Public · Community college

Lehigh Carbon Community College

Schnecksville, Pennsylvania · Fringe rural

19%
Transfer rate: $9,203
Avg net price: 30%
Grad / completion: $42,436
Median earnings

Lehigh Carbon Community College is a public associate-granting institution in Schnecksville, Pennsylvania (fringe rural setting), enrolling 4,148 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicMidsize · 4,148 undergradsFringe ruralCold wintersSnowy

About Schnecksville, Pennsylvania

Schnecksville is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in North Whitehall Township in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, United States. Schnecksville was settled in 1756 by Adam Schneck. His log home is still standing but has been moved approximately half a mile from its original location. In 1840, Schnecksville was laid out by Daniel Schneck. Descendants of the Schnecks still currently reside in the town. (Wikipedia)

Setting: Fringe rural
Highest degree offered: Associate
Nearest big city: 7 miles to Allentown, PA
To the ocean: 54 miles
Nearest airport: 9 miles to Lehigh Valley (ABE)

How Lehigh Carbon Community College compares

Graduation rate30%

Higher than 13% · #134 of 151 in Pennsylvania

First-year retention59%

Higher than 21%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$42,436

Higher than 77% · #54 of 137 in Pennsylvania

Average net price$9,203

Cheaper than 73% · #17 cheapest of 152 in Pennsylvania

Median debt at graduation$11,000

Lower than 36%

Student–faculty ratio17 : 1

Lower than 44%

Undergraduate enrollment4,148

Larger than 89%

Percentiles compare Lehigh Carbon 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 Pennsylvania.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

Women2,56662%
Men1,58238%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White47%
Black9.0%
Hispanic34%
Asian3.4%
Other or multiracial6.7%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 4,148
Student–faculty ratio: 17 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 34%
First-generation students: 51%
Students over 25: 26%
Median family income: $27,255
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $62,712
Endowment: $12,642,363

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 1,321 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

From Pennsylvania99%
Other U.S. states0.9%

Most first-years stay in state — Lehigh Carbon Community College draws overwhelmingly from Pennsylvania.

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: $5,280
Out-of-state tuition: $13,270
Room & board: —
Books & supplies: $2,000
Total cost of attendance: $15,405
Average net price: $9,203

Outcomes

Graduated: 30%
First-year retention: 59%
Transferred to another college: 19%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $37,577
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $42,436
Median debt at graduation: $11,000
Students with federal loans: 21%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 43%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students

30%

Low-income (Pell)

19%

First-generation

20%

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

Campus safety

Safety grade: A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students: 0.0 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024): 0
Property offenses (2022–2024): 0

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

$7,219

$30–48k

$7,820

$48–75k

$9,908

$75–110k

$13,079

$110k+

$14,702

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.

19%

of first-years get a grant from the school

$1,712

average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 19% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,712. 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 767 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): $42,436
Typical debt at graduation: $11,000
Debt vs. one year's pay: 26%
Out-earn a HS grad: 49%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.6 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

$38,798

Men

$48,745

Men out-earn women by $9,947 (26%) 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: 86°F
Winter low: 22°F
Annual rain: 47.4″
Annual snow: 33.1″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Allentown Intl AP, PA US station (8.5 mi from campus).

What Lehigh Carbon Community College graduates study — and earn

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssoc.

145 grads$19k 1 yr$38k 5 yr$11k debt

145$19,448$38,484$11,000 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssoc.

140 grads$78k 1 yr$78k 5 yr$27k debt

140$78,322$78,165$27,075 Business Administration, Management and OperationsAssoc.

54 grads— 1 yr$55k 5 yr$9k debt

54—$54,817$8,830 Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, GeneralAssoc.

51 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr$11k debt

51——$11,000 Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing AssistantsCert.

39 grads$48k 1 yr— 5 yr$20k debt

39$47,793—$20,041 Criminal Justice and CorrectionsAssoc.

38 grads$33k 1 yr$46k 5 yr$11k debt

38$33,360$46,407$11,000 Business/Commerce, GeneralAssoc.

35 grads$47k 1 yr$44k 5 yr$12k debt

35$47,276$43,631$11,500 Psychology, GeneralAssoc.

33 grads— 1 yr$30k 5 yr$14k debt

33—$29,760$13,750 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsAssoc.

23 grads— 1 yr$34k 5 yr— debt

23—$34,007—Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralAssoc.

19 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

19———Education, GeneralAssoc.

17 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr$11k debt

17——$11,000 Design and Applied ArtsAssoc.

17 grads$28k 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

17$27,896——

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 Lehigh Carbon Community College

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

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Students: 3,317
Tuition: $7k
Transfer: 17%
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Students: 3,703
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Northampton County Area Community College

Public

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Students: 7,667
Tuition: $6k
Transfer: 20%
Earnings: $42k

Montgomery County Community College

Public

Blue Bell, Pennsylvania · Large suburb · 16 mi to Philadelphia

Students: 7,301
Tuition: $7k
Transfer: 19%
Earnings: $46k

Delaware County Community College

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Students: 6,861
Tuition: $7k
Transfer: 11%
Earnings: $45k

Bucks County Community College

Public

Newtown, Pennsylvania · Fringe rural · 22 mi to Philadelphia

Students: 5,289
Tuition: $6k
Transfer: 22%
Earnings: $47k

Colleges near Lehigh Carbon Community College

Lehigh Career & Technical Institute

Schnecksville, PA · Public · Certificate · 14 students

< 1 mi

Lincoln Technical Institute-Allentown

Allentown, PA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 628 students

5 mi

Empire Beauty School-Lehigh Valley

Whitehall, PA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 99 students

7 mi

Muhlenberg College

Allentown, PA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,727 students

7 mi

The Beauty Institute

Whitehall, PA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 70 students

7 mi

Cedar Crest College

Allentown, PA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 834 students

7 mi

Metro Beauty Academy

Allentown, PA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 197 students

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Miller-Motte College-Berks Technical Institute-Allentown

Allentown, PA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 285 students

9 mi

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.