MOUNTAIN EMPIRE COMMUNITY COLLEGE H-3

PO Drawer 700
Big Stone Gap, VA 24219-0700
Tel: (540)523-2400; Admissions: (276)523-2400; Web Site: http://www.me.vccs.edu/

Description: State-supported, 2-year, coed. Part of Virginia Community College System. Awards certificates, diplomas, transfer associate, and terminal associate degrees. Founded 1972. Setting: small town campus with easy access to Kingsport. Total enrollment: 2,885. Student-undergrad faculty ratio is 18:1. 3 valedictorians. Students come from 3 states and territories, 1 other country, 1% from out-of-state, 30% 25 or older. Calendar: semesters. Academic remediation for entering students, advanced placement, self-designed majors, distance learning, summer session for credit, part-time degree program, adult/continuing education programs, co-op programs and internships.

Entrance Requirements: Open admission except for nursing, respiratory care programs. Options: Peterson's Universal Application, early admission, deferred admission. Required: high school transcript. Required for some: minimum 2.0 high school GPA. Placement: ACT ASSET, ACT COMPASS required. Entrance: noncompetitive. Application deadline: Rolling. Notification: continuous. Preference given to state residents.

Costs Per Year: Application fee: $0. State resident tuition: $2367 Full-time, $65.75 per credit hour part-time. Nonresident tuition: $7675 Full-time, $213.20 per credit hour part-time.

Collegiate Environment: Drama-theater group. Social organizations: 8 open to all. Most popular organizations: Phi Theta Kappa, Lambda Alpha Epsilon, MECC Group Artists, Phi Beta Lambda, Players on the Mountain. Major annual events: Spring Fest, Home Crafts Day, humanities series. Student services: personal-psychological counseling. Campus security: 24-hour emergency response devices and patrols. College housing not available. Robb Hall with 21,600 books, 100 microform titles, 105 serials, 200 audiovisual materials, and an OPAC. 400 computers available on campus for general student use. A campuswide network can be accessed from off-campus. Staffed computer lab on campus.

Community Environment: Big Stone Gap is a rural community in the southwest corner of Virginia, situated in the Cumberland Mountains. It has a population of 4,847. Many state parks and recreational areas are within an easy drive of the campus. Kingsport, Tennessee is approximately 30 miles south of the campus.