Public · Community college

College of the Albemarle

Elizabeth City, North Carolina · Distant town

31%
Transfer rate: $2,253
Avg net price: 35%
Grad / completion: $33,234
Median earnings

College of the Albemarle is a public associate-granting institution in Elizabeth City, North Carolina (distant town setting), enrolling 2,001 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicMidsize · 2,001 undergradsDistant townNear the coast

About Elizabeth City, North Carolina

Elizabeth City is a city in Pasquotank county, North Carolina, United States. Located at the narrows of the Pasquotank River, colonists used the area that developed as Elizabeth City as a trading site. As early as the mid 18th century, they established inspection stations and ferries. Elizabeth City is home to the Museum of the Albemarle, the northeastern regional branch of the North Carolina Museum of History. (Wikipedia)

Setting: Distant town
Highest degree offered: Associate
Nearest big city: 37 miles to Norfolk, VA
To the ocean: 1 mile
Nearest airport: 39 miles to Norfolk (ORF) · major hub

How College of the Albemarle compares

#41 · Community Colleges with the Best Transfer Rates

Graduation rate35%

Higher than 19% · #71 of 90 in North Carolina

First-year retention72%

Higher than 47%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$33,234

Higher than 43% · #49 of 84 in North Carolina

Average net price$2,253

Cheaper than 98% · #11 cheapest of 90 in North Carolina

Student–faculty ratio13 : 1

Lower than 67%

Undergraduate enrollment2,001

Larger than 82%

Percentiles compare College of the Albemarle 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

Women1,30965%
Men69235%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White59%
Black13%
Hispanic6.0%
Asian0.8%
Other or multiracial21%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 2,001
Student–faculty ratio: 13 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 17%
First-generation students: 45%
Students over 25: 19%
Median family income: $18,320
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $59,508
Endowment: $7,050,915

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 357 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

From North Carolina100%

Most first-years stay in state — College of the Albemarle draws overwhelmingly from North Carolina.

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: $2,242
Out-of-state tuition: $7,652
Room & board: —
Books & supplies: $1,203
Total cost of attendance: $13,621
Average net price: $2,253

Outcomes

Graduated: 35%
First-year retention: 72%
Transferred to another college: 31%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $29,939
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $33,234
Median debt at graduation: —
Students with federal loans: 0%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 24%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students

35%

First-generation

18%

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): 0
Property offenses (2022–2024): 1

Reported offenses in an average year

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

0.3reported offenses a year

0 violent a year0.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary

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

$398

$30–48k

$2,466

$48–75k

$3,869

$75–110k

$7,216

$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.

24%

of first-years get a grant from the school

$2,129

average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 24% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $2,129. 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 150 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): $33,234
Typical debt at graduation: —
Debt vs. one year's pay: —
Out-earn a HS grad: 29%

Weigh it value

The payoff is less clear-cut here — weigh the debt against the earnings and your intended field before borrowing heavily.

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

$29,309

Men

$41,209

Men out-earn women by $11,900 (41%) 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: 89°F
Winter low: 34°F
Annual rain: 51.3″
Annual snow: 0.2″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Elizabeth City, NC US station (1.3 mi from campus).

What College of the Albemarle graduates study — and earn

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssoc.

242 grads$28k 1 yr$34k 5 yr$7k debt

242$28,261$34,282$7,481 Precision Metal WorkingCert.

86 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

86———Business Administration, Management and OperationsCert.

34 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

34———Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician (HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR)Cert.

33 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

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

26 grads$73k 1 yr$63k 5 yr$13k debt

26$72,750$63,295$13,000 Criminal Justice and CorrectionsCert.

24 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

24———Business Administration, Management and OperationsAssoc.

24 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

24———Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsCert.

16 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

16———Foods, Nutrition, and Related ServicesCert.

14 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

14———Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing AssistantsCert.

14 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

14———Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/TechniciansCert.

13 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

13———Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralCert.

12 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

12———

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 College of the Albemarle

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare College of the Albemarle side by side →

Wayne Community College

Public

Goldsboro, North Carolina · Small city · 47 mi to Raleigh

Students: 2,739
Tuition: $3k
Transfer: 15%
Earnings: $34k

Wilson Community College

Public

Wilson, North Carolina · Fringe town · 42 mi to Raleigh

Students: 1,373
Tuition: $3k
Transfer: 21%
Earnings: $33k

Rockingham Community College

Public

Wentworth, North Carolina · Fringe rural · 22 mi to Greensboro

Students: 1,065
Tuition: $2k
Transfer: 13%
Earnings: $32k

Craven Community College

Public

New Bern, North Carolina · Distant town · 78 mi to Wilmington

Students: 1,989
Tuition: $2k
Transfer: 13%
Earnings: $34k

Vance-Granville Community College

Public

Henderson, North Carolina · Distant town · 32 mi to Durham

Students: 1,665
Tuition: $2k
Transfer: 13%
Earnings: $34k

Nash Community College

Public

Rocky Mount, North Carolina · Fringe rural · 44 mi to Raleigh

Students: 1,689
Tuition: $3k
Transfer: 28%
Earnings: $35k

Colleges near College of the Albemarle

Mid-Atlantic Christian University

Elizabeth City, NC · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 132 students

1 mi

Elizabeth City State University

Elizabeth City, NC · Public · Bachelor's · 1,975 students

3 mi

Virginia Beach City Public Schools School of Practical Nursing

Virginia Beach, VA · Public · Certificate · 29 students

30 mi

Virginia Beach Theological Seminary

Virginia Beach, VA · Private nonprofit · Graduate · 1 students

31 mi

Arizona College of Nursing - Chesapeake

Chesapeake, VA · Private for-profit · Bachelor's · 149 students

31 mi

Sentara College of Health Sciences

Chesapeake, VA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 242 students

31 mi

Rudy & Kelly Academy A Paul Mitchell Partner School

Virginia Beach, VA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 155 students

31 mi

Regent University

Virginia Beach, VA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 4,729 students

33 mi

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.