Policy Makers

From the Governor’s office to town halls, Virginia’s leaders work to bring economic prosperity and a high quality of life to the Commonwealth. Virginia’s community colleges share those goals and are living up to their promise to advance them.

In fact, studies show that for every $1 spent on community colleges, Virginia receives $2.20 in return, a better than 2-to-1 return on investment. Almost 90 percent of Virginia’s community college graduates successfully secure employment within the state—and they increase their annual income by an average of more than $7,000 by obtaining an associate's degree.

Throughout Virginia, community colleges give every citizen access to a better future through quality instruction in state-of-the-art facilities. Our Middle College program is enabling high school dropouts to earn their GEDs—with more than half of them continuing on to college. And more and more community college students are taking advantage of guaranteed transfer agreements to earn a bachelor’s degree at a four-year state university after saving thousands of dollars in tuition costs at a community college.

By partnering with the business community, Virginia’s community colleges tailor their programs and courses to the region’s workforce needs and cultivate opportunities to provide on-the-job training. These partners subsidize state education as well.