Public · Community college
Gadsden State Community College
Gadsden, Alabama · Small city
- 10%
- Transfer rate
- $3,515
- Avg net price
- 38%
- Grad / completion
- $32,937
- Median earnings
Gadsden State Community College is a public certificate-granting institution in Gadsden, Alabama (small city setting), enrolling 3,548 undergraduates. It is a Historically Black College or University (HBCU). Admission is open to all applicants.
About Gadsden, Alabama
Gadsden is a city in and the county seat of Etowah County in the U.S. state of Alabama. The first substantial European-American settlement in the area that developed as Gadsden was a village called "Double Springs". It was founded in about 1825 by John Riley, a mixed-race American Indian and European-American settler who built his house near two springs. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Small city
- Highest degree offered
- Associate
- Nearest big city
- 57 miles to Birmingham, AL
- To the ocean
- 241 miles
- Nearest airport
- 53 miles to Birmingham-Shuttlesworth (BHM) · major hub
How Gadsden State Community College compares
Higher than 24% · #23 of 41 in Alabama
Higher than 27%
Higher than 42% · #17 of 33 in Alabama
Cheaper than 95% · #7 cheapest of 38 in Alabama
Lower than 44%
Larger than 88%
Percentiles compare Gadsden 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 Alabama.
Student body
Undergraduates by gender
- Women2,19362%
- Men1,35538%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White66%
- Black19%
- Hispanic8.3%
- Asian0.9%
- Other or multiracial5.9%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 3,548
- Student–faculty ratio
- 17 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 46%
- First-generation students
- 52%
- Students over 25
- 26%
- Median family income
- $16,623
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $66,978
- Endowment
- $4,479,975
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Where students come from
Home state of the 1,079 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From Alabama98%
- Other U.S. states2.0%
Most first-years stay in state — Gadsden State Community College draws overwhelmingly from Alabama.
Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $4,272
- Out-of-state tuition
- $7,368
- Room & board
- $5,400
- Books & supplies
- $1,600
- Total cost of attendance
- $10,189
- Average net price
- $3,515
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
- 38%
- First-year retention
- 62%
- Transferred to another college
- 10%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $29,795
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $32,937
- Median debt at graduation
- —
- Students with federal loans
- 0%
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
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
- Yes
- Dorm capacity
- 110
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 3%
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- NJCAA Division I
- Varsity athletes
- 142 (76 men · 66 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 (6)
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)
- 1
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 2
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (5,071 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.
By offense type, per year
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.
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.
Modest institutional aid: 58% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $2,609. 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 808 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)
- $32,937
- Typical debt at graduation
- —
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- —
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 35%
The payoff is less clear-cut here — weigh the debt against the earnings and your intended field before borrowing heavily.
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.
Men out-earn women by $14,151 (50%) 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
- 91°F
- Winter low
- 33°F
- Annual rain
- 57.6″
- Annual snow
- 0.2″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Gadsden, AL US station (1.9 mi from campus).
What Gadsden State Community College graduates study — and earn
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 Gadsden State Community College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Gadsden State Community College side by side →
Northwest Shoals Community College
Muscle Shoals, Alabama · Small city · 62 mi to Huntsville
- Students
- 1,969
- Tuition
- $5k
- Transfer
- 13%
- Earnings
- $34k
Northeast Alabama Community College
Rainsville, Alabama · Distant rural · 40 mi to Huntsville
- Students
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- Tuition
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- Transfer
- 5%
- Earnings
- $35k
Bishop State Community College
Mobile, Alabama · Midsize city · 1 mi to Mobile
- Students
- 2,437
- Tuition
- $5k
- Transfer
- 30%
- Earnings
- $30k
Snead State Community College
Boaz, Alabama · Distant town · 44 mi to Huntsville
- Students
- 1,427
- Tuition
- $5k
- Transfer
- 14%
- Earnings
- $36k
Lawson State Community College
Birmingham, Alabama · Midsize city · 7 mi to Birmingham
- Students
- 2,900
- Tuition
- $5k
- Transfer
- 7%
- Earnings
- $32k
Bevill State Community College
Jasper, Alabama · Distant town · 34 mi to Birmingham
- Students
- 2,177
- Tuition
- $5k
- Transfer
- 19%
- Earnings
- $34k
Colleges near Gadsden State Community College
Jacksonville State University
Jacksonville, AL · Public · Bachelor's · 7,036 students
Snead State Community College
Boaz, AL · Public · Certificate · 1,427 students
New Beginning College of Cosmetology
Albertville, AL · Private for-profit · Certificate · 81 students
Northeast Alabama Community College
Rainsville, AL · Public · Certificate · 1,629 students
Talladega College
Talladega, AL · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 701 students
George C Wallace State Community College-Hanceville
Hanceville, AL · Public · Certificate · 4,423 students
Georgia Highlands College
Rome, GA · Public · Associate · 4,761 students
Jefferson State Community College
Birmingham, AL · Public · Associate · 5,470 students
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.