Tidewater Community College
Rolling
Acceptance rate
$12,296
Tuition/yr
18,000
Enrollment
26:1
Student:Faculty
About Tidewater Community College
Large community college in Virginia Beach, VA area. Strong transfer and workforce programs.
Tidewater Community College (TCC) is a public two-year institution founded in 1968 and part of the Virginia Community College System. It operates four campuses across the South Hampton Roads region, in Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Virginia Beach, plus seven regional centers, and serves approximately 17,000 enrolled students annually. The college is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
TCC offers associate degrees and certificate programs across a broad range of fields including Business Administration, Computer and Information Sciences, Engineering Technology, Healthcare, Culinary Arts, Criminal Justice, and Liberal Arts. The college awarded 3,624 degrees and credentials in 2024, with Engineering Technologies, Transportation, and Human Sciences among the highest-volume program areas. A student-to-faculty ratio of 26:1 is typical of a large community college.
TCC has an open-admissions policy, making it accessible to a wide range of students. The college has strong transfer articulation agreements with Virginia's four-year universities, including Virginia Tech, the University of Virginia, and Old Dominion University, and more than half of TCC graduates who earn associate degrees go on to transfer to four-year institutions. This transfer pathway is a central feature of the college's academic model.
Campus & Location
VA
Suburban
Optional Practical Training (OPT)
All graduates qualify for 12-month OPT. STEM-designated programs (CS, Engineering, Data Science, Mathematics, Sciences) qualify for 24-month STEM OPT extension — 36 months total work authorisation.
For Nepali students
- TCC's out-of-state tuition (which applies to international students on F-1 visas) is approximately $12,296 per year based on 2024-2025 rates, significantly lower than most four-year universities, making it a cost-effective entry point into the U.S. higher education system for Nepali students on tight budgets.
- The college's guaranteed transfer agreements with Virginia's top public universities give Nepali students a structured, lower-cost pathway to earn a bachelor's degree: two years at TCC followed by two years at a four-year university, often with full credit transfer and reduced overall cost.
- TCC's open-admissions policy means there is no competitive selection process for general admission, reducing the barrier for Nepali students who may not meet the GPA or test-score thresholds required by four-year universities. English proficiency requirements (IELTS/TOEFL) still apply for F-1 visa admission.
- International students at TCC are eligible for F-1 visa status, and the college provides dedicated international student support services. Graduates who transfer to a four-year institution and complete a bachelor's degree become eligible for the 12-month OPT work authorization (or 24-month STEM OPT extension for qualifying majors), providing post-study work rights in the United States.
Admission requirements — Nepali equivalents
A rough translation of the published minimums for Nepali applicants:
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