Tidewater Community College
Public Community College in Norfolk, VA. Six-year graduation rate 32%. Median 10-year earnings $38,349.
Ten-year median earnings of $38,349 are on the low side, which raises the bar for what this degree needs to cost. The six-year graduation rate is 32% — low enough that finishing cannot be treated as the default outcome. Graduates leave owing a median of $10,000 — modest by four-year standards.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ Debt-to-income ratio 0.26 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
- ! Graduation rate 32% — below national average
Academics
Only 32% finish within six years, so roughly two in three students leave without the credential. 64% of full-time first-years come back for year two, so about one in three are gone before sophomore year. Retention runs well ahead of completion, which means students are not leaving immediately; they are leaving somewhere between the second year and the finish line. A 15% transfer-out rate accounts for part of that gap: those students left for another institution rather than dropping out, and the graduation rate above counts them as non-completers here. Retention drops to 38% for part-time students, a gap worth weighing if full-time study is not realistic.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 11,797 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
At $11,876 a year on average after grant aid, cost is low here relative to most undergraduate institutions. The income table below is the number that matters — $10,222 at $0–30k versus $18,652 at $110k+. About 53% get grants averaging $5,756, so plan on the possibility of paying closer to full price. Federal borrowing is uncommon here at 11% of students.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 1,543 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $10,222 |
| $30–48k | $10,613 |
| $48–75k | $12,473 |
| $75–110k | $15,804 |
| $110k+ | $18,652 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 1,333 of these 11,797 students, totalling $6,827,848 — an average of $5,122 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Norfolk City) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)