Public · Community college

Blue Ridge Community College

Flat Rock, North Carolina · Large suburb

14%
Transfer rate
$5,756
Avg net price
50%
Grad / completion
$36,324
Median earnings

Blue Ridge Community College is a public certificate-granting institution in Flat Rock, North Carolina (large suburb setting), enrolling 1,758 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicSmall · 1,758 undergradsLarge suburbCold winters

About Flat Rock, North Carolina

Blue Ridge Community College is located in Flat Rock, North Carolina, a large suburb setting.

Setting
Large suburb
Highest degree offered
Associate
To the ocean
211 miles
Nearest airport
11 miles to Asheville (AVL)

How Blue Ridge Community College compares

Graduation rate50%

Higher than 36% · #36 of 90 in North Carolina

First-year retention70%

Higher than 44%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$36,324

Higher than 53% · #18 of 84 in North Carolina

Average net price$5,756

Cheaper than 88% · #30 cheapest of 90 in North Carolina

Median debt at graduation$12,000

Lower than 29%

Student–faculty ratio12 : 1

Lower than 73%

Undergraduate enrollment1,758

Larger than 80%

Percentiles compare Blue Ridge Community College with the nation's 3,519 two-year and certificate schools, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count two-year and certificate schools in North Carolina.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

1,758undergrads
  • Women1,00057%
  • Men75843%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White70%
  • Black4.8%
  • Hispanic18%
  • Asian1.9%
  • Other or multiracial6.0%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,758
Student–faculty ratio
12 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
35%
First-generation students
46%
Students over 25
28%
Median family income
$23,192
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$57,780
Endowment
$16,664,162

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Cost

In-state tuition
$2,660
Out-of-state tuition
$8,804
Room & board
Books & supplies
$2,450
Total cost of attendance
$13,274
Average net price
$5,756

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated
50%
First-year retention
70%
Transferred to another college
14%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$31,807
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$36,324
Median debt at graduation
$12,000
Students with federal loans
4%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
27%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
50%
Low-income (Pell)
27%
First-generation
25%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
No
Application fee
Free

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Campus safety

Safety grade
A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.4 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
1
Property offenses (2022–2024)
2

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (2,723 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

1.0reported offenses a year
0.3 violent a year0.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
0.7
Fondling
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$5,723
$30–48k
$4,646
$48–75k
$6,581
$75–110k
$8,351
$110k+

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

74%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$872
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 74% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $872. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 172 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$36,324
Typical debt at graduation
$12,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
33%
Out-earn a HS grad
36%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.3 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$32,391
Men
$42,674

Men out-earn women by $10,283 (32%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
84°F
Winter low
26°F
Annual rain
59″
Annual snow
6.7″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.95.8JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Hendersonville 1 NE, NC US station (2 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Blue Ridge Community College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Blue Ridge Community College side by side →

Colleges near Blue Ridge Community College

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.