Photo: MarmadukePercy · CC BY-SA 3.0Ferrum College is 9.2 miles from Rocky Mount
No college sits inside Rocky Mount’s boundary, but Ferrum College’s campus in Ferrum, with 741 students on campus, is 9.2 miles from the center of town, and Virginia Western Community College is 17.3 miles away in Roanoke. About 2% of Rocky Mount’s residents are enrolled in college, below Virginia (7%).
From the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard, June 2026; IPEDS fall 2023 enrollment) and the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 2020–24. Straight-line distances from the center of Rocky Mount. Colleges are described, not graded.
What stands out about college from Rocky Mount
Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.
Colleges within 15 miles of Rocky Mount
One private college within 9.2 miles. The nearest public four-year college, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, is 33.5 miles away.
Degree-granting colleges with 100 or more students on campus (fall 2023 enrollment, minus students who study only online). Admitted: share of applicants offered a place. Net price: the average a year after grants, for students on federal aid. Graduate: within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting.
What would your family pay?
The average a year after grants, for families on federal aid, at the colleges within 15 miles and the nearest public four-year college. Pick your family’s income.
Starts at $48–75k, where Rocky Mount’s median household income ($63,280) falls.
The average a year after grants and scholarships, for first-time, full-time students on federal aid, from the College Scorecard. Your own price depends on your aid package; every college has a net price calculator. For community colleges the net price counts housing and food at full cost, so tuition is shown beside it. “—”: not reported for that income.
Do students finish, and does it pay?
Each dot is a college: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.
Graduation: first-time, full-time students within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 years (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting, for students who got federal aid.
Questions about college near Rocky Mount
Is Rocky Mount a college town?
No. About 2 of every 100 Rocky Mount residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), below Virginia (7). The nearest campus, Ferrum College, is 9.2 miles away in Ferrum.
What colleges are near Rocky Mount?
Within 15 miles: Ferrum College (9.2 miles, 741 students on campus).
What is the closest community college to Rocky Mount, and what does it cost?
Virginia Western Community College in Roanoke, 17.3 miles away. Tuition and fees are $5,400 a year for Virginia residents; the federal net price, $4,966, counts housing and food at full cost.
How much does Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University cost if we live in Virginia?
Tuition and fees are $15,948 a year in-state and $37,764 from out of state. After grants, families on federal aid paid an average of $11,689 (under $30,000 income) to $34,201 (over $110,000), housing and food included.
Neighbors talk college
Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.
Colleges: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023 enrollment). “On campus” is fall enrollment minus students who study only online. Distances are straight-line from the center of Rocky Mount. Residents in college, age, rent and poverty (including poverty without college students, table B14006): U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–24. Colleges are described, not graded; the College town label marks towns where 15% or more of residents are enrolled. How TownRatings describes colleges →