile score shown in the breakdown at left; the shape shows this school's overall profile at a glance.
Avg net price
$8,852
After grants and scholarships
150%-time completion
50.8%
Full-time, first-time cohort
150%-time completion vs portal median (57.1%) 50.8%
Less-than-four-year-institution cohort
College ROI Quadrant - Mountain Empire Community College vs peers
Each dot is a college plotted by 10-year median earnings (x-axis) vs average net price (y-axis), colored by completion within 150% of normal time. Bottom-right = high earnings/lower price; top-left = lower earnings/higher price.
How Mountain Empire Community College ranks nationally
Where this school's former-student earnings fall within the full national distribution of every US college that reports to the College Scorecard, not just its peer set.
Mountain Empire Community College: former-student earnings vs. every US college
10-year median earnings, College Scorecard
$32,622 26th percentile higher than 26% of 5,103 US colleges
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US colleges. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard · Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals
| Metric | Mountain Empire Community College | National rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $32,622 | #3761 of 5103 | 26th |
| Average net price | $8,852 | #923 of 5020 | 82nd (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 50.8% | #2908 of 4858 | 40th |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 1,282 | #1926 of 5462 | 65th |
National ranks count every operating US college reporting each metric to the College Scorecard, separate from the earnings histogram above.
Quick Facts
1,282
Undergraduate enrollment
-
Acceptance rate
-
SAT average
50.8%
150%-time completion
$32,622
10-yr median earnings
-
First-year retention
How Mountain Empire Community College ranks in Virginia
State rank among 125 reporting Virginia colleges with College Scorecard data, a separate lens from the national distribution above.
| Metric | Mountain Empire Community College | State rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $32,622 | #99 of 125 | 21st |
| Average net price | $8,852 | #23 of 107 | 79th (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 50.8% | #49 of 102 | 52nd |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 1,282 | #47 of 126 | 63rd |
Highest former-student earnings in Virginia
| # | School | 10-yr earnings | Net price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington and Lee University | $94,810 | $23,781 |
| 2 | Chamberlain University-Virginia | $92,405 | $33,199 |
| 3 | University of Virginia-Main Campus | $86,863 | $21,565 |
| 4 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | $81,698 | $24,953 |
| 5 | Sentara College of Health Sciences | $77,821 | - |
| 6 | Virginia Military Institute | $77,369 | $17,113 |
| 7 | Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing | $77,014 | - |
| 8 | George Mason University | $76,343 | $17,915 |
| 9 | University of Richmond | $76,178 | $31,309 |
| 10 | William & Mary | $73,490 | $19,096 |
| 11 | Southside College of Health Sciences | $71,380 | - |
| 12 | James Madison University | $69,954 | $23,322 |
| 99 | Mountain Empire Community CollegeThis school | $32,622 | $8,852 |
Costs & Financial Aid
Net price by family income at Mountain Empire Community College
Average annual net price after grants; Title IV recipient cohort by income bracket
- $0 – $30k
$0 – $30k
$8,148 net price / yr
- $30k – $48k
$30k – $48k
$8,064 net price / yr
- $48k – $75k
$48k – $75k
$10,770 net price / yr
What this shows Need-based aid pulls net price down at lower brackets at Mountain Empire Community College - compare the bar for your income band, not the overall average alone.
Tuition & Net Price
| In-State Tuition | $5,007 |
| Out-of-State Tuition | $11,445 |
| Average Net Price | $8,852 |
43.4%
Pell Grant Rate
0.0%
Federal Loan Rate
Net price at Mountain Empire Community College swings rather than trends
Across 11 reported years between 2013 and 2023, the average net price here has ranged from $4,593 to $8,339 without settling into a rise or a fall. Comparing only the first and last years would read as +56.8%, but the years in between do not follow that line, so the honest summary is the range rather than a trend. Budget against the upper end, not the average.
Lowest year
$4,593
Highest year
$8,339
Most recent (2023)
$7,226
11 reported years. Nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation.
2013 · $4,6092023 · $7,226
Over the same years, enrollment went -34.7% (1,899 → 1,240 students).
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, per-year fields (2013–2023). Net price is the average cost after grant and scholarship aid for federally-aided undergraduates.
Student Demographics
Race & ethnicity
Student body at a glance
56.3%
Female
57.1%
First Generation
Outcomes
$30,368
Median Earnings (6yr)
34.3%
Earning Over $25K
Outcomes & debt snapshot
| Measure | Cohort / horizon | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Completion within 150% of normal time | First-time, full-time | 50.8% |
| Median earnings | 6 years after entry | $30,368 |
| Median earnings | 10 years after entry | $32,622 |
| Share earning over $25,000 | Working, not enrolled | 34.3% |
Programs & Earnings
Field-of-study summary by credential
| Credential | Programs | Award count | Avg earnings | Top earnings | Avg debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Associate's | 6 | 217 | $52,426 | $69,922 | - |
| Certificate | 4 | 400 | $46,168 | $51,574 | - |
Top programs at Mountain Empire Community College by completer earnings
Median earnings of program completers, College Scorecard field-of-study file
- Registered Nursing, Nursin…
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
$69,922 median earnings
- Allied Health Diagnostic, …
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions
$58,843 median earnings
- Industrial Production Tech…
Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians
$52,159 median earnings
- Practical Nursing, Vocatio…
Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants
$51,574 median earnings
- Mental and Social Health S…
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions
$43,939 median earnings
- Criminal Justice and Corre…
Criminal Justice and Corrections
$43,752 median earnings
- Allied Health Diagnostic, …
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions
$42,992 median earnings
- Liberal Arts and Sciences,…
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
$37,452 median earnings
What this shows The highest-earning programs at a school are not necessarily its most popular ones - a small specialized program can post strong median earnings without reflecting the outcome most students here actually see.
| Program | Credential | Completers | Median Earnings | Median Debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | Associate's | 55 | $69,922 | - |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions | Associate's | 11 | $58,843 | - |
| Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians | Associate's | 9 | $52,159 | - |
| Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants | Certificate | 66 | $51,574 | - |
| Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions | Certificate | - | $43,939 | - |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | Associate's | 14 | $43,752 | - |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions | Certificate | 189 | $42,992 | - |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | Associate's | 119 | $37,452 | - |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | Certificate | 145 | - | - |
| Business Operations Support and Assistant Services | Associate's | 9 | - | - |
Nearby Schools
University of Virginia's College at Wise
Wise, VA
1,101 students
Southeast Kentucky Community & Technical College
Cumberland, KY
1,721 students
Alice Lloyd College
Pippa Passes, KY
558 students
Northeast State Community College
Blountville, TN
4,404 students
Hazard Community and Technical College
Hazard, KY
1,506 students
Explore Data-Matched Colleges
Matches use Scorecard measures among reporting colleges — not state-system recommendations or geographic proximity.
Similar Enrollment and Sector
Other Public institutions closest in reported enrollment, preferring the same Carnegie classification.
Similar Reported Net Price
Other Public institutions with the nearest reported average net price.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the admissions statistics for Mountain Empire Community College? ▼
Mountain Empire Community College is a public institution in Big Stone Gap, Virginia. Undergraduate enrollment is 1,282 students.
How much do Mountain Empire Community College former students earn? ▼
Federally aided former students at Mountain Empire Community College who were working and not enrolled had median earnings of $32,622 ten years after entry; the cohort is not limited to graduates. Six years after entry, the corresponding median is $30,368.
How much does Mountain Empire Community College cost? ▼
The average net price at Mountain Empire Community College is $8,852. In-state tuition is $5,007 and out-of-state tuition is $11,445.
What is the graduation rate at Mountain Empire Community College? ▼
Mountain Empire Community College has a 50.8% completion rate within 150% of normal program time at a less-than-four-year institution.
Sources & methodology
Public-college profiles lean on IPEDS enrollment and Scorecard Title-IV outcomes. State appropriations are outside this page; the figures below are the federal cohort measures only.
Every number is read live from the Mar–Jul 2026 Scorecard/IPEDS retrievals. Public institutions often enroll large Title-IV cohorts, so medians can be stable — still cohort averages, never a personal forecast. Read the full methodology for how the data is sourced, computed, and verified.
- College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education - former-student earnings, cost & completion (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- IPEDS, National Center for Education Statistics - enrollment, admissions, Carnegie class & demographics (nces.ed.gov/ipeds).
- U.S. Treasury / IRS earnings linkage - median earnings 6 & 10 years after enrollment for federal-aid recipients (irs.gov).
- College Scorecard, Field of Study - program-level (credential) earnings & debt (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- Federal Student Aid (Title IV / NSLDS) - U.S. Department of Education - net price, student debt & aid-recipient repayment outcomes (studentaid.gov).
Where to go next from Mountain Empire Community College
- Compare Mountain Empire Community College against schools with similar outcomes at a lower average net price.Find similar schools that cost less
- Browse every reporting college in Virginia side by side.Browse Virginia
- See how fields of study differ on former-student earnings and debt.Explore programs
Public-college Scorecard figures are historical Title-IV cohort averages — confirm current tuition, aid, and admissions rules with the institution before deciding.
Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. Public-institution profiles compile Scorecard Title-IV earnings, IPEDS enrollment/admissions, and Treasury linkage fields — no editor-typed figures. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Review the public data changelog. Data current as of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals.