Public · Community college

Central Virginia Community College

Lynchburg, Virginia · Small city

13%
Transfer rate: $6,928
Avg net price: 45%
Grad / completion: $36,627
Median earnings

Central Virginia Community College is a public certificate-granting institution in Lynchburg, Virginia (small city setting), enrolling 2,249 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicMidsize · 2,249 undergradsSmall cityCold winters

About Lynchburg, Virginia

Lynchburg is an independent city in Virginia, United States. Monacan Indian Nation and other Siouan Tutelo-speaking tribes had lived in the area for over 10,000 years, driving the Virginia Algonquians eastward to the coastal areas. Of Virginia's larger metro areas, Forbes Magazine ranked Lynchburg the fifth best place in Virginia for business in 2006, with Virginia being the best state in the country for business. In the same survey, Lynchburg achieved the rank of 109th in the nation. (Wikipedia)

Setting: Small city
Highest degree offered: Associate
Nearest big city: 42 miles to Roanoke, VA
To the ocean: 105 miles
Nearest airport: 2 miles to Lynchburg Regional Airport - Preston Glenn Field (LYH)

How Central Virginia Community College compares

Graduation rate45%

Higher than 31% · #41 of 65 in Virginia

First-year retention64%

Higher than 32%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$36,627

Higher than 55% · #28 of 62 in Virginia

Average net price$6,928

Cheaper than 82% · #19 cheapest of 61 in Virginia

Median debt at graduation$8,625

Lower than 69%

Student–faculty ratio18 : 1

Lower than 39%

Undergraduate enrollment2,249

Larger than 83%

Percentiles compare Central Virginia 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 Virginia.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

Women1,27056%
Men97944%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White55%
Black27%
Hispanic6.5%
Asian1.6%
Other or multiracial10%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 2,249
Student–faculty ratio: 18 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 36%
First-generation students: 43%
Students over 25: 23%
Median family income: $22,173
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $73,611
Endowment: $2,530,979

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

Where students come from

Home state of the 620 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

From Virginia100%

Most first-years stay in state — Central Virginia Community College draws overwhelmingly from Virginia.

Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Cost

In-state tuition: $5,157
Out-of-state tuition: $11,595
Room & board: —
Books & supplies: $1,932
Total cost of attendance: $12,829
Average net price: $6,928

Outcomes

Graduated: 45%
First-year retention: 64%
Transferred to another college: 13%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $31,969
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $36,627
Median debt at graduation: $8,625
Students with federal loans: 3%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 39%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students

45%

Low-income (Pell)

19%

First-generation

19%

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: 0.1 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024): 1
Property offenses (2022–2024): 0

Reported offenses in an average year

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

0.3reported offenses a year

0.3 violent a year0 property a year

By offense type, per year

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

$5,752

$30–48k

$6,256

$48–75k

$8,639

$75–110k

$7,982

$110k+

$12,434

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

$2,460

average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 8% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $2,460. 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 263 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): $36,627
Typical debt at graduation: $8,625
Debt vs. one year's pay: 24%
Out-earn a HS grad: 38%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.4 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

$34,120

Men

$42,155

Men out-earn women by $8,035 (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: 87°F
Winter low: 26°F
Annual rain: 42.8″
Annual snow: 11.6″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Lynchburg Rgnl AP, VA US station (2.9 mi from campus).

What Central Virginia Community College graduates study — and earn

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssoc.

281 grads$19k 1 yr$41k 5 yr$10k debt

281$19,393$40,590$9,811 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesCert.

271 grads$19k 1 yr— 5 yr$10k debt

271$18,625—$9,705 Precision Metal WorkingCert.

152 grads$37k 1 yr— 5 yr$9k debt

152$37,281—$8,625 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsCert.

91 grads$36k 1 yr— 5 yr$16k debt

91$36,254—$15,859 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingCert.

77 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr$8k debt

77——$8,250 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsAssoc.

32 grads$50k 1 yr$64k 5 yr$8k debt

32$49,653$64,365$8,479 Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician (HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR)Cert.

26 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

26———Business Administration, Management and OperationsAssoc.

20 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

20———Business Administration, Management and OperationsCert.

19 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

19———Electrical and Power Transmission InstallersCert.

18 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

18———Engineering Technologies/Technicians, GeneralCert.

17 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

17———Criminal Justice and CorrectionsCert.

16 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

16———

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 Central Virginia Community College

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

New River Community College

Public

Dublin, Virginia · Distant town · 43 mi to Roanoke

Students: 1,965
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 7%
Earnings: $40k

Southwest Virginia Community College

Public

Cedar Bluff, Virginia · Distant rural · 93 mi to Charleston

Students: 1,651
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 9%
Earnings: $34k

Virginia Peninsula Community College

Public

Hampton, Virginia · Large suburb · 16 mi to Norfolk

Students: 3,941
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 16%
Earnings: $38k

Piedmont Virginia Community College

Public

Charlottesville, Virginia · Midsize suburb · 66 mi to Richmond

Students: 3,045
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 12%
Earnings: $41k

Laurel Ridge Community College

Public

Middletown, Virginia · Fringe rural · 67 mi to Washington

Students: 3,195
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 15%
Earnings: $41k

Southside Virginia Community College

Public

Alberta, Virginia · Remote rural · 55 mi to Richmond

Students: 1,807
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 13%
Earnings: $32k

Colleges near Central Virginia Community College

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Virginia University of Lynchburg

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Centra College

Lynchburg, VA · Private nonprofit · Associate · 219 students

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Randolph College

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Sweet Briar College

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Southern Virginia University

Buena Vista, VA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 936 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.