Public · Community college

Edgecombe Community College

Tarboro, North Carolina · Fringe rural

#2 best value in North Carolina

0%
Transfer rate: $0
Avg net price: 37%
Grad / completion: $33,267
Median earnings

Edgecombe Community College is a public certificate-granting institution in Tarboro, North Carolina (fringe rural setting), enrolling 1,397 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicSmall · 1,397 undergradsFringe ruralCold winters

About Tarboro, North Carolina

Tarboro is a town in and the county seat of Edgecombe County, North Carolina, United States. Created in 1760, Tarboro is the ninth-oldest incorporated town in North Carolina. Situated on the Tar River at the fall line in the Piedmont, the town served the area as an important colonial river port. It was a thriving trade center until the Civil War. Chinese tiremaker Triangle Group will be building two manufacturing facilities at a 1,449-acre site in Edgecombe County at Kingsboro Business Park, located between Rocky Mount and Tarboro. Phase 1 of the project is set to open in 2020 and phase 2 in 2022. (Wikipedia)

Setting: Fringe rural
Highest degree offered: Associate
Nearest big city: 60 miles to Raleigh, NC
To the ocean: 38 miles
Nearest airport: 20 miles to Pitt-Greenville (PGV)

How Edgecombe Community College compares

Graduation rate37%

Higher than 21% · #64 of 90 in North Carolina

First-year retention79%

Higher than 62%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$33,267

Higher than 44% · #48 of 84 in North Carolina

Average net price$0

Cheaper than 99% · #2 cheapest of 90 in North Carolina

Median debt at graduation$15,917

Lower than 12%

Student–faculty ratio10 : 1

Lower than 82%

Undergraduate enrollment1,397

Larger than 77%

Percentiles compare Edgecombe 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

Women1,06977%
Men32823%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White31%
Black52%
Hispanic9.8%
Asian0.6%
Other or multiracial6.1%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 1,397
Student–faculty ratio: 10 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 69%
First-generation students: 54%
Students over 25: 33%
Median family income: $15,322
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $55,953
Endowment: $3,562,925

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

Cost

In-state tuition: $2,640
Out-of-state tuition: $8,784
Room & board: —
Books & supplies: $2,250
Total cost of attendance: $9,330
Average net price: $0

Outcomes

Graduated: 37%
First-year retention: 79%
Transferred to another college: 0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $27,119
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $33,267
Median debt at graduation: $15,917
Students with federal loans: 28%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 14%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students

37%

Low-income (Pell)

11%

First-generation

12%

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: B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students: 0.7 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024): 1
Property offenses (2022–2024): 2

Reported offenses in an average year

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

1.0reported offenses a year

0.3 violent a year0.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary

0.7

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

$30–48k

$48–75k

$75–110k

—

$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.

76%

of first-years get a grant from the school

$1,737

average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 76% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,737. 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 46 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): $33,267
Typical debt at graduation: $15,917
Debt vs. one year's pay: 48%
Out-earn a HS grad: 35%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.8 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

$32,413

Men

$34,743

Men out-earn women by $2,330 (7%) 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: 30°F
Annual rain: 47.6″
Annual snow: 4.8″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Tarboro 1 S, NC US station (1.9 mi from campus).

What Edgecombe Community College graduates study — and earn

Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming ServicesCert.

48 grads— 1 yr$12k 5 yr$14k debt

48—$11,521$13,750 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssoc.

38 grads— 1 yr$35k 5 yr— debt

38—$35,451—Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssoc.

38 grads$66k 1 yr$66k 5 yr$27k debt

38$66,322$66,286$26,683 Health and Medical Administrative ServicesCert.

34 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

34———Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsAssoc.

26 grads$60k 1 yr$57k 5 yr$17k debt

26$60,003$56,772$16,690 Business Administration, Management and OperationsCert.

25 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

25———Precision Metal WorkingCert.

21 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

21———Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesCert.

20 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

20———Agricultural Business and ManagementCert.

19 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

19———Health and Medical Administrative ServicesAssoc.

19 grads— 1 yr$41k 5 yr$28k debt

19—$40,775$28,490 Allied Health and Medical Assisting ServicesCert.

16 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

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

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 Edgecombe Community College

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

Randolph Community College

Public

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Students: 1,417
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Transfer: 12%
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Wilson Community College

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Students: 1,373
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Lenoir Community College

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Transfer: 22%
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Western Piedmont Community College

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Morganton, North Carolina · Small city · 49 mi to Asheville

Students: 1,339
Tuition: $3k
Transfer: 23%
Earnings: $34k

Carteret Community College

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Students: 1,172
Tuition: $2k
Transfer: 14%
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Isothermal Community College

Public

Spindale, North Carolina · Distant town · 40 mi to Asheville

Students: 1,169
Tuition: $2k
Transfer: 30%
Earnings: $33k

Colleges near Edgecombe Community College

North Carolina Wesleyan University

Rocky Mount, NC · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,214 students

15 mi

Nash Community College

Rocky Mount, NC · Public · Certificate · 1,689 students

19 mi

Wilson Community College

Wilson, NC · Public · Associate · 1,373 students

21 mi

Barton College

Wilson, NC · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 982 students

22 mi

East Carolina University

Greenville, NC · Public · Bachelor's · 19,896 students

22 mi

Alexander Paul Institute of Hair Design

Greenville, NC · Private for-profit · Certificate · 55 students

22 mi

Pitt Community College

Winterville, NC · Public · Certificate · 5,317 students

25 mi

Martin Community College

Williamston, NC · Public · Certificate · 313 students

27 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.