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.

PublicMidsize · 2,741 undergradsSmall cityNJCAA Division IICold winters

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
To the ocean
195 miles
Nearest airport
39 miles to Charlotte Douglas (CLT) · major hub

How Catawba Valley Community College compares

Graduation rate35%

Higher than 20% · #67 of 90 in North Carolina

First-year retention65%

Higher than 33%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$36,977

Higher than 57% · #13 of 84 in North Carolina

Average net price$10,528

Cheaper than 68% · #53 cheapest of 90 in North Carolina

Median debt at graduation$4,938

Lower than 98%

Student–faculty ratio10 : 1

Lower than 82%

Undergraduate enrollment2,741

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

2,741undergrads
  • 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)

All students
35%
First-generation
21%

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)

Other Sports54
Baseball41
Basketball18
Softball11

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.

1.0reported offenses a year
0.7 violent a year0.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Fondling
0.7
Motor vehicle theft
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
$9,170
$30–48k
$9,639
$48–75k
$13,129
$75–110k
$15,469
$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.

6%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$1,467
average award, among those who get one

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.

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
$33,009
Men
$43,162

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

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.34.6JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Hickory Faa AP, NC US station (6 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 Catawba Valley Community College

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

Colleges near Catawba Valley 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.