Tidewater Community College Vehicle Maintenance and Repair (Certificate): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Certificate in Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians
- Public college
- Norfolk, VA
- About 281 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
Tidewater Community College vehicle maintenance and repair graduates earn about what vehicle maintenance and repair graduates earn nationally, $34,696 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $7,000 in federal loans, less than at 81% of vehicle maintenance and repair programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying vehicle maintenance and repair programs in Virginia.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Virginia and national columns are the medians across all vehicle maintenance and repair certificate programs that report the figure.
Debt and first-year pay at every Virginia vehicle maintenance and repair program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Virginia medians.
Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.
Paying back the loans
On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $74 a month, or 2.6% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
86% of graduates (43 of 50) were working in Virginia one year after graduating. Prices in the Virginia Beach area are about 2% below the national average, so a $34,696 salary here buys what about $35,425 buys in a typical US city.
Careers this field leads to
These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to vehicle maintenance and repair, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.
Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics
$59,330Median pay in Virginia. 17,880 people work in this job in Virginia. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 5% from 2025 to 2035, with about 66,200 openings a year. Typical education to start: postsecondary nondegree award.
First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers
$80,770Median pay in Virginia. 16,910 people work in this job in Virginia. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 48,900 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent, plus less than 5 years of related work experience.
Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists
$61,090Median pay in Virginia. 8,070 people work in this job in Virginia. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 24,400 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent.
Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
$49,880Median pay in Virginia. 4,130 people work in this job in Virginia. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 3% from 2025 to 2035, with about 15,300 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent.
About Tidewater Community College
Vehicle Maintenance and Repair ranks 10th of 18 certificate programs at Tidewater Community College by first-year earnings. The top three are Electrical Engineering Technology ($56,971), Mechanical Engineering Technology ($54,461), and Diagnostic and Treatment Professions ($42,572).
Other vehicle maintenance and repair certificate programs near Norfolk
Common questions
The median graduate earns $34,696 one year after graduating. The median across vehicle maintenance and repair certificate programs in Virginia is $35,887.
The median federal loan balance is $7,000, which ranks the lowest of 5 vehicle maintenance and repair certificate programs in Virginia. That works out to about $74 a month over 10 years.
On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 20% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 29%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Virginia programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.
Most do. 86% (43 of 50) were working in Virginia one year after graduating.
About this data
- Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
- Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
- Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
- Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of Virginia comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
- Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
- School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the vehicle maintenance and repair program.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
- Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
- NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024