Is Virginia Highlands Community College Worth It?

Virginia Highlands Community College is cheap enough to make the math work, but only if you pick the right program. At roughly $5,100 a year, your total cost to finish is low, and that low cost is the main thing keeping the return positive when median earnings ten years out sit near $32,700. That figure is dragged down by what you study, not by the price tag.

Nursing is the reason to come here. The associate nursing program pays close to $49,400, which is nearly triple what the general studies and liberal arts track returns. The electrical and power transmission associate degree also holds up at about $37,600, a solid fit for the regional trades market around Abingdon and southwest Virginia. If you enroll in either of these, the ROI is strong and fast because your costs are small.

The warning is the liberal arts and general studies path, which pays around $17,400, and the mental and social health services certificate at a similar level. These are barely above what you might earn without the credential, and they only make sense as a transfer step toward a four-year degree. Treated as a final destination, they lose money against the time you spend.

The real risk here is completion. With a graduation rate under 42%, the biggest threat to your money is paying for classes and leaving without the credential that produces the nursing or electrical salary. If you don't finish, the low price stops protecting you.

The net price barely moves across income bands, running between about $4,800 and $6,500. Lower-income families pay slightly less, but nobody here gets a dramatically different deal. This is a good financial fit if you can commit to nursing or the trades and finish. Look elsewhere if you want a general associate degree as your endpoint.