Private nonprofit · Community college

Riverside College of Health Sciences

Newport News, Virginia · Midsize city

#1 most selective in Virginia#1 graduation rate in Virginia#3 for grad earnings in Virginia
0%
Transfer rate
$20,744
Avg net price
100%
Grad / completion
$66,072
Median earnings

Riverside College of Health Sciences is a private nonprofit associate-granting institution in Newport News, Virginia (midsize city setting), enrolling 350 undergraduates.

Private nonprofitSmall · 350 undergradsMidsize cityHighly selective · 13% admitCold wintersNear the coast

About Newport News, Virginia

Newport News is an independent city in southeastern Virginia, United States. During the 17th century, shortly after founding of Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607, English settlers explored and began settling the areas adjacent to Hampton Roads. People who have grown up in the Hampton Roads area have a unique Tidewater accent which is found among natives of Eastern Virginia and Maryland. Vowels have a longer pronunciation than in most accents. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Midsize city
Highest degree offered
Bachelor's
Nearest big city
16 miles to Norfolk, VA
To the ocean
< 1 mile
Nearest airport
7 miles to Newport News Williamsburg (PHF)

How Riverside College of Health Sciences compares

Selectivity12.9%

More selective than 99% · #1 most selective of 8 in Virginia

Graduation rate100%

Higher than 98% · #1 of 65 in Virginia

Earnings, 10 years after entry$66,072

Higher than 98% · #3 of 62 in Virginia

Average net price$20,744

Cheaper than 29% · #42 cheapest of 61 in Virginia

Median debt at graduation$14,787

Lower than 15%

Student–faculty ratio8 : 1

Lower than 89%

Undergraduate enrollment350

Larger than 56%

Percentiles compare Riverside College of Health Sciences 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 race / ethnicity

  • White59%
  • Black25%
  • Hispanic4.6%
  • Asian2.6%
  • Other or multiracial9.4%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
350
Student–faculty ratio
8 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
46%
First-generation students
34%
Students over 25
57%
Median family income
$30,797
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$73,575

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

Cost

In-state tuition
$17,250
Room & board
Books & supplies
$1,120
Total cost of attendance
$27,018
Average net price
$20,744

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Admissions

Admission rate
12.9%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Outcomes

Graduated
100%
First-year retention
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$54,261
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$66,072
Median debt at graduation
$14,787
Students with federal loans
75%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
61%

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
No
Application fee
$100

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%.

Campus safety

Safety grade
A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.0 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
0
Property offenses (2022–2024)
0

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (350 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.

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
$20,744
$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.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$66,072
Typical debt at graduation
$14,787
Debt vs. one year's pay
22%
Out-earn a HS grad
83%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.2 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Strong value

Graduates here tend to earn well relative to what they borrow — typical debt pays back fast, and most out-earn a high-school graduate.

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.

Campus climate

Summer high
87°F
Winter low
32°F
Annual rain
47.8″
Annual snow
2.7″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.65.3JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Langley Afb, VA US station (6.7 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 Riverside College of Health Sciences

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

Colleges near Riverside College of Health Sciences

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.