Public · Community college
Catawba Valley Community College
Hickory, North Carolina · Small city
- 33%
- Transfer rate
- $10,528
- Avg net price
- 35%
- Grad / completion
- $36,977
- Median earnings
Catawba Valley Community College is a public associate-granting institution in Hickory, North Carolina (small city setting), enrolling 2,741 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.
About Hickory, North Carolina
Hickory is a city in western North Carolina primarily located in Catawba County. Hickory owes its name to the Hickory Tavern, a log structure built in the 1790s underneath a hickory tree. A monument built by the Hickory Tavern chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, resembling an old fireplace with an informational plaque marks the spot today. Hickory is home to Hickory F.C., a local football club well known for being perennial overachievers having rose to the heights of the highest semi-pro, U.S.-based, soccer league. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Small city
- Highest degree offered
- Associate
- Nearest big city
- 41 miles to Charlotte, NC
- To the ocean
- 195 miles
- Nearest airport
- 39 miles to Charlotte Douglas (CLT) · major hub
How Catawba Valley Community College compares
Higher than 20% · #67 of 90 in North Carolina
Higher than 33%
Higher than 57% · #13 of 84 in North Carolina
Cheaper than 68% · #53 cheapest of 90 in North Carolina
Lower than 98%
Lower than 82%
Larger than 85%
Percentiles compare Catawba Valley 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
- Women1,59458%
- Men1,14742%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White61%
- Black8.6%
- Hispanic17%
- Asian6.9%
- Other or multiracial6.4%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 2,741
- Student–faculty ratio
- 10 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 28%
- First-generation students
- 50%
- Students over 25
- 15%
- Median family income
- $22,585
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $57,834
- Endowment
- $5,659,893
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $2,427
- Out-of-state tuition
- $7,803
- Room & board
- —
- Books & supplies
- $1,870
- Total cost of attendance
- $20,446
- Average net price
- $10,528
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
- 35%
- First-year retention
- 65%
- Transferred to another college
- 33%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $32,508
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $36,977
- Median debt at graduation
- $4,938
- Students with federal loans
- 0%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 30%
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
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
- Athletics
- NJCAA Division II
- Varsity athletes
- 124 (102 men · 22 women)
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%.
Varsity sports (4)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- A
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 0.2 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 2
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 1
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 4 campuses (4,904 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.
By offense type, per year
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.
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.
Modest institutional aid: 6% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,467. 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 384 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)
- $36,977
- Typical debt at graduation
- $4,938
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 13%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 40%
Typical debt would take roughly 1.3 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
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.
Men out-earn women by $10,153 (31%) 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
- 87°F
- Winter low
- 30°F
- Annual rain
- 47.1″
- Annual snow
- 5.6″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Hickory Faa AP, NC US station (6 mi from campus).
What Catawba Valley Community College graduates study — and earn
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 Catawba Valley Community College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Catawba Valley Community College side by side →
Coastal Carolina Community College
Jacksonville, North Carolina · Small city · 49 mi to Wilmington
- Students
- 2,724
- Tuition
- $3k
- Transfer
- 18%
- Earnings
- $36k
Davidson-Davie Community College
Thomasville, North Carolina · Fringe rural · 17 mi to Winston-Salem
- Students
- 2,633
- Tuition
- $2k
- Transfer
- 13%
- Earnings
- $36k
Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute
Hudson, North Carolina · Midsize suburb · 56 mi to Charlotte
- Students
- 2,393
- Tuition
- $3k
- Transfer
- 17%
- Earnings
- $35k
Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College
Asheville, North Carolina · Small city · 2 mi to Asheville
- Students
- 5,110
- Tuition
- $3k
- Transfer
- 9%
- Earnings
- $36k
Rowan-Cabarrus Community College
Salisbury, North Carolina · Large suburb · 34 mi to Winston-Salem
- Students
- 4,164
- Tuition
- $2k
- Transfer
- 16%
- Earnings
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Brunswick Community College
Bolivia, North Carolina · Distant rural · 21 mi to Wilmington
- Students
- 1,211
- Tuition
- $3k
- Transfer
- 14%
- Earnings
- $37k
Colleges near Catawba Valley Community College
Lenoir-Rhyne University
Hickory, NC · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,359 students
Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute
Hudson, NC · Public · Associate · 2,393 students
Western Piedmont Community College
Morganton, NC · Public · Associate · 1,339 students
Mitchell Community College
Statesville, NC · Public · Associate · 1,948 students
Universal Technical Institute-Mooresville
Mooresville, NC · Private for-profit · Associate · 1,345 students
Gaston College
Dallas, NC · Public · Certificate · 3,518 students
Pinnacle Institute of Cosmetology
Mooresville, NC · Private for-profit · Certificate · 18 students
Davidson College
Davidson, NC · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,867 students
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.













