| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Public two-year college, one of the 23 colleges of the Virginia Community College System; campus-based |
| Campuses | 1, in Abingdon, VA (the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center shares the campus) |
| Credentials | Associate degrees (AAS career degrees; AA and AS transfer degrees), certificates and Career Studies Certificates |
| Programs | 93 in the VCCS program directory, including 41 associate degrees |
| Accreditation | The Commission on Colleges and Universities (formerly SACSCOC); ACEN for the ADN; JRCERT for radiography and CAAHEP for paramedic, as VHCC states them |
| Federal aid | Yes; VHCC says 76% of students receive financial aid |
| Tuition | $179.00 per credit in-state, $396.10 out-of-state, fees included (college website, checked October 2026) |
| Students | 2,082 in fall 2024, 677 of them full-time |
| Founded | 1967 |
| Facts checked | October 2026 |
VHCC: Abingdon’s public community college
Virginia Highlands Community College opened in 1967 and is one of the 23 colleges of the Virginia Community College System, whose State Board sets tuition across the system. It serves Washington County, the City of Bristol and the western part of Smyth County from a single 100-acre campus in Abingdon. Fall 2024 enrollment was 2,082 students, 677 of them full-time.
The VCCS directory lists 93 VHCC programs: 41 associate degrees and 52 certificates, most of them short Career Studies Certificates that stack into degrees. Alongside transfer degrees, the college runs an ACEN-accredited ADN, a practical nursing certificate, imaging and EMS programs shared with Southwest Virginia Community College, and trade ladders in welding, diesel, machining, electrical and HVAC-R, several with day and evening versions.
Career programs at VHCC
The table lists the main career programs. VHCC’s program pages point to the catalog for credits and length, so check the 2026-27 catalog for the course list of each program. Most career programs are eligible for G3 (Virginia’s “Get Skilled, Get a Job, Give Back” program), which covers tuition and fees for eligible Virginia residents.
| Program | Credential | Schedule and entry | Prepares for | Accreditation or approval |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nursing (ADN) | AAS; 4 tracks | Day; part-time evening/weekend; LPN-to-RN day and part-time | NCLEX-RN | ACEN continuing accreditation |
| Practical Nursing | Certificate | TEAS PN, 40th percentile; priority deadline 15 Mar | NCLEX-PN | Virginia Board of Nursing conditional approval |
| Nurse Aide | CSC | – | CNA exam | – |
| Radiography | AAS, with SWCC | Prerequisites and program application | ARRT radiography | JRCERT (VHCC’s statement) |
| Computerized Tomography | CSC (post-primary) | Registered technologists only | ARRT CT | – |
| Mammography Advanced Studies | Certificate (post-primary) | Fall only; apply by 1 Aug | ARRT mammography | – |
| EMS Technology | EMT, EMT-Plus, AEMT and Intermediate-to-Paramedic CSCs; Paramedic AAS; with SWCC | AEMT and Paramedic applications due 15 May | National Registry | CAAHEP (VHCC’s statement) |
| Welding | Welding CSC, Advanced Welding CSC, Technical Studies AAS | Day and evening versions | – | – |
| Electrical | Practical and Advanced Practical Electrical Technician CSCs, Electrical Technology AAS; Electricity Certificate | – | – | – |
| HVAC-R | Refrigeration and Commercial Refrigeration CSCs, ACR&H AAS | Day or evening, by year | EPA refrigerant certification | – |
| Machining | Precision and Advanced Precision Machining CSCs, CNC Machine Operations AAS | Day and evening tracks | – | – |
| Diesel Technology | CSC; Technical Studies AAS in Diesel | Day and evening | – | – |
| Information Systems Technology | AAS, with networking specialization; Cyber Security CSC | – | – | – |
| Criminal Justice | AAS; Law Enforcement and Corrections CSCs | – | – | – |
Radiography and EMS are run in partnership with Southwest Virginia Community College (SWCC), based in Richlands. The computerized tomography and mammography certificates are post-primary programs for technologists who are already registered. Two new AAS degrees in the 2026-27 catalog, Hospitality and Tourism Management and Medical Coding and Billing, are marked as pending approval. The catalog also lists non-credit workforce training, including CDL, NCCER and NIMS courses; CDL is not a credit program.
What the main programs cover
Nursing (ADN)
The ADN is an AAS with four tracks. Track 1 is a day program and Track 3 is part-time in the evenings and at weekends; Tracks 2 and 4 are the day and part-time versions for licensed practical nurses moving to the RN. The program holds ACEN continuing accreditation and Virginia Board of Nursing approval. It became a stand-alone VHCC program on 16 May 2020; before that it ran for more than 40 years as the Virginia Appalachian Tri-College Nursing Program, and the 2020 graduates were that program’s last class.
Practical Nursing and Nurse Aide
The Practical Nursing Certificate has a selective entry: applicants take the TEAS PN preadmission test, must reach at least the 40th percentile, and should apply by the 15 March priority deadline. Graduates take the NCLEX-PN. The program is not ACEN-accredited and holds continued conditional approval from the Virginia Board of Nursing; VHCC does not say what the conditions are. The Nurse Aide Career Studies Certificate is a shorter step that prepares students for the CNA exam, and both are G3-eligible.
Radiography, CT and mammography
Radiography is an AAS run with SWCC. Students complete prerequisites and then apply separately to the program, and graduates prepare for the ARRT exam. Two post-primary credentials build on it. The Computerized Tomography Career Studies Certificate is open to technologists registered with the ARRT or CNMT, and its application goes through SWCC. Mammography Advanced Studies starts each fall, with applications due 1 August, and includes RAD 196, a 75-hour clinical placement in a hospital.
EMS and paramedic
EMS training runs in cooperation with SWCC and steps up in stages: EMT, EMT-Plus and Advanced EMT Career Studies Certificates, then the EMS Technology Paramedic AAS. An Intermediate-to-Paramedic Career Studies Certificate is also offered. Applications for the Advanced EMT and Paramedic programs are due 15 May. VHCC says the program is accredited by CAAHEP, and graduates sit the National Registry exams. Students must meet the separate program application requirements before they start the advanced levels.
Skilled trades ladders
The trade programs are built as levels: a Level 1 Career Studies Certificate, a Level 2 advanced certificate, then a Level 3 AAS. Welding runs from the Welding CSC to the Technical Studies AAS in Welding; electrical from the Practical Electrical Technician CSC to the Electrical Technology AAS, with Energy Technology and Mechatronics specializations; machining from Precision Machining to the CNC Machine Operations AAS; HVAC-R from the Refrigeration CSC to the ACR&H AAS. Welding, diesel and machining have separate day and evening versions.
Tuition and how students pay
The Virginia Community College System’s State Board sets tuition for all 23 colleges. VHCC’s tuition page gives the rates below, which include fees. The page is undated, while VHCC’s August 2026 catalog still prints the 2025-26 rates of $173.20 per credit in-state and $389.20 out-of-state, so confirm the current figure with the college before you budget.
| Per credit, fees included (VHCC website, checked Oct 2026) | Amount |
|---|---|
| Virginia resident | $179.00 |
| Tennessee 30-mile contract rate | $179.00 |
| Out-of-state (includes a $26.00 capital fee) | $396.10 |
| 12-credit semester, in-state | $2,148.00 |
| VCCS course fee on career and technical courses, from Fall 2026 | $25 healthcare; $12.50 skilled trades and agriculture |
The Tennessee contract rate lets qualifying residents of nearby Tennessee pay the in-state rate. The course fees, new from Fall 2026, apply only to specific career and technical courses. VHCC says 76% of its students receive financial aid, and G3 covers tuition and fees for eligible Virginia residents in G3 programs. The college also lists special rates for foster-care students, senior citizens and some military dependents, and the catalog covers veterans’ benefits and fee deferment under Chapters 31 and 33. Niche puts the average net price at $6,065 a year (checked October 2026). The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia reports that 50 of VHCC’s 570 graduates in 2023-24 borrowed.
Open admission, selective health programs
VHCC admits applicants under an open admission policy. The health programs have their own applications: Practical Nursing needs the TEAS PN, Radiography needs prerequisites, Advanced EMT and Paramedic applications close on 15 May, and Mammography is open only to registered or registry-eligible radiographers.
Schedules vary by program. The ADN has day and part-time evening and weekend tracks; Diesel, Welding and Machining have day and evening versions; and HVAC-R alternates between day and evening classes from year to year.
Accreditation and results
VHCC is accredited to award associate degrees by the Commission on Colleges and Universities, the new name of SACSCOC since 1 Sep 2026; VHCC’s own pages still use the SACSCOC name. Programmatic accreditation, as VHCC states it: ACEN continuing accreditation for the ADN, JRCERT for Radiography and CAAHEP for EMS Technology (Paramedic). Practical Nursing is on conditional approval from the Virginia Board of Nursing.
| Measure | Result | Period and source |
|---|---|---|
| ADN, NCLEX-RN pass rate | 95.65% (national 91.2%) | 2024 graduates, VHCC |
| ADN, NCLEX-RN pass rate | 88.89% (national 86.7%) | 2025 graduates, VHCC |
| Practical Nursing, first-time NCLEX-PN pass rate | 85% (17 of 20) | 2025, VHCC |
| HVAC, EPA refrigerant-handling certification | 92.3% (goal 85%) | Spring 2023, VHCC performance indicators |
| Graduation rate, first-time full-time students | 44% within 150% of normal time | Fall 2019 cohort, VHCC performance indicators |
| Fall-to-fall retention | 40.1% | Fall 2021 to fall 2022, VHCC performance indicators |
The NCLEX figures are VHCC’s own published results. The college also reports that 82.7% of its 2024 ADN class completed and that all 2024 graduates who reported back had jobs. We found no published pass rates for radiography, CT, mammography or the National Registry EMS exams.
Before you enroll
- Practical Nursing is not ACEN-accredited and is on conditional approval from the Virginia Board of Nursing. VHCC does not publish the reason, so ask the program what the conditions are.
- The CT and mammography certificates are for technologists who are already registered. They are not a way into imaging without radiography training first.
- Radiography and EMS are run with Southwest Virginia Community College. Ask which courses meet in Abingdon and which at SWCC.
- The tuition page is undated and the 2026-27 catalog still prints lower 2025-26 rates. Career and technical courses now add $12.50 or $25 per credit.
- Computer Science, Business Administration, Engineering and Health Sciences are transfer degrees, and the Medical Coding and Billing AAS is still pending approval.
One campus in Abingdon
All VHCC credit programs are based on the 100-acre campus at 100 VHCC Drive, Abingdon, VA 24210. The Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center, a state center that hosts university partners, is on the VHCC campus. Health students do clinical work at hospitals, and VHCC’s clinical agreements name sites in Johnson County and Sullivan County, Tennessee.
Transport, tutoring and no housing
VHCC has no campus housing and no dorms. The college runs free campus transportation, a food depot, a tutoring and writing center and a testing center, and career coaches help IT graduates find jobs.
What students say
On Niche, Virginia Highlands Community College is rated 3.92 out of 5 from 110 reviews, with an overall grade of B (checked 10 October 2026). Reviewers most often praise small classes and personal attention, helpful staff and tutoring, and low cost with flexible online courses. The most common complaints are thin campus life, uneven teaching quality and the lack of dorms or a cafeteria, and some students would like more self-paced online options. The reviews cover the whole college, and we could not tell whether they were invited by the school or posted in bursts.
Sources
Checked October 2026: VHCC tuition and fees · 2026-27 catalog · VCCS program directory · Information for the public · Nursing resources · Practical Nursing · SCHEV profile · Niche
Programs & Courses
Healthcare
- Nursing (ADN, AAS)
- Practical Nursing (Certificate)
- Nurse Aide
- Radiography (with Southwest Virginia Community College)
- Computerized Tomography (for registered technologists)
- Mammography Advanced Studies (for registered technologists)
- EMS Technology: EMT, Advanced EMT and Paramedic (with Southwest Virginia Community College)
- Medical Assisting
- Medical Coding Specialist
- Phlebotomy
- Pre-Pharmacy Science
Industrial Technology
- Welding
- Diesel Technology
- Electrical Technology
- Electricity (Certificate)
- Electrical Technology: Energy Technology specialization
- Mechatronics
- Precision Machining and CNC Machine Operations
- Air Conditioning, Refrigeration and Heating (HVAC-R)
- Small Unmanned Aerial Systems (drones, FAA Part 107)
Information Technology
- Information Systems Technology
- Networking and Cybersecurity
- Cyber Security (Career Studies Certificate)
- CISCO Networking
Business
- Accounting
- Management
- Office Management
- Small Business Management
- Retail Management
- Industrial Supervision
Public Service
- Criminal Justice
- Law Enforcement
- Corrections
- Victim Advocacy Assistant
- Early Childhood Development (Infant and Toddler Care; Special Needs)
- American Sign Language
- Substance Abuse Counselor-Assistant
Agriculture and Natural Resources
- Horticulture Technology
- Horticulture Production
- Agricultural Management
Transfer degrees
- Business Administration (AS)
- Computer Science (AS)
- Engineering (AS)
- Health Sciences (AS)
- Education (AS)
- Liberal arts, science and social science
Campus Locations
Abingdon, VA 100 VHCC Drive, Abingdon, VA 24210