Public · Community college

Northern Virginia Community College

Annandale, Virginia · Large suburb

16%
Transfer rate: $9,919
Avg net price: 33%
Grad / completion: $53,557
Median earnings

Northern Virginia Community College is a public associate-granting institution in Annandale, Virginia (large suburb setting), enrolling 33,048 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicLarge · 33,048 undergradsLarge suburbCold wintersNear the coast

About Annandale, Virginia

Annandale is a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. Fitzhugh's descendants later named it "Ravensworth." For over six generations, the Fitzhugh family farmed at Ravensworth and slowly sold off portions of the land. In the video game Fallout 3, the city is used as a location under the name of Andale. The city is inhabited by a group of inbred cannibals who proudly go by the title of the "Friendliest Town in the USA". (Wikipedia)

Setting: Large suburb
Highest degree offered: Associate
Nearest big city: 12 miles to Washington, DC
To the ocean: 10 miles
Nearest airport: 11 miles to Ronald Reagan Washington National (DCA) · major hub

How Northern Virginia Community College compares

#22 · Community Colleges with the Highest Graduate Earnings #46 · Largest Colleges by Enrollment

Graduation rate33%

Higher than 16% · #59 of 65 in Virginia

First-year retention71%

Higher than 46%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$53,557

Higher than 93% · #10 of 62 in Virginia

Average net price$9,919

Cheaper than 71% · #25 cheapest of 61 in Virginia

Median debt at graduation$11,000

Lower than 36%

Student–faculty ratio31 : 1

Lower than 4%

Undergraduate enrollment33,048

Larger than 99%

Percentiles compare Northern 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

Women17,49953%
Men15,54947%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White25%
Black15%
Hispanic31%
Asian15%
Other or multiracial14%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 33,048
Student–faculty ratio: 31 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 20%
First-generation students: 41%
Students over 25: 18%
Median family income: $28,572
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $90,108
Endowment: $13,951,515

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 8,330 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

From Virginia99%
Other U.S. states1.2%

Most first-years stay in state — Northern 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: $5,891
Out-of-state tuition: $12,409
Room & board: —
Books & supplies: $1,800
Total cost of attendance: $17,153
Average net price: $9,919

Outcomes

Graduated: 33%
First-year retention: 71%
Transferred to another college: 16%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $40,698
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $53,557
Median debt at graduation: $11,000
Students with federal loans: 7%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 39%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students

33%

Low-income (Pell)

15%

First-generation

15%

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): 9
Property offenses (2022–2024): 12

Reported offenses in an average year

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

7.0reported offenses a year

3.0 violent a year4.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Aggravated assault

1.7

Motor vehicle theft

1.7

Arson

1.3

Fondling

1.0

Burglary

1.0

Rape

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

$7,463

$30–48k

$8,317

$48–75k

$10,762

$75–110k

$13,835

$110k+

$16,630

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.

11%

of first-years get a grant from the school

$1,483

average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 11% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,483. 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 4,817 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): $53,557
Typical debt at graduation: $11,000
Debt vs. one year's pay: 21%
Out-earn a HS grad: 59%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.1 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

$49,827

Men

$59,417

Men out-earn women by $9,590 (19%) 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: 84°F
Winter low: 23°F
Annual rain: 43.6″
Annual snow: 18.5″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Vienna, VA US station (4.9 mi from campus).

What Northern Virginia Community College graduates study — and earn

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssoc.

1,298 grads$32k 1 yr$53k 5 yr$11k debt

1,298$32,144$52,654$11,000 Business Administration, Management and OperationsAssoc.

854 grads$31k 1 yr$60k 5 yr$10k debt

854$30,503$59,601$10,319 Business Administration, Management and OperationsCert.

613 grads$48k 1 yr$48k 5 yr$11k debt

613$47,527$48,443$10,699 Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralAssoc.

549 grads$40k 1 yr$73k 5 yr$10k debt

549$39,679$73,013$10,490 Computer/Information Technology Administration and ManagementAssoc.

422 grads$55k 1 yr— 5 yr$13k debt

422$54,742—$12,500 Social Sciences, GeneralAssoc.

351 grads$24k 1 yr$48k 5 yr$11k debt

351$23,637$48,149$10,500 Computer ScienceAssoc.

322 grads$49k 1 yr$86k 5 yr$13k debt

322$48,889$85,960$13,000 Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/TechniciansCert.

250 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr$10k debt

250——$9,798 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesCert.

247 grads$24k 1 yr$46k 5 yr$11k debt

247$24,353$46,146$10,750 Biological and Physical SciencesAssoc.

242 grads$22k 1 yr$47k 5 yr$11k debt

242$21,923$46,948$10,500 Engineering, GeneralAssoc.

232 grads$17k 1 yr$83k 5 yr$10k debt

232$16,790$83,194$9,500 Human Development, Family Studies, and Related ServicesCert.

197 grads$24k 1 yr— 5 yr$15k debt

197$24,012—$15,183

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 Northern Virginia Community College

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

Collin County Community College District

Public

McKinney, Texas · Large suburb · 28 mi to Dallas

Students: 26,449
Tuition: $2k
Transfer: 26%
Earnings: $49k

Weber State University

Public

Ogden, Utah · Small city · 30 mi to Salt Lake City

Students: 16,360
Tuition: $7k
Transfer: 20%
Earnings: $56k

Utah Valley University

Public

Orem, Utah · Small city · 34 mi to Salt Lake City

Students: 28,453
Tuition: $7k
Transfer: 19%
Earnings: $55k

Diablo Valley College

Public

Pleasant Hill, California · Large suburb · 23 mi to San Francisco

Students: 15,358
Tuition: $1k
Transfer: 10%
Earnings: $51k

Salt Lake Community College

Public

Salt Lake City, Utah · Large suburb · 7 mi to Salt Lake City

Students: 18,136
Tuition: $4k
Transfer: 14%
Earnings: $48k

Tidewater Community College

Public

Norfolk, Virginia · Midsize city · < 1 mi to Norfolk

Students: 12,082
Tuition: $6k
Transfer: 15%
Earnings: $38k

Colleges near Northern Virginia Community College

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Falls Church, VA · Private for-profit · Bachelor's · 348 students

2 mi

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Fairfax, VA · Public · Bachelor's · 27,752 students

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Falls Church, VA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 101 students

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University of the Potomac-VA Campus

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5 mi

Virginia University of Integrative Medicine

Vienna, VA · Private nonprofit · Graduate

5 mi

Standard Healthcare Services-College of Nursing

Falls Church, VA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 730 students

5 mi

Chamberlain University-Virginia

Vienna, VA · Private for-profit · Bachelor's · 557 students

5 mi

The Esthetic Institute

Vienna, VA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 66 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.