Virginia Western Community College (VWCC) vs Laurel Ridge Community College (LRCC)

Virginia Western Community College and Laurel Ridge Community College, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Virginia Western, located in Roanoke, Virginia, boasts an acceptance rate of 100%, welcoming students from all backgrounds. Laurel Ridge, situated in Middletown, Virginia, maintains a slightly more selective admissions process, with an acceptance rate of 98%. While Virginia Western's student body is predominantly female (62%), Laurel Ridge's student population is more evenly distributed, with 52% female and 48% male students. Both colleges offer a diverse range of programs, with popular majors including Business, Health Professions, and Liberal Arts. However, Virginia Western excels in Engineering and Industrial Technologies, while Laurel Ridge specializes in Education and Public Administration. With graduation rates of 25% and 30% respectively, both institutions are committed to student success and providing the necessary resources for academic achievement. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve deeper into the unique characteristics of

	Laurel Ridge Community College	Virginia Western Community College
Overview
Location	Middletown, Virginia	Roanoke, Virginia
Campus setting	Rural: Fringe	City: Midsize
College type	2 year	2 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	60.0%	65.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	Open Admission	Open Admission
Application fees
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants
Total number of admissions given out
Admitted students who chose to enroll
Yield rate
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	Not required	Not required
High school GPA	N/A	N/A
Recommendation letters	N/A	N/A
High school transcript	N/A	N/A
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	N/A	N/A

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $19,519 Out of state: $25,522	In state: $17,877 Out of state: $23,880
Average net price	$8,359	$6,400
Tuition	In state: $4,620 Out of state: $9,918	In state: $4,680 Out of state: $9,978
Room & board
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	43.0% Average amount $3,196	77.0% Average amount $5,233
Students receiving federal student loan	5.0% Average amount $4,128	6.0% Average amount $4,890
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $5,523	0.0% Average amount $0

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	5,862 Men 37.2% Women 62.8%	5,625 Men 42.0% Women 58.0%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	0.9%	0.1%
International students	0.5%	0.4%
Campus local/setting	Rural: Fringe	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	N/A	N/A
First year students are required to live on campus?	N/A	N/A
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Virginia West Virginia Florida	Virginia New York

Academics
Popular study areas	Liberal Arts Health Professions Multidisciplinary Studies Computer and Information Science Engineering Technologies	Health Professions Business Liberal Arts Multidisciplinary Studies Engineering Technologies
Students to faculty ratio	25:1	22:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	44.7%	33.0%
Dropout rate	38.0%	41.1%
Transferred out	11.0%	14.1%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $54,854 Year 2: $55,383 Year 3: $61,843 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $25,409 Year 2: $35,954 Year 3: $38,348 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $26,691 Year 2: $23,768 Year 3: $30,049 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $14,166 Year 2: $20,140 Year 3: $26,160 Biological and Physical Sciences (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $30,652 Year 2: $29,141 Year 3: N/A Health and Medical Administrative Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $28,598 Year 3: N/A Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $32,343 Year 2: $43,426 Year 3: N/A Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: N/A	Dental Support Services and Allied Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $55,728 Year 2: $61,350 Year 3: $61,579 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $49,377 Year 2: $48,823 Year 3: $56,203 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $55,070 Year 2: $53,537 Year 3: $53,680 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: $42,349 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $28,104 Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: $36,188 Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $33,709 Accounting and Related Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $34,126 Year 2: $21,964 Year 3: $31,709 Biological and Physical Sciences (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $23,933 Year 2: $21,508 Year 3: $30,083 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $21,594 Year 2: $26,585 Year 3: $27,245 Social Sciences, General (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $19,236 Year 2: $19,455 Year 3: $27,196

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