Public · Community college

Northeast Alabama Community College

Rainsville, Alabama · Distant rural

#3 best value in Alabama
5%
Transfer rate
$2,756
Avg net price
56%
Grad / completion
$34,913
Median earnings

Northeast Alabama Community College is a public certificate-granting institution in Rainsville, Alabama (distant rural setting), enrolling 1,629 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicSmall · 1,629 undergradsDistant ruralOtherCold winters

About Rainsville, Alabama

Rainsville is a city in DeKalb County, Alabama, United States. An EF5 tornado struck the city on April 27, 2011, leaving 25 fatalities. It initially touched down 10 miles (16 km) to the southwest in Lakeview, causing structural damage to small buildings and snapping trees. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Distant rural
Highest degree offered
Associate
To the ocean
280 miles
Nearest airport
49 miles to Huntsville (HSV)

How Northeast Alabama Community College compares

Graduation rate56%

Higher than 44% · #11 of 41 in Alabama

First-year retention70%

Higher than 43%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$34,913

Higher than 49% · #12 of 33 in Alabama

Average net price$2,756

Cheaper than 97% · #3 cheapest of 38 in Alabama

Median debt at graduation$6,100

Lower than 95%

Student–faculty ratio17 : 1

Lower than 44%

Undergraduate enrollment1,629

Larger than 79%

Percentiles compare Northeast Alabama 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

1,629undergrads
  • Women98260%
  • Men64740%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White73%
  • Black1.9%
  • Hispanic18%
  • Asian0.5%
  • Other or multiracial7.3%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,629
Student–faculty ratio
17 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
34%
First-generation students
58%
Students over 25
15%
Median family income
$22,763
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$68,373

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 491 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Alabama99%
  • Other U.S. states0.8%

Most first-years stay in state — Northeast Alabama 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
Books & supplies
$2,400
Total cost of attendance
$11,620
Average net price
$2,756

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
56%
First-year retention
70%
Transferred to another college
5%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$31,750
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$34,913
Median debt at graduation
$6,100
Students with federal loans
12%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
43%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
56%
Low-income (Pell)
24%
First-generation
23%

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
Other
Varsity athletes
52 (17 men · 35 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)

Softball23
Cross Country17
Golf12

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

Campus safety

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

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (3,208 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.

0.3reported offenses a year
0 violent a year0.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

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
$1,451
$30–48k
$2,130
$48–75k
$5,212
$75–110k
$7,316
$110k+
$5,648

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.

46%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$3,308
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 46% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $3,308. 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 430 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)
$34,913
Typical debt at graduation
$6,100
Debt vs. one year's pay
17%
Out-earn a HS grad
41%

Typical debt would take roughly 1.7 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
$28,931
Men
$44,980

Men out-earn women by $16,049 (55%) 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
88°F
Winter low
30°F
Annual rain
55.1″
Annual snow
1.3″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.95.8JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Scottsboro 2 NE, AL US station (11.4 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 Northeast Alabama Community College

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

Colleges near Northeast Alabama 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.