Edgecombe Community College is located in the eastern part of North Carolina in Edgecombe County approximately 75 miles east of Raleigh. The county is rural with a majority of the land used for farming. During the past two decades farm employment has declined due to mechanization, and employment in the manufacturing sector has increased.

Edgecombe Technical Institute began as an extension unit of Wilson County Technical Institute. In 1967, the college came under complete Edgecombe County administration, thus dissolving the relationship with Wilson County Technical Institute. The final step to full institutional independence came in the spring of 1971 when the General Assembly made all technical institutes of North Carolina independent of any local boards of education and granted government by a 12-member Board of Trustees. The Legislature has since designated a 13th non-voting member to the Board of Trustees, the SGA president. In 1987, the name of the college was officially changed to Edgecombe Community College. In 1997, the college changed from the quarter system to the semester system as mandated by the North Carolina Community College System.

ECC is one of the 58 colleges that make up the North Carolina Community College System. The System was approved by the General Assembly of North Carolina in 1963 and is provided for in the General Statutes of North Carolina, Chapter 115-A. General supervision of the system falls under the State Board of Community Colleges.

ECC’s main campus is located on 120 acres 2.5 miles south of Tarboro and comprises 12 buildings. The college also operates a campus in the Edgecombe County portion of Rocky Mount. This campus covers one city block and comprises three buildings. In January 2020, the new Barnhill-Jenkins Center for Innovation on the Tarboro campus opened for classes. This facility will enable the college to better develop and sustain a skilled manufacturing workforce. The Barnhill-Jenkins Center for Innovation will provide high school and adult student populations with hands-on access to the latest technologies and practices found in advanced manufacturing today.

Through a wide selection of programs and courses, ECC seeks to improve both the quality of life and the economic outlook of its students and area residents. With classes in subjects from small business management to electrical blueprints, ECC is equipping its students with practical skills that enable them to excel in their careers, homes, and communities. With ECC’s flexible scheduling, the success that comes with higher education is a little easier to achieve. Classes for traditional and non-traditional students are available during the day, evening, and online to accommodate individual needs.