Catawba Valley Community College
Hickory, North Carolina · Public
Graduate earnings
12of 14 assessed undergraduate programs
have graduates earning more than a typical North Carolina high-school graduate (about $34,059 a year). 2 fall short.
14 of 61 undergraduate programs could be assessed. The other 47: 45 with no earnings published and 2 with nothing reported.
Average net price, all families$10,528 a year By family income
What it would cost
Net price is the yearly cost after grants and scholarships, as reported for students who received federal aid.
Average for all families
$10,528 a year
About $21,056 over 2 years, if price and aid stay the same.
This multiplies the reported yearly net price by the years you choose. It is not a quote or a prediction: it leaves out interest, price rises and the chance of taking longer to finish.
Net price for every income band
| Family income | Net price per year |
|---|---|
| Under $30k | $9,170 |
| $30k to $48k | $9,639 |
| $48k to $75k | $13,129 |
| $75k to $110k | $15,469 |
| All families (average) | $10,528 |
College Scorecard, release 2026-06-10. Bands with no figure were not reported by the school.
Program earnings
Median earnings of each program’s graduates against a typical North Carolina high-school graduate ($34,059 a year).
14 of 61 programs could be assessed 23% have an earnings verdict
| Program | Degree | Median earnings | vs a high-school grad | Verdict | Median debt | Debt as years of gain | Recent completers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Arts and General Studies | Associate's Degree | $41,497 | +$7,438 | clears the bar | $5,500 | 0.7 yrs | 437 |
| Business Administration | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $43,380 | +$9,321 | clears the bar | not published | not assessed | 100 |
| Precision Metalworking | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $43,883 | +$9,824 | clears the bar | not published | not assessed | 96 |
| Healthcare Administration | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $35,653 | +$1,594 | clears the bar | not published | not assessed | 64 |
| Nursing | Associate's Degree | $66,385 | +$32,326 | clears the bar | $5,500 | 0.2 yrs | 64 |
| Allied Health Diagnostics and Treatment | Associate's Degree | $58,094 | +$24,035 | clears the bar | not published | not assessed | 40 |
| Business Administration | Associate's Degree | $43,089 | +$9,030 | clears the bar | not published | not assessed | 32 |
| Accounting | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $43,703 | +$9,644 | clears the bar | not published | not assessed | 26 |
| Cosmetology | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $25,908 | -$8,151 | falls short | not published | not assessed | 24 |
| Criminal Justice | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $43,919 | +$9,860 | clears the bar | not published | not assessed | 24 |
| Healthcare Administration | Associate's Degree | $36,141 | +$2,082 | clears the bar | not published | not assessed | 22 |
| Dental Assisting and Hygiene | Associate's Degree | $66,069 | +$32,010 | clears the bar | not published | not assessed | 15 |
| Teacher Education (by level) | Associate's Degree | $27,722 | -$6,337 | falls short | not published | not assessed | 8 |
| Allied Health Diagnostics and Treatment | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $53,870 | +$19,811 | clears the bar | not published | not assessed | 8 |
| Electrician Training | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 52 |
| Computer and Information Science | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 51 |
| Auto Repair Technology | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 46 |
| Precision Metalworking | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 28 |
| Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 18 |
| Electromechanical Technologies/Technicians | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 16 |
| Teacher Education (by level) | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 15 |
| Electromechanical Technologies/Technicians | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 14 |
| Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 13 |
| Computer Engineering Technologies/Technicians | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 12 |
| Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 11 |
| Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 11 |
| Human Development and Family Studies | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 11 |
| Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting and Related Protective Services, Other | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 11 |
| Design | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 11 |
| Security Science and Technology | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 9 |
| Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 8 |
| Computer and Information Science | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 8 |
| Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 7 |
| Criminal Justice | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 7 |
| Accounting | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 7 |
| Kinesiology and Physical Education | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 6 |
| Fire Protection | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 6 |
| HVAC Technology | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 6 |
| Computer Engineering Technologies/Technicians | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 5 |
| Fire Protection | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 5 |
| Security Science and Technology | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 5 |
| Auto Repair Technology | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 5 |
| Mental Health and Counseling Services | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 5 |
| Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 4 |
| Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 3 |
| Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 3 |
| Engineering, General | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 2 |
| Homeland Security | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 2 |
| HVAC Technology | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 2 |
| Kinesiology and Physical Education | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 1 |
| Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting and Related Protective Services, Other | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 1 |
| Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 1 |
| Computer Programming | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Information Science | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| IT Administration and Management | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Liberal Arts and General Studies | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Homeland Security | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Health/Medical Preparatory Programs | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Information Science | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not reported | not reported | nothing reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Precision Metalworking | Non-Credential Program (Preparatory Coursework/Teacher Certification) | not reported | not reported | nothing reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
Sources and definitions
- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, release 2026-06-10. Earnings are medians for graduates who received federal aid. Debt is federal loans only.
- The high-school line is ED’s state benchmark, $34,059 a year.
- Earnings not published: ED reports the program but no earnings figure, usually because too few graduates were measured. Nothing reported: ED lists the program with no figures at all. Neither is a judgement of the program.
- Debt as years of gain is median federal debt divided by how much more graduates earn per year than a typical high-school graduate. It is not a repayment time.
Compare with another college · Report an error · Methodology