Tidewater Community College: A Parent's Guide to Admissions, Cost & Outcomes
Arlington, Virginia · Private nonprofit · Open access
Tidewater Community College is a private institution located in Arlington, Virginia. For the most recent reporting cycle, Tidewater Community College admits the majority of qualified applicants, with an overall admission rate of 81%. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $25,153 per year, which is the figure most families actually pay rather than the published sticker price. For parents weighing whether Tidewater Community College is realistic for their teenager, the most useful planning step is comparing your child's current GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against these admitted-student ranges — not the headline acceptance rate alone.
What GPA does my child need for Tidewater Community College?
Tidewater Community College has a broadly accessible admissions profile, and most students who complete a standard college-prep curriculum with a 3.0 GPA or higher are competitive for admission. Parents tracking their child's GPA toward this tier of school can use Solyo's free calculator to see weighted, unweighted, and college-recalculated numbers side by side.
SAT and ACT scores Tidewater Community College typically admits
Many applicants to schools in this tier submit test scores, though the policy varies by year — check the latest test-optional status before deciding.
How much does Tidewater Community College actually cost?
Published tuition is $39,050 for in-state students and $39,050 for out-of-state, before grants and scholarships. Room and board adds roughly $16,188 annually. After need-based and merit aid, the average family pays a net price of $25,153 per year — the number that actually matters for budgeting. Roughly 22% of students receive Pell Grants, a useful indicator of how much need-based aid the school distributes.
Other colleges in Virginia parents ask about
- University of Virginia-Main Campus17% acceptance
- Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University93% acceptance
- College of William and Mary89% acceptance
- James Madison University86% acceptance
- Old Dominion University82% acceptance
- George Mason University91% acceptance
- Virginia Commonwealth University17% acceptance
- Washington and Lee University90% acceptance
How parents track GPA toward selective schools like Tidewater Community College
Solyo helps parents track grades pulled directly from school emails, calculate GPA the same way colleges like Tidewater Community College recalculate it, and ask an AI college counselor specific questions about their teen's odds. The platform is built for parents — not students — and turns what's usually a fragmented planning process into a single dashboard.
Common questions parents ask about Tidewater Community College
What GPA do I need for Tidewater Community College?
Tidewater Community College has a broadly accessible admissions profile, and most students who complete a standard college-prep curriculum with a 3.0 GPA or higher are competitive for admission.
What SAT or ACT score does Tidewater Community College typically admit?
Tidewater Community College does not publish standardized test ranges in the most recent reporting cycle. Test-optional policies have made scores less universally required, but submitting strong scores still helps when available.
How much does Tidewater Community College actually cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Tidewater Community College after grants and scholarships is $25,153 per year. That figure is more useful for budgeting than the published sticker price, because it reflects what families actually pay after aid is applied.
Is Tidewater Community College realistic for my child?
Compare your teen's current unweighted GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against the ranges above. If both numbers fall inside the school's middle-50, Tidewater Community College is a target school. If both fall below the 25th-percentile mark, treat it as a reach and balance the application list accordingly.