Public · Community college

Chattanooga State Community College

Chattanooga, Tennessee · Midsize city

14%
Transfer rate
$5,283
Avg net price
26%
Grad / completion
$37,598
Median earnings

Chattanooga State Community College is a public associate-granting institution in Chattanooga, Tennessee (midsize city setting), enrolling 5,284 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicMidsize · 5,284 undergradsMidsize cityNJCAA Division ICold winters

About Chattanooga, Tennessee

Chattanooga is a city in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Sites dating back to the Upper Paleolithic period (c. 10,000 BCE) show continuous human occupation through the Archaic, Woodland, Mississippian/Muskogean/Yuchi (900–1714 CE), and Cherokee (1776–1838) periods. Chattanooga has been referred to in pop culture numerous times over the decades, including in books, documentaries, films, TV shows, and more. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Midsize city
Highest degree offered
Associate
To the ocean
307 miles
Nearest airport
5 miles to Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport (Lovell Field) (CHA)

How Chattanooga State Community College compares

Graduation rate26%

Higher than 9% · #77 of 81 in Tennessee

First-year retention57%

Higher than 18%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$37,598

Higher than 59% · #23 of 70 in Tennessee

Average net price$5,283

Cheaper than 90% · #8 cheapest of 82 in Tennessee

Median debt at graduation$10,419

Lower than 44%

Student–faculty ratio15 : 1

Lower than 56%

Undergraduate enrollment5,284

Larger than 92%

Percentiles compare Chattanooga State Community College with the nation's 3,519 two-year and certificate schools, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count two-year and certificate schools in Tennessee.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

5,284undergrads
  • Women2,95156%
  • Men2,33344%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White64%
  • Black16%
  • Hispanic11%
  • Asian1.6%
  • Other or multiracial7.2%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
5,284
Student–faculty ratio
15 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
36%
First-generation students
46%
Students over 25
24%
Median family income
$23,324
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$58,671
Endowment
$7,347,181

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Cost

In-state tuition
$4,772
Out-of-state tuition
$17,756
Room & board
Books & supplies
$1,500
Total cost of attendance
$13,348
Average net price
$5,283

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated
26%
First-year retention
57%
Transferred to another college
14%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$33,711
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$37,598
Median debt at graduation
$10,419
Students with federal loans
13%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
27%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
26%
Low-income (Pell)
26%
First-generation
27%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
No
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NJCAA Division I
Varsity athletes
101 (49 men · 52 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (4)

Baseball34
Basketball26
Softball24
Volleyball17

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.2 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
3
Property offenses (2022–2024)
1

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 3 campuses (7,623 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

1.3reported offenses a year
1.0 violent a year0.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
0.3
Fondling
0.3
Aggravated assault
0.3
Burglary
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$4,369
$30–48k
$4,920
$48–75k
$6,708
$75–110k
$8,002
$110k+
$7,201

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

10%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$4,427
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 10% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $4,427. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 1,209 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$37,598
Typical debt at graduation
$10,419
Debt vs. one year's pay
28%
Out-earn a HS grad
43%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.8 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$33,952
Men
$43,997

Men out-earn women by $10,045 (30%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
90°F
Winter low
32°F
Annual rain
55″
Annual snow
3.6″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.65.3JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Chattanooga Lovell AP, TN US station (5.2 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Chattanooga State Community College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Chattanooga State Community College side by side →

Colleges near Chattanooga State Community College

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.