Mountain Gateway Community College is a public institution offering associate degrees based in Clifton Forge, Virginia. It enrolls 425 students (a very small, intimate student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Every figure on this page is reported by the federal government, not supplied by the college, so it can be compared like for like against anywhere else you are looking.
AccreditorSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
Academic CalendarSemester
How It Measures Up
These four scores answer one question: compared with similar colleges, is this one worth the money? Each runs 0 to 100 and is judged only against its peer group (2-Year), so a community college is never marked down for not being Harvard. Everything is computed from federal data. Nobody can pay to move a score, and a pillar with missing data is left unscored rather than guessed.
Good
69/100
UCD Score · 2-Year
Outcomes39
Value83
Affordability56
Selectivity—
Admissions & Acceptance Rate
As a two-year college, Mountain Gateway Community College admits essentially everyone who qualifies, so plan around cost and completion instead of your odds of getting in.
Acceptance Rate
Open
SAT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
ACT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
Cost & Financial Aid
Ignore the sticker price. What matters is the net price, which is what a typical family pays here after grants and scholarships come off. At $4,861 a year on average, it sits well below what public colleges charge nationally. At that level cost is rarely the reason to rule a college out. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.
Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.
Tuition & Fees (in-state)
$5,022
Tuition & Fees (out-of-state)
$11,460
Room & Board (off-campus)
$8,300
Books & Supplies
$2,000
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$4,200
Total Cost of Attendance
$12,565
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
$4,393
$30,001 – $48,000
$4,057
$48,001 – $75,000
$5,590
$75,001 – $110,000
$7,859
Over $110,000
$7,152
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.
$1,31310%percentile
$2,75025%percentile
$9,182Medianpercentile
$12,58175%percentile
$19,00090%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 $7,000
↓ $2,182
No Pell $5,500
↓ $3,682
Dependent students $5,500
↓ $3,682
Independent students $9,057
↓ $125
Female students $7,600
↓ $1,582
Male students $5,119
↓ $4,063
Worth knowing:
Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $5,766, less than completers ($9,182), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.
Graduation Rate & Retention
27% of students who start here finish within six years, and 64% come back after first year. Most students who start here do not finish. That is the single most important number on this page. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Completion and earnings carry the most weight in this college's score, and how the UCD Score weighs each measure sets out exactly how they are combined.
6-Year Graduation Rate
27%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
64%
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
Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $34,293 a year, below the national median. Weigh that against the cost above before taking on debt here. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$34,293
Earning > $25K
58%
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
$29,600
Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Male graduates
$35,900
Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.
The gender gap:
Male graduates earn $6,300, about 18% 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 ↑
9.1 pts
across 6 years
What this signals:
Moderate. Only 66% of graduates are paying down principal seven years out.
Who Studies Here
Who you would actually be sitting next to: 425 students, an intimate, close-knit community. Worth knowing: 49% are the first in their family to go to college, and 57% study part-time, so many are working alongside classes.
Total Enrolled
425
Part-Time
57%
First-Generation
49%
Race & Ethnicity Breakdown
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
GroupShareStudents
White 79.1%336
Other 6.6%28
Black 6.4%27
Hispanic 5.7%24
Asian 0.9%4
Student Life & Campus Culture
Where students live, learn, and connect at Mountain Gateway Community College. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
Mountain Gateway Community College offers
a varied set of programs:
15 distinct programs across
9 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.
There are 18 students for every instructor here: on the higher side, so larger classes are common.
Student : Faculty
18:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Instruction / Student
$12,917
Annual instructional spending per enrolled student
Endowment
$7.7M
Modest endowment
Avg Faculty Salary
$59,507
9-month equivalent across all ranks
Faculty by Rank
20 instructional faculty across 3 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
Associate Professors
4
20%
$69,599
Assistant Professors
1
5%
$61,191
Instructors
15
75%
$56,704
Pros & Cons of Mountain Gateway Community College
No college is right for everyone. Here is where Mountain Gateway Community College is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.
Low completion rate, many students don't graduate within six years
First-year retention is below typical
Below-average post-graduation earnings
Best for:
Based on the data, Mountain Gateway Community College is a fit for
students who want a clear path to start college without a competitive admissions barrier; families focused on keeping net cost low; working adults or students needing part-time study options.
Frequently Asked Questions about Mountain Gateway Community College
The questions families ask most about Mountain Gateway Community College, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.
Is Mountain Gateway Community College hard to get into?
Not especially. Mountain Gateway Community College admits most qualified applicants, and reports no competitive acceptance rate. Plan around cost and whether students finish, not your odds of getting in.
What is the acceptance rate at Mountain Gateway Community College?
No acceptance rate is reported, which for a college like this normally means admission is open to anyone meeting the basic requirements. Confirm with the admissions office rather than assuming it.
How much does Mountain Gateway Community College cost?
Budget around $4,861 a year. That is the net price, what families typically pay once grants and scholarships come off, not the sticker price. Your own figure depends on household income, so treat this as a midpoint rather than a quote. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Mountain Gateway Community College worth it?
On the numbers, yes: strong return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $34,293 a year against a net price of $4,861, about 7.1 dollars of earnings for every dollar of annual cost. That ratio ignores whether you finish and what you study, which matter just as much. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is Mountain Gateway Community College known for?
Mostly Liberal Arts, Liberal Arts, Nursing. Those are the fields where it awards the most degrees, which is a better guide to where the teaching strength sits than any reputation ranking. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What do Mountain Gateway Community College graduates earn?
About $34,293 a year, measured ten years after students first enrolled. Half earn more and half earn less, and what you study moves that figure far more than where you study. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Mountain Gateway Community College accredited?
Yes. Mountain Gateway Community College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
How many students attend Mountain Gateway Community College?
425 students. Small enough that you will recognize faces across campus, and small enough that course choice can be limited. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at Mountain Gateway Community College?
27% finish within six years. That means most students do not finish in six years. Ask the school directly what support exists for students who fall behind. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is Mountain Gateway Community College a public or private college?
It is Public. Public, so in-state students usually pay materially less than everyone else.
Where is Mountain Gateway Community College located?
Mountain Gateway Community College is located in Clifton Forge, Virginia.
What programs does Mountain Gateway Community College offer?
15 different programs, most commonly Liberal Arts, Liberal Arts, Nursing. If the subject you want is not among them, check the full list before applying rather than assuming it is offered.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Mountain Gateway Community College?
18 students per instructor. About average, so a mix of seminars and larger lectures. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
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