Mountain Empire Community College
Big Stone Gap, Virginia · Also known as MECC, Mountain Empire · Website
$32,622
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$32,622
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Mountain Empire Community College is a public 2-year college in Big Stone Gap, Virginia with 1,282 undergraduates. Its average net price after grants is $8,852 a year (tuition and fees $5,007 in-state, $11,445 out-of-state). 48% of students finish within 3 years. Former students earn a median $32,622 a year 10 years after they started.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$8,852
US median $17,138
Tuition in-state
$5,007
Out-of-state $11,445
Admission rate
Open
Completion rate
48%
Within 3 years, US 58%
Median debt
-
Earnings at 10 years
$32,622
Rank 3,758 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $8,852
- Tuition in-state
- $5,007
- Tuition out-of-state
- $11,445
- Cost of attendance
- $15,605
- Students with a need-based grant
- 43%
- Students with federal loans
- 0%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $8,148
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $8,064
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $10,770
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $11,741
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $4,365 in 2015-16 to $5,007 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- Open admission
- Undergraduates
- 1,282
- Part-time students
- 44%
- Women
- 61%
- Students per teacher
- 22
- Completion rate
- 48%
- Retention rate
- 64%
- Highest degree
- Associate's degree
- Programs
- 41
- Endowment
- $34.9M
- Other
- Open admission
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 3,758 of 5,094 US colleges and 101 of 127 in Virginia (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | VA median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $8,852 | $19,081 | $7,702 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $5,007 | $16,364 | $4,656 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | - | 80% | 79% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 48% | 52% | 38% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 64% | 73% | 64% | 75% |
| Median debt | - | $20,000 | $10,417 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $30,368 | $36,582 | $33,563 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $32,622 | $42,837 | $38,555 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US public 2-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 50% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
41 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssociate's | Associate's | 126 | Withheld | $20,005 | $37,452 | $44,125 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesCertificate | Certificate | 108 | Withheld | $16,029 | Withheld | $44,906 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsCertificate | Certificate | 106 | Withheld | Withheld | $42,992 | $57,584 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssociate's | Associate's | 47 | Withheld | $62,303 | $69,922 | $80,813 |
| Precision Metal WorkingCertificate | Certificate | 45 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $48,702 |
| Construction Trades, GeneralCertificate | Certificate | 37 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing AssistantsCertificate | Certificate | 32 | Withheld | $35,693 | $51,574 | $56,073 |
| Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied ProfessionsCertificate | Certificate | 22 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $38,675 |
| Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/TechniciansCertificate | Certificate | 21 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $49,492 |
| Environmental Control Technologies/TechniciansAssociate's | Associate's | 19 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $55,148 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralCertificate | Certificate | 18 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $50,984 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related ServicesCertificate | Certificate | 18 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $31,135 |
| Environmental Control Technologies/TechniciansCertificate | Certificate | 15 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsAssociate's | Associate's | 15 | Withheld | $58,346 | $58,843 | $65,389 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsAssociate's | Associate's | 13 | Withheld | Withheld | $43,752 | $46,706 |
| Health and Medical Administrative ServicesCertificate | Certificate | 13 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $35,447 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsCertificate | Certificate | 12 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Industrial Production Technologies/TechniciansCertificate | Certificate | 11 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $57,294 |
| Industrial Production Technologies/TechniciansAssociate's | Associate's | 11 | Withheld | Withheld | $52,159 | $73,593 |
| Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician (HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR)Certificate | Certificate | 11 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $48,148 |
| Dental Support Services and Allied ProfessionsCertificate | Certificate | 11 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsCertificate | Certificate | 11 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Natural Resources Conservation and ResearchCertificate | Certificate | 10 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Business Operations Support and Assistant ServicesOnlineAssociate's | Associate's | 10 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $37,587 |
| Health and Medical Administrative ServicesAssociate's | Associate's | 6 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $37,073 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Big Stone Gap and Virginia on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Virginia
- Homes: Homes for sale in Virginia
Questions and answers
How much does Mountain Empire Community College cost?
$8,852 a year is the average net price at Mountain Empire Community College after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $5,007 for in-state students and $11,445 for out-of-state students, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $15,605. Families earning under $30,000 pay $8,148 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Mountain Empire Community College?
Mountain Empire Community College has open admission: it accepts students who meet its basic requirements, such as a high school diploma.
How much do Mountain Empire Community College graduates earn?
$32,622 a year is the median pay of former Mountain Empire Community College students who work, 10 years after they started ($30,368 after 6 years). That ranks 3,758 of 5,094 US colleges and 101 of 127 in Virginia. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's) at $62,303.
What is the graduation rate at Mountain Empire Community College?
48% of first-time, full-time students at Mountain Empire Community College finish within 3 years. 64% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of public 2-year colleges is 38%.
What are the most popular majors at Mountain Empire Community College?
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (126 associate's graduates), Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (108 certificate graduates), Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (106 certificate graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 41 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.