Founded in 1968 as part of the Virginia Community College System, Tidewater Community College (TCC) serves the South Hampton Roads with campuses in Chesapeake, Norfolk, Virginia Beach and Portsmouth, a Regional Center of Visual Arts Olde Towne Portsmouth TCC Jeanne and George Roper Performing Arts Center in downtown Norfolk theater district, a regional center for technology at its Virginia Beach campus and the Regional Center of the automobile in the Chesapeake. Forty-five percent of area residents attending a college or university in Virginia last fall were enrolled at TCC. TCC is the largest provider of higher education and development services in Hampton Roads, enrollment of nearly 40,000 students per year, the second largest student body in Virginia. The 35th largest community college in the nation, TCC is one of the 50 fastest-growing large two-year institutions in the United States. The economic impact of the university in the South Hampton Roads approaches half a billion dollars per year, generating approximately 3100 jobs in the local economy. For every $ 1 in public support that was provided, TCC generates $ 3.54 of revenue for the region.
Tidewater Community College, a member of the Virginia Community College System, was approved by the National Council of Community Colleges and the Virginia Community College System. Tidewater Community College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097: Telephone 404-679-4501) to award associate's degree. The college is an institutional member of the American Association of Community and Junior Colleges, the Association of Universities of Virginia and the American Council on Education. It was approved by the National Council of Education for benefits administered by the Veterans Administration in the United States and the Bureau of Education for the various programs funded by the federal government.