Virginia Highlands Community College
- Virginia Highlands Community College promotes lifelong learning by providing quality, affordable higher education including workforce training programs that enable community members to succeed in today's world.
School Highlights
Virginia Highlands Community College serves 2,387 students (37% of students are full-time).
The college's student:teacher ratio of 30:1 is lower than the state community college average of 31:1.
Minority enrollment is 11% of the student body (majority Black and Hispanic), which is less than the state average of 50%.
School Overview
The teacher population of 79 teachers has stayed relatively flat over five years.
| Virginia Highlands Community College | (VA) Community College Avg. | |
| Carnegie Classification | Associate's Colleges: High Transfer-Mixed Traditional/Nontraditional | Associate's Colleges: Mixed Transfer/Vocational & Technical-Mixed Traditional/Nontraditional |
| Institution Level | At least 2 but less than 4 years | At least 2 but less than 4 years |
| Institution Control | Public | Public |
| Total Faculty | 79 staff | 69 staff |
Source: 2019 (or latest year available) IPEDS
School Notes
- Virginia Highlands Community College was established on November 30, 1967 by action of the State Board for Community Colleges, and assigned a service region of Washington County, the western portion of Smyth County, and the city of Bristol, Virginia. Today it is one of 23 community colleges within the Virginia Community College System. During its first academic year, 1969-1970, VHCC began delivering the occupational-technical programs that formerly were offered by the Washington County Technical School. More than 300 students enrolled in the first Virginia Highlands classes, which were offered at night in the technical school's facilities. The College moved to its permanent 100-acre campus during the summer of 1970 and, in response to the community's needs, expanded its course offerings to include both occupational-technical programs and baccalaureate-transfer programs. The college buildings are located on a 100 acre campus occupied for the first time in the 1970 summer session. These modern buildings include laboratories, shops, classrooms, offices and a library. In the fall of 1986 the college opened a new 40,000 square feet Learning Resources Center/Business Technologies Building which added dramatically to the educational services available to the region. In the summer of 1994, students, faculty, staff, and administration began using a new 22,000 square feet OccupationalTechnical Center building. There are labs for the air conditioning, heating, general engineering technologies and police science curricula plus a number of offices for faculty and administrators. Virginia Highlands Community College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award the Associate Degree.
Nearby Schools
The nearest community college to Virginia Highlands Community College is Southwest Virginia Community College (24.0 miles away).
- College Location Mi. Students
- 3,117 students | 24.00 Mi635 Community College Rd
Cedar Bluff, VA 24609
(276) 964-2555 24.003,117 - 6,139 students | 27.10 Mi2425 Hwy 75
Blountville, TN 37617
(423) 323-3191 27.106,139 - 2,506 students | 43.30 Mi3441 Mountain Empire Road
Big Stone Gap, VA 24219
(276) 523-2400 43.302,506 - 1,082 students | 52.80 Mi200 Mayland Drive
Spruce Pine, NC 28777
(828) 766-1273 52.801,082 - 2,514 students | 54.50 Mi1000 E Main Street
Wytheville, VA 24382
(276) 223-4700 54.502,514
Recent Articles
Learn more about how community colleges and federal loans can help you affordably finance your community college education.
Many degree programs require students to take electives but what are the pros and cons of elective courses?
Many community college students are the first in their family to attend college, and this designation comes with its own share of responsibilities and challenges. Learn about the support available specifically for first-generation community college students.
