Did you know there are several cheapest community colleges in Virginia, and the best part is that most of them – perhaps all of them – provide scholarships or other forms of financial aid to even reduce their low tuition fee further.
Community college is not a regular 4-year degree program, mostly the highest degree is an associate degree and can be completed within 2 years. But here’s where it gets interesting: you can complete the 2-year associate degree and then transfer to a 4-year college to complete the remaining two years to attain your bachelor’s degree.
Through this method, you save quite a lot of money, and avoid piles of student loans.
Also, you have nothing to lose when it comes to quality of education because these community colleges provide some of the best education. Moreover, you can even choose to enroll in one of the most affordable community colleges in New York or even Ohio.
Cheapest Community Colleges in Virginia
1. Patrick Henry Community College
Patrick Henry Community College is a two-year community college located in Martinsville, VA, that offers 29 associate degree programs, 12 certificate programs, and 38 career studies certificates.
| In-State Resident | $162 per credit hour |
| Out-of-State Resident | $338.60 per credit hour |
2. Danville Community College
Even though Danville Community College provides one of the cheapest community colleges in Virginia, I don’t enjoy the fact that their student-to-teacher ratio is 20:1 which is below the country’s average of 18:1. Besides this, I love that they provide 103 programs of study of which some of their top associate degree programs include;
- Science (AA&S)
- Liberal Arts – Social Science Specialization (AA&S)
- Nursing (AAS)
- Business Administration (AA&S)
Etc.
| In-State Resident | 157.00 per credit hour |
| Out-of-State Resident | 330.60 per credit hour |
3. Mountain Empire Community
Almost like Danville, Mountain Empire Community has a little bit of a high student-to-faculty ratio of 19:1. Also, they have programs in 69 fields of study which is quite nice for a community college.
| In-State Resident | 157.50 per credit hour |
| Out-of-State Resident | $357.60 per credit hour |
4. Virginia Highlands Community College
At $157 for In-State residents and $357 per credit hour for out-of-state residents means that Virginia Highlands Community College is one of the most affordable community colleges in Virginia to add to your list. Moreover, they still provide scholarships worth over $6 million per year to different students which makes paying for college a lot easier.
| In-State Resident | 157.50 per credit hour |
| Out-of-State Resident | $357.10 per credit hour |
5. Southwest Virginia Community College
To add to the low tuition fee rate provided by Southwest Virginia Community College, they also have some scholarships like;
- Education Foundation Scholarships
- GEER Scholarship Assistance
- Tobacco Commission Scholarships
They also provide more than 90 programs of study.
| In-State Resident | $157.75 per credit hour |
| Out-of-State Resident | $355.35 per credit hour |
6. Northern Virginia Community College
There are some great scholarships and grants that this community college provides to even make their tuition fee extremely affordable. Some of them include;
- Earle C. Williams Veteran Technology Scholarship
- Esther H. Clairvaux Nursing Scholarship
- Annandale Woman’s Club Nursing Scholarship
- Northrop Grumman ADVANCE Initiative STEM Scholarship Fund
- Micron ADVANCE Initiative Scholarship Fund
And many others.
| In-State Resident | $180.40 per credit hour |
| Out-of-State Resident | $359.65 per credit hour |
7. Virginia Peninsula Community College
Virginia Peninsula Community College is one of the cheapest community colleges in Virginia that provides online learning programs like; Accounting, Business Administration, Computer Aided Drafting and Design Technology, Cybersecurity, Information Technology, Liberal Arts, Mechanical Engineering Technology, etc.
| In-State Resident | $156.00 per credit hour |
| Out-of-State Resident | $332.60 per credit hour |
8. Paul D. Camp Community College
This community college also provides various financial aid to help reduce their low tuition fee even further. You first need to fill out The Free Application for Student Aid (FAFSA) so you’ll be awarded aids that you’re eligible for whether in the form of state grants, federal loans, and Camp scholarships.
| In-State Resident | $154.00 per credit hour |
| Out-of-State Resident | $330.60 per credit hour |
9. Wytheville Community College
WCC provides various academic programs in 5 different ways;
- General Education
- College Transfer Programs
- Career & Technical Education Programs
- Cooperative Education
- Workforce Development – Continuing Education and Community Services
| In-State Resident | $154.00 per credit hour |
| Out-of-State Resident | $330.60 per credit hour |
10. Laurel Ridge Community
Laurel Ridge Community also provides some note-worthy scholarships worth $250,000 and other financial aid to back up their low tuition fee.
| In-State Resident | $159.65 per credit hour |
| Out-of-State Resident | $359.75 per credit hour |
Conclusion
You have seen that there is a handful of very affordable community colleges in Virginia, but you should also know that the tuition fee we listed is for the 2023/2024 academic calendar. And, their fees are subject to change, so do well to take advantage of the links we provided to stay up to date with their fees.
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