Public · Community college

BridgeValley Community & Technical College

South Charleston, West Virginia · Midsize suburb

13%
Transfer rate: $4,565
Avg net price: 34%
Grad / completion: $36,432
Median earnings

BridgeValley Community & Technical College is a public associate-granting institution in South Charleston, West Virginia (midsize suburb setting), enrolling 1,854 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicSmall · 1,854 undergradsMidsize suburbCold wintersSnowy

About South Charleston, West Virginia

South Charleston is a city in Kanawha County, West Virginia, United States. Leonidas Henrie Oakes Sr. (1843–1894) was a member of the West Virginia State Legislature. His son, Leonidas Henrie Oakes Jr. (1873–1949) was the mayor of South Charleston for many years. He was mayor from 1920 to 1921 and also from 1930 to 1946. South Charleston attractions include Criel Mound (also known as the South Charleston Adena Burial Mound), and the South Charleston Museum. (Wikipedia)

Setting: Midsize suburb
Highest degree offered: Associate
Nearest big city: 4 miles to Charleston, WV
To Great Lakes shore: 214 miles
Nearest airport: 6 miles to Yeager (CRW)

How BridgeValley Community & Technical College compares

Graduation rate34%

Higher than 19% · #35 of 42 in West Virginia

First-year retention47%

Higher than 8%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$36,432

Higher than 54% · #14 of 40 in West Virginia

Average net price$4,565

Cheaper than 93% · #14 cheapest of 42 in West Virginia

Median debt at graduation$9,829

Lower than 49%

Student–faculty ratio12 : 1

Lower than 73%

Undergraduate enrollment1,854

Larger than 81%

Percentiles compare BridgeValley Community & Technical 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 West Virginia.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

Women1,15963%
Men69537%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White90%
Black5.5%
Hispanic1.2%
Asian0.7%
Other or multiracial3.0%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 1,854
Student–faculty ratio: 12 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 47%
First-generation students: 55%
Students over 25: 44%
Median family income: $25,352
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $59,895
Endowment: $50,000

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

Cost

In-state tuition: $5,800
Out-of-state tuition: $12,428
Room & board: —
Books & supplies: $1,762
Total cost of attendance: $12,299
Average net price: $4,565

Outcomes

Graduated: 34%
First-year retention: 47%
Transferred to another college: 13%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $34,209
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $36,432
Median debt at graduation: $9,829
Students with federal loans: 23%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 30%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students

34%

Low-income (Pell)

29%

First-generation

29%

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

Campus safety

Safety grade: A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students: 0.0 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024): 0
Property offenses (2022–2024): 0

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

$4,321

$30–48k

$4,539

$48–75k

$7,211

$75–110k

$6,446

$110k+

$7,509

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.

of first-years get a grant from the school

$641

average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 5% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $641. 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 304 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): $36,432
Typical debt at graduation: $9,829
Debt vs. one year's pay: 27%
Out-earn a HS grad: 43%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.7 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

$33,901

Men

$41,906

Men out-earn women by $8,005 (24%) 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: 86°F
Winter low: 23°F
Annual rain: 48.2″
Annual snow: 31.5″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Charleston Wfo, WV US station (3 mi from campus).

What BridgeValley Community & Technical College graduates study — and earn

Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssoc.

56 grads$68k 1 yr$69k 5 yr$18k debt

56$67,830$68,612$18,375 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssoc.

27 grads$24k 1 yr$40k 5 yr$7k debt

27$23,902$40,452$6,750 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsAssoc.

25 grads$55k 1 yr$56k 5 yr$8k debt

25$55,112$56,208$7,781 Construction Engineering Technology/TechnicianAssoc.

22 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

22———Criminal Justice and CorrectionsAssoc.

13 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

13———Dental Support Services and Allied ProfessionsAssoc.

13 grads$40k 1 yr$34k 5 yr$15k debt

13$39,504$34,406$14,928 Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralAssoc.

12 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

12———Computer/Information Technology Administration and ManagementAssoc.

12 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

12———Electromechanical Technologies/TechniciansAssoc.

12 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

12———Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/TechniciansAssoc.

11 grads— 1 yr$75k 5 yr— debt

11—$74,705—Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied ProfessionsAssoc.

11 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

11———Business Administration, Management and OperationsAssoc.

10 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

10———

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 BridgeValley Community & Technical College

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

Blue Ridge Community and Technical College

Public

Martinsburg, West Virginia · Fringe rural · 63 mi to Washington

Students: 1,661
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 13%
Earnings: $39k

West Virginia Northern Community College

Public

Wheeling, West Virginia · Small city · 46 mi to Pittsburgh

Students: 1,014
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 13%
Earnings: $30k

Dyersburg State Community College

Public

Dyersburg, Tennessee · Remote town · 72 mi to Memphis

Students: 2,103
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 12%
Earnings: $36k

Pierpont Community and Technical College

Public

Fairmont, West Virginia · Distant town · 70 mi to Pittsburgh

Students: 959
Tuition: $6k
Transfer: 8%
Earnings: $35k

Coastal Bend College

Public

Beeville, Texas · Remote town · 49 mi to Corpus Christi

Students: 1,958
Tuition: $3k
Transfer: 10%
Earnings: $35k

Surry Community College

Public

Dobson, North Carolina · Distant rural · 33 mi to Winston-Salem

Students: 1,475
Tuition: $3k
Transfer: 33%
Earnings: $36k

Colleges near BridgeValley Community & Technical College

Ben Franklin Career Center

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West Virginia State University

Institute, WV · Public · Bachelor's · 1,321 students

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University of Charleston

Charleston, WV · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 2,259 students

5 mi

West Virginia Junior College-Charleston

Cross Lanes, WV · Private for-profit · Associate · 394 students

7 mi

Mountain State School of Massage

Charleston, WV · Private for-profit · Certificate · 32 students

7 mi

Charleston School of Beauty Culture

Charleston, WV · Private for-profit · Certificate · 46 students

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Ross Medical Education Center-Charleston

Charleston, WV · Private for-profit · Certificate · 65 students

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Carver Career Center

Charleston, WV · Public · Certificate · 169 students

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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.