| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Public two-year community college, one of the 23 colleges in the Virginia Community College System; campus-based, with web-based, hybrid and Live Online courses |
| Campus | 1 main campus, Lynchburg, VA; three centers in Amherst, Appomattox and Bedford for early-college, general and workforce classes |
| Credentials | AAS (career) and AS (transfer) degrees, diplomas, certificates and career studies certificates (CSCs), plus non-credit workforce training |
| Programs | 82 credit programs in the VCCS directory: 24 AAS, 6 AS, 2 diplomas, 4 certificates and 46 CSCs |
| Accreditation | The Commission on Colleges and Universities (formerly SACSCOC), for associate degrees; CAAHEP, JRCERT and CoARC for three health programs; NAACLS for MLT through Centra |
| Federal aid | Yes |
| 2026-27 cost | $184.50 per credit with fees for Virginia residents; $401.60 out-of-state |
| Students | 3,481 undergraduates, 1,131 full-time and 2,350 part-time (Niche, federal data) |
| Housing | None on campus |
| Facts checked | October 2026 |
CVCC: Lynchburg’s public community college
Central Virginia Community College (CVCC) is one of the 23 public colleges in the Virginia Community College System, whose State Board for Community Colleges sets tuition. It serves the Lynchburg region from one main campus on Wards Road, with smaller centers in Amherst, Appomattox and Bedford that hold early-college, general-education and workforce classes. Niche, using federal data, lists 3,481 undergraduates, about two-thirds of them part-time.
For trade and health careers, CVCC’s distinctive programs are its accredited health degrees (Radiologic Technology, Respiratory Therapy, Paramedic and Medical Laboratory Technology, run with Centra) and a set of Technical Studies degrees in welding, HVAC and electrical work. It has no RN or LPN nursing program.
Career programs at CVCC
The Virginia Community College System directory lists 82 CVCC credit programs, most of them short career studies certificates (CSCs). The table shows the main career programs; all are taught at the Lynchburg campus. Non-credit workforce programs are registered separately from credit classes.
| Program | Credential | Length | Where | Prepares for | Programmatic accreditation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Radiologic Technology | AAS | 6 semesters (24 months), full-time, 5 days a week | Lynchburg | ARRT registry exam | JRCERT |
| Respiratory Therapy | AAS | 2 years | Lynchburg; clinicals at UVA Health and Centra Health | RRT credential | CoARC #200470 |
| Medical Laboratory Technology | AAS (with Centra) | 2 years | Lynchburg | ASCP BOC exam | NAACLS (held by Centra) |
| EMS – Paramedic | AAS; EMT and bridge CSCs | 2 years | Lynchburg | National Registry and Virginia certification | CAAHEP |
| Medical Coding | CSC | – | Lynchburg | – | – |
| Welding | AAS Technical Studies; Fundamentals and Plus CSCs | – | Lynchburg | – | – |
| HVAC | AAS Technical Studies; HVAC Fundamentals and HVAC CSCs | – | Lynchburg | – | – |
| Electrical Technology | AAS Technical Studies; Fundamentals and Plus CSCs | – | Lynchburg | NCCER CORE and Electrical (separate non-credit option) | – |
| Machine Tool | AAS Technical Studies; certificate; 2 diplomas; CSCs | Varies by award | Lynchburg | – | – |
| Mechatronics | AAS; 3 CSCs | – | Lynchburg | Four industry certifications (not named by the college) | – |
| Culinary Arts & Management | AAS; Culinary Arts Certificate | AAS 2 years | Lynchburg | – | – |
| Information Systems Technology | AAS; 2 CSCs | – | Lynchburg | – | – |
| Nurse Aide (CNA) | Non-credit | – | Lynchburg | NNAAP exam, Virginia CNA certification | – |
| Phlebotomy Technician | Non-credit | 40-hour program | Lynchburg; clinical at a local medical center | ASCP BOC phlebotomy exam | – |
| Plumbing | Non-credit | – | Lynchburg | NCCER CORE and NCCER Plumbing | – |
Welding, HVAC and electrical are offered as specializations of the AAS in Technical Studies, with shorter CSCs as stepping stones; the Technical Studies AAS is also open to holders of a technical CSC, certificate or diploma. Nurse aide, phlebotomy and plumbing are non-credit workforce programs. CVCC’s commercial driver training is delivered with the training company Ancora, which issues the certificate of completion after the DMV skills test.
What the main programs cover
Radiologic Technology
The program is an intensive six-semester AAS that runs for 24 months, full-time, five days a week, and there is no fast track. It has its own admission process on top of college admission. Clinical training takes place at area hospitals. Graduates sit the ARRT registry exam to work as radiologic technologists. The college says it has graduated more than 700 students since 1968. JRCERT accreditation runs from an eight-year award made after the 2018 visit, and the program’s next site visit was due in September 2026.
Respiratory Therapy
The two-year Respiratory Therapy Technology AAS trains respiratory therapists, with clinical rotations at UVA Health and Centra Health. Admission to the program is selective. It is accredited by CoARC as program #200470, which reaffirmed it for ten years on 14 July 2023, and it prepares graduates for the Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) credential. The program page lists the CoARC outcome measures it tracks (credentialing success, attrition, placement and graduation) but does not show the figures.
Emergency Medical Services – Paramedic
The Paramedic AAS takes two years and is accredited by CAAHEP on the recommendation of CoAEMSP. It sits at the top of a ladder of shorter career studies certificates: EMT – Basic, EMT Plus and Advanced EMT. An Advanced Placement Paramedic Bridge certificate is also offered. Admission is selective. Graduates are prepared for National Registry and Virginia paramedic certification, and the program publishes its yearly exam, retention and placement results.
Welding, HVAC and electrical
All three are taught as specializations of the AAS in Technical Studies, each with a Fundamentals career studies certificate and a second certificate (Welding Plus, HVAC, Electrical Technology Plus). HVAC coursework covers electricity, circuits, controls and heat pumps for entry-level installer and service-assistant work; welding points to welder, fabricator and welding layout jobs. Students who prefer non-credit training can take NCCER CORE and NCCER Electrical through the workforce division. CVCC held a Welding Wars student competition in April 2026.
Machine Tool and Mechatronics
Machining has the widest choice of awards at CVCC: Machine Technology Fundamentals, Machine Technology, Computer Numerical Control and Quality Control CSCs, a Machine Shop Certificate, diplomas in Machine Tool and in Machine Tool & Quality, and an AAS in Technical Studies – Machine Tool, for jobs from machinist trainee to quality control inspector. The Mechatronics AAS and its three CSCs combine mechanics, electronics and robotics, and the college says the program includes four industry certifications, without naming them.
Tuition and how students pay
CVCC charges per credit, at rates set for the whole Virginia Community College System. The 2026-27 rates, for fall 2026 through summer 2027, are below; the college notes they are subject to change. Virginia has one in-state rate, with no separate in-district price.
| 2026-27, per credit | Tuition | With mandatory fees |
|---|---|---|
| Virginia resident | $175.00 | $184.50 (adds a $9.50 activity fee) |
| Out-of-state | $363.60 | $401.60 (adds the $9.50 activity fee and a $28.50 capital fee) |
On 21 May 2026 the State Board raised tuition by $6.70 per credit for 2026-27 and approved new career and technical education (CTE) course fees for selected healthcare, skilled-trades and agriculture courses, discounted by 50% for fall 2026. CVCC says its CTE amounts for 2026-27 will be posted later, so students taking the selected health and trade courses should expect to pay more than the per-credit rate.
For a full-time Virginia resident taking 15 credits in fall and spring, CVCC’s 2026-27 cost of attendance lists $5,535 in tuition and fees and a total budget of $21,459 living with parents or $26,289 living elsewhere, including books, transport and living costs. Niche puts the average net price at $6,827 a year. CVCC takes federal student aid. Non-credit workforce programs are priced separately; Virginia’s FastForward program funds some workforce credentials, so ask whether a course qualifies.
Open admission, with selective health programs
CVCC admits students openly, but Radiologic Technology, Respiratory Therapy and Paramedic have their own selective admission. Radiologic Technology is full-time and runs five days a week, so students need to keep weekdays free.
Classes are offered on campus and as web-based, hybrid and Live Online (Zoom) courses, and the Amherst, Appomattox and Bedford centers hold day and evening classes. High-school students can take Early College at the centers: Amherst lists rising juniors with a 3.5 GPA, Algebra II, recommendations and parental permission, and an enrollment window from mid-December to mid-March.
Accreditation and results
CVCC is accredited to award associate degrees by The Commission on Colleges and Universities, the name the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) took on 1 September 2026. Programmatic accreditation: CAAHEP for Paramedic, JRCERT for Radiologic Technology, CoARC for Respiratory Therapy, and NAACLS for Medical Laboratory Technology through Centra, which holds that accreditation. We could not confirm the outcome of JRCERT’s September 2026 site visit.
| Measure | Result | Period and source |
|---|---|---|
| Paramedic, NREMT cognitive exam pass rate | 81% (2023), 91% (2024), 100% (2025) | CVCC student achievement table |
| Paramedic, positive job placement | 100% each year | 2023–2025, CVCC |
| Paramedic, program retention | 91% (2023), 75% (2024), 77% (2025) | CVCC |
| Medical Laboratory Technology, ASCP BOC pass rate within a year of graduation | 100% each year | 2023–2025, CVCC and Centra |
| Medical Laboratory Technology, graduation and placement | 100% graduation (2023–2025); 100% placement within a year (2022–2024) | CVCC and Centra |
| College graduation rate (first-time, full-time students within 150% of normal time) | 51% | Niche, from federal data; cohort year not shown |
The college does not say whether the paramedic pass rates are first-attempt results, and it gives no cohort sizes for MLT. We could not read any figures from CVCC’s radiography outcomes form, and the respiratory therapy page lists outcome measures without numbers, so we give no results for those two programs. Niche also reports median earnings of $42,170 five years after graduation, from College Scorecard data.
Before you enroll
- CVCC has no RN or LPN program. Its Health Sciences certificates are pre-nursing coursework for transfer, so students who want to become nurses will finish at another school.
- Nurse aide, phlebotomy and plumbing are non-credit workforce programs, not college credit. They are registered and priced separately from credit tuition.
- New CTE course fees start in fall 2026 for selected health and trade courses, and CVCC had not posted the amounts when we checked, so the per-credit rate may understate what those courses will cost.
- We found no trade or health program at the Amherst, Appomattox or Bedford centers; those programs are taught at the Lynchburg campus.
- There is no campus housing; the cost of attendance budgets for living at home or off campus.
The Lynchburg campus and three centers
All career programs on this page are taught at the main campus, 3506 Wards Road, Lynchburg, VA 24502. In July 2026 the state approved funding, about $50 million according to the college, to renovate Amherst Hall and Campbell Hall there; no construction start date has been announced.
The Amherst Center hosts the Amherst County Early College General Studies degree and classroom, hybrid and Live Online courses, with an open computer lab and tutoring for enrolled students. The Appomattox Center offers day and evening classes, Appomattox County Early College and workforce training. The Bedford Center (Bedford Center for Business) offers Early College, which is open to qualified homeschoolers, along with workforce training and admissions, aid, advising and testing services.
What students say
On Niche, Central Virginia Community College is rated 3.8 out of 5 from 256 reviews, with an overall grade of B- (checked 12 October 2026). Niche’s category grades are strongest for safety (A-), location (B+), value, campus and student life (all B), and weakest for academics and professors (both C+). We summarize Niche’s grades here rather than the review text, and the reviews cover the whole college, not individual programs; we did not check whether they were invited by the college or posted in bursts.
Sources
Checked October 2026: CVCC locations · VCCS program directory for CVCC · CVCC cost of attendance 2026-27 · VCCS 2026-27 tuition and fees · Paramedic program · Medical Laboratory Technology · Radiologic Technology · Niche
Programs & Courses
Health Sciences
- Radiologic Technology (AAS)
- Respiratory Therapy (AAS)
- Medical Laboratory Technology (AAS, with Centra)
- Medical Coding (CSC)
- Nurse Aide (CNA, non-credit)
- Phlebotomy Technician (non-credit)
- Clinical Medical Assistant (non-credit)
- Health Sciences and Pre-Allied Health (pre-program certificates; no RN or LPN program)
Public Safety
- Emergency Medical Services – Paramedic (AAS)
- EMT – Basic, EMT Plus and Advanced EMT (CSCs)
- Fire Science (AAS)
- Criminal Justice (AAS)
- Law Enforcement and Corrections Officer (CSCs)
- Public Safety Telecommunications (CSC)
Skilled Trades and Manufacturing
- Welding (AAS Technical Studies, CSCs)
- Electrical Technology (AAS Technical Studies, CSCs)
- Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning (AAS Technical Studies, CSCs)
- Machine Tool and CNC (AAS, diplomas, certificate, CSCs)
- Mechatronics (AAS, CSCs)
- Industrial Maintenance (AAS Technical Studies, CSCs)
- Nuclear Technology (AAS)
Workforce Training (non-credit)
- Plumbing (NCCER)
- Electrical (NCCER)
- Heavy Equipment Operator (NCCER)
- Backflow Prevention
- Commercial Driver's License (CDL, delivered with Ancora)
Business and Culinary
- Culinary Arts & Management (AAS)
- Culinary Arts (Certificate)
- Hospitality Management (CSCs)
- Management (AAS)
- Administrative Management Technology (AAS)
- Business Administration (AS, transfer)
Computers and IT
- Information Systems Technology (AAS)
- Networking and Electronic Technology (AAS)
- Cyber Security (CSCs)
- Computer Science (AS, transfer)
Education and Transfer
- Early Childhood Development (AAS, certificate, CSC)
- Education (AS, transfer)
- Engineering, Science and General Studies (AS, transfer)
Campus Locations
Lynchburg, VA 3506 Wards Road, Lynchburg, VA 24502