Tidewater Community College is a public institution offering associate degrees based in Norfolk, Virginia. It enrolls 12,082 students (a large student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Below you'll find verified data on admissions, cost, student outcomes, programs offered, and what graduates typically earn, all pulled from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard and IPEDS.
AccreditorSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
Academic CalendarSemester
How It Measures Up
US College Data scores each college on four pillars (outcomes, value, affordability, and selectivity) on a 0–100 scale, ranked within its peer group (2-Year). Scores are calculated from verified College Scorecard and IPEDS data, not opinion or paid placement. Where data is missing, that pillar isn't scored.
Fair
54/100
UCD Score · 2-Year
Outcomes25
Value45
Affordability40
Selectivity—
Admissions & Acceptance Rate
As a two-year college, Tidewater Community College generally admits all qualified applicants.
Acceptance Rate
Open
SAT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
ACT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
Cost & Financial Aid
The real cost of attending Tidewater Community College isn't the sticker price. It's the net price,which is what most students actually pay after grants and scholarships. According to College Scorecard 2023-24 data, the average net price is $11,762 per year. That's below the typical net price for public colleges nationally.
Average Net Price
$11,762
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
30%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
8%
Borrowing to attend
Full Cost Breakdown
Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.
Tuition & Fees (in-state)
$5,588
Tuition & Fees (out-of-state)
$12,296
Room & Board (off-campus)
$15,452
Books & Supplies
$1,500
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$8,790
Total Cost of Attendance
$19,788
Net Price by Family Income
Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.
Under $30,000
$10,222
$30,001 – $48,000
$10,613
$48,001 – $75,000
$12,473
$75,001 – $110,000
$15,804
Over $110,000
$18,652
Debt at Graduation
Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.
$1,50010%percentile
$2,75025%percentile
$10,000Medianpercentile
$11,00075%percentile
$19,98590%percentile
Median Debt by Student Type
Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.
GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $6,213
↓ $3,787
No Pell $5,500
↓ $4,500
Dependent students $5,500
↓ $4,500
Independent students $7,700
↓ $2,300
Female students $6,000
↓ $4,000
Male students $5,500
↓ $4,500
Worth knowing:
Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $5,500, less than completers ($10,000), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.
Graduation Rate & Retention
18% of full-time students who enrolled at Tidewater Community College graduate within six years, and 60% return for their second year, per IPEDS 2023-24 completion data.
6-Year Graduation Rate
18%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
60%
Returning for their second year
What this means:
Lower than typical completion. Worth asking the school how they support students who fall behind.
After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes
According to College Scorecard 2023-24 data, students who entered Tidewater Community College earn a median of $38,349 ten years after first enrolling. That's close to the national median for U.S. colleges.
Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$38,349
Earning > $25K
62%
10 yrs after entry
Earnings Growth After Graduation
Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.
Earnings by Demographic
Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.
By Gender
Female graduates
$32,100
Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Male graduates
$42,800
Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.
By Family Income at Entry
Family income (lowest third)
$32,300
Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (middle third)
$38,600
Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (highest third)
$40,300
Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.
The gender gap:
Male graduates earn $10,700, about 25% more than female graduates ten years out. The gap reflects industry mix, role choice, and structural pay differences that exist across most US colleges.
Loan Repayment Progression
Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.
Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑
24.4 pts
across 6 years
What this signals:
Strong. 71% of graduates are actively reducing their debt seven years out.
Who Studies Here
Tidewater Community College is home to 12,082 students, a large student community. Some distinctive traits: 42% are first-generation college students, 60% study part-time.
Total Enrolled
12,082
Part-Time
60%
First-Generation
42%
Race & Ethnicity Breakdown
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
GroupShareStudents
White 39.5%4,777
Black 32.0%3,861
Hispanic 11.8%1,421
Other 8.3%1,004
Asian 4.8%585
International 1.1%129
Student Life & Campus Culture
Where students live, learn, and connect at Tidewater Community College. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
Setting
Midsize CityNorfolk, Virginia
Housing
Commuter campusNo on-campus housing
Adult Learners
31%of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NAIAathletic-conference member
Academic Calendar
Semesterscheduling structure
What You Can Study
Tidewater Community College offers
an extensive catalog of programs:
49 distinct programs across
18 majors.
Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings.
Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.
The student-to-faculty ratio at Tidewater Community College is 21:1, on the higher side.
Student : Faculty
21:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Instruction / Student
$4,840
Annual instructional spending per enrolled student
Endowment
$3.3M
Modest endowment
Avg Faculty Salary
$71,115
9-month equivalent across all ranks
Faculty by Rank
253 instructional faculty across 5 ranks.
The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.
Rank
Faculty Count
Share
Avg Salary
Full Professors
66
26%
$79,947
Associate Professors
76
30%
$75,647
Assistant Professors
50
20%
$65,526
Instructors
58
23%
$61,680
Lecturers
3
1%
$37,526
Pros & Cons of Tidewater Community College
A quick at-a-glance summary of how Tidewater Community College tends to stack up for prospective students,weighing its data, size, setting, and cost profile together.
PROS
Below-average net price
Open admissions
Low typical debt at graduation
First-gen-friendly student body
Flexible part-time enrollment options
CONS
Larger class sizes than typical
Low completion rate, many students don't graduate within six years
First-year retention is below typical
Earnings outcomes are on the lower side
Mostly part-time student body, less full-time campus feel
Best for:
Based on the data, Tidewater Community College is a fit for
students who want a clear path to start college without a competitive admissions barrier; working adults or students needing part-time study options.
Frequently Asked Questions about Tidewater Community College
Quick answers to the questions most students and parents ask. Every answer below is calculated from verified government data about Tidewater Community College.
Is Tidewater Community College hard to get into?
Tidewater Community College has open or near-open admissions. Most qualified applicants are accepted.
What is the acceptance rate at Tidewater Community College?
Tidewater Community College has an acceptance rate of 0%, according to College Scorecard 2023-24 admissions data.
How much does Tidewater Community College cost?
The average net price after aid at Tidewater Community College is $11,762 per year, this is what students typically pay after grants and scholarships are applied. Net price data: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Tidewater Community College worth it?
Solid return on investment. Graduates earn a median of $38,349 ten years after entering, against an average net price of $11,762 per year. That's roughly 3.3x earnings-to-cost. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is Tidewater Community College known for?
Tidewater Community College is best known for its programs in Liberal Arts, Business Administration, Social Sciences. These are the most popular fields by completed degrees, per IPEDS 2023-24 completion data.
What do Tidewater Community College graduates earn?
Median earnings 10 years after entering Tidewater Community College are $38,349, based on College Scorecard 2023-24 federal earnings data for Title IV recipients.
Is Tidewater Community College accredited?
Yes. Tidewater Community College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
How many students attend Tidewater Community College?
Tidewater Community College enrolls 12,082 students, per IPEDS 2023-24 fall enrollment data.
What is the graduation rate at Tidewater Community College?
Tidewater Community College graduates 18% of full-time students within six years, per IPEDS 2023-24 completion data.
Is Tidewater Community College a public or private college?
Tidewater Community College is a Public institution.
Where is Tidewater Community College located?
Tidewater Community College is located in Norfolk, Virginia.
What programs does Tidewater Community College offer?
Tidewater Community College offers 49 distinct programs. The most popular include Liberal Arts, Business Administration, Social Sciences.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Tidewater Community College?
The student-to-faculty ratio at Tidewater Community College is 21:1, per IPEDS 2023-24 data.
Related Colleges in Virginia
Other colleges in Virginia share the same applicant pool, regional economy, and academic landscape. Comparing nearby options puts admissions, costs, and outcomes in context, useful when weighing your fit against local alternatives.
Health Administration
Electrical and Power Transmission Installers
Carpenters
Related Guides
Free, data-backed guides to help you decide, built on the same federal data as this profile.
H
How to Build Your College List Pillar
The full process of narrowing from 3,839 US colleges to a shortlist of ~10. Cost, location, size, selectivity, and fit factors that actually predict whether you'll thrive.
What actually makes a college work for first-generation students, the support and aid signals that predict success, and how to find the schools that deliver them using federal data.
How to find the colleges that deliver the strongest return on a STEM degree by weighing earnings outcomes against net cost, rather than chasing the most selective name.
Original data analyses built on the same federal data as this profile. Rankings, outliers, and patterns, no opinions.
American Colleges by the Numbers
One federal dataset, 3,839 colleges. The median school costs $16,371 a year, admits 78% of applicants, and enrolls 1,259 students. The shape of US higher ed.
Higher education data
Net price
College enrollment
Acceptance rate
College ownership
Do Selective Schools Actually Graduate More Students?
Across 1,645 four-year colleges, graduation rates climb steadily with selectivity, from 54% at open-admission schools to 93% at the most exclusive. The gap is real.
Graduation rate
Acceptance rate
Selectivity
Completion
College outcomes
For-Profit Colleges Charge the Most and Pay the Least
For-profit colleges post the highest median net price of any sector and the lowest graduate earnings. They cost more than private nonprofits and pay less than publics.
For-profit colleges
Net price
Earnings
College ROI
College ownership
Continue Exploring
Browse our full directory: every college, major, program, and career we track, all built from verified government data.
