DECATUR, Ga. – Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) has been recognized by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) with a Torch Award for Post-College Success, honoring institutions that demonstrate leadership in preparing students for strong career outcomes and long-term financial sustainability.
The Torch Awards recognize SACSCOC member institutions that show strength across multiple indicators related to post-college outcomes, reflecting a sustained commitment to student success beyond completion. NOVA’s recognition reflects performance across measures tied to earnings, economic mobility, and responsible borrowing.
Specifically, Northern Virginia Community College demonstrated strength across the following post-college success measures:
- Median earnings 10 years after entry
- Percentage of students earning above the average high school graduate
- Student debt service ratio
Together, these indicators highlight NOVA’s focus on equipping students with the knowledge, skills, and support needed to transition successfully into rewarding careers or continue their education at four-year institutions.
“The SACSCOC Torch Award for Post-College Success is an honor that belongs to the entire NOVA community,” said Anne M. Kress, Ph.D., President of Northern Virginia Community College. “We’re proud to be recognized for our intentional focus on
students’ post completion success: their transition into rewarding careers and/or transfer to four-year institutions. This award reaffirms our commitment to ensuring that a NOVA education is transformational for our students and that our college advances social and economic mobility across the Northern Virginia region.”
Torch Awards do not represent institutional rankings. Rather, recognition reflects leadership and measurable progress across multiple indicators, acknowledging excellence within diverse institutional missions and contexts.
About the SACSCOC Torch Awards
The Torch Awards recognize colleges and universities that demonstrate meaningful, data-informed impact in the areas of affordability, student support and completion, and post - college success. Drawing on publicly reported data, the awards elevate institutional practices that support access, quality, accountability, and continuous improvement.
About Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA)
Northern Virginia Community College is the largest public institution of higher education
in the Commonwealth of Virginia and one of America’s largest community colleges. NOVA enrolls more than 76,000 students at its six campuses in Alexandria, Annandale, Loudoun, Manassas, Springfield, and Woodbridge and through NOVA Online. For more information about NOVA and its programs or services, call 703-323-3000 or visit NOVA’s website here.
About SACSCOC
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) is an institutional accreditor for quality assurance in higher education. SACSCOC accredits institutions that award associate, baccalaureate, master’s, or doctoral degrees, including those offered via distance and correspondence education, and direct assessment within these institutions. It serves as the common denominator of shared values and practices among its members in the United States and international institutions of higher education approved by the SACSCOC Executive Council, Board of Trustees, and the Appeals Committee of the College Delegate Assembly.
The mission of SACSCOC is to assure the educational quality and improve the effectiveness of its member institutions.
Media Contact:
Eric Mann
Director of Public Information
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) emann@sacscoc.org | 404-994-6576
1866 Southern Lane | Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 | (404) 679-4500 | sacscoc.org