Public · Community college

Lawson State Community College

Birmingham, Alabama · Midsize city

7%
Transfer rate
$6,275
Avg net price
27%
Grad / completion
$31,701
Median earnings

Lawson State Community College is a public associate-granting institution in Birmingham, Alabama (midsize city setting), enrolling 2,900 undergraduates. It is a Historically Black College or University (HBCU). Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicMidsize · 2,900 undergradsMidsize cityNJCAA Division I

About Birmingham, Alabama

Birmingham is a city in the north central region of Alabama, United States. The Birmingham area was historically part of the territory of the Muscogee Confederacy. Birmingham is the cultural and entertainment capital of Alabama with numerous art galleries in the area including the Birmingham Museum of Art, the largest art museum in the Southeast. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Midsize city
Highest degree offered
Associate
To the ocean
197 miles
Nearest airport
11 miles to Birmingham-Shuttlesworth (BHM) · major hub

How Lawson State Community College compares

Graduation rate27%

Higher than 9% · #35 of 41 in Alabama

First-year retention59%

Higher than 22%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$31,701

Higher than 38% · #22 of 33 in Alabama

Average net price$6,275

Cheaper than 85% · #13 cheapest of 38 in Alabama

Student–faculty ratio19 : 1

Lower than 35%

Undergraduate enrollment2,900

Larger than 85%

Percentiles compare Lawson 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

2,900undergrads
  • Women1,64857%
  • Men1,25243%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White11%
  • Black79%
  • Hispanic4.9%
  • Other or multiracial4.6%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
2,900
Student–faculty ratio
19 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
60%
First-generation students
47%
Students over 25
33%
Median family income
$16,188
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$67,923
Endowment
$688,647

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 735 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Alabama98%
  • Other U.S. states2.0%

Most first-years stay in state — Lawson 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
$5,040
Out-of-state tuition
$8,910
Room & board
$4,760
Books & supplies
$2,300
Total cost of attendance
$14,895
Average net price
$6,275

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
27%
First-year retention
59%
Transferred to another college
7%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$27,733
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$31,701
Median debt at graduation
Students with federal loans
0%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
27%
First-generation
16%

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
156
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
5%
Housing charge (year)
$3,000
Meal plan (year)
$1,760
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NJCAA Division I
Varsity athletes
79 (52 men · 27 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 (3)

Baseball38
Basketball29
Volleyball12

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.1 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
6
Property offenses (2022–2024)
5

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (3,453 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.

3.7reported offenses a year
2.0 violent a year1.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
1.0
Rape
0.7
Fondling
0.7
Robbery
0.7
Motor vehicle theft
0.7

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
$6,102
$30–48k
$5,464
$48–75k
$8,151
$75–110k
$9,449
$110k+

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.

37%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$3,732
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 37% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $3,732. 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 422 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)
$31,701
Typical debt at graduation
Debt vs. one year's pay
Out-earn a HS grad
31%
Weigh it value

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.

Women
$29,174
Men
$36,226

Men out-earn women by $7,052 (24%) 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
92°F
Winter low
34°F
Annual rain
55.5″
Annual snow
1.2″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.75.4JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Bessemer 3 Wsw, AL US station (7.9 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 Lawson State Community College

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

Colleges near Lawson 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.