Public · Community college

Northeast State Community College

Blountville, Tennessee · Fringe rural

9%
Transfer rate: $6,864
Avg net price: 33%
Grad / completion: $34,553
Median earnings

Northeast State Community College is a public associate-granting institution in Blountville, Tennessee (fringe rural setting), enrolling 4,404 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicMidsize · 4,404 undergradsFringe ruralCold winters

About Blountville, Tennessee

Blountville is a census-designated place in and the county seat of Sullivan County, Tennessee. In 1792 Brigham gave 30 acres (12 ha) to Sullivan County for use as a county seat and established a hotel nearby. Blountville was laid off as a town and established as the county seat in 1795. The county's first courthouse and jail was a log structure. (Wikipedia)

Setting: Fringe rural
Highest degree offered: Associate
Nearest big city: 62 miles to Asheville, NC
To the ocean: 277 miles
Nearest airport: 1 mile to Tri-Cities Regional TN/VA (TRI)

How Northeast State Community College compares

Graduation rate33%

Higher than 17% · #73 of 81 in Tennessee

First-year retention59%

Higher than 22%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$34,553

Higher than 48% · #36 of 70 in Tennessee

Average net price$6,864

Cheaper than 83% · #14 cheapest of 82 in Tennessee

Median debt at graduation$6,827

Lower than 84%

Student–faculty ratio19 : 1

Lower than 35%

Undergraduate enrollment4,404

Larger than 90%

Percentiles compare Northeast 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

Women2,44355%
Men1,96145%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White84%
Black2.9%
Hispanic5.8%
Asian0.8%
Other or multiracial6.8%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 4,404
Student–faculty ratio: 19 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 36%
First-generation students: 53%
Students over 25: 29%
Median family income: $19,462
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $61,470
Endowment: $17,345,099

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 1,084 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

From Tennessee99%
Other U.S. states1.3%

Most first-years stay in state — Northeast State Community College draws overwhelmingly from Tennessee.

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: $4,782
Out-of-state tuition: $17,766
Room & board: —
Books & supplies: $1,470
Total cost of attendance: $15,793
Average net price: $6,864

Outcomes

Graduated: 33%
First-year retention: 59%
Transferred to another college: 9%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $29,726
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $34,553
Median debt at graduation: $6,827
Students with federal loans: 0%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 33%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students

33%

First-generation

18%

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

$6,472

$30–48k

$6,380

$48–75k

$7,563

$75–110k

$9,573

$110k+

$5,579

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.

of first-years get a grant from the school

$2,177

average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 8% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $2,177. 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 1,008 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): $34,553
Typical debt at graduation: $6,827
Debt vs. one year's pay: 20%
Out-earn a HS grad: 37%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.0 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

$31,455

Men

$39,519

Men out-earn women by $8,064 (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: 26°F
Annual rain: 44″
Annual snow: 9.2″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Bristol Tri City AP, TN US station (0.9 mi from campus).

What Northeast State Community College graduates study — and earn

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssoc.

447 grads$24k 1 yr$38k 5 yr$6k debt

447$24,152$37,744$6,000 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsCert.

72 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

72———Precision Metal WorkingCert.

58 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

58———Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, OtherCert.

53 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

53———Business Administration, Management and OperationsAssoc.

51 grads$19k 1 yr$38k 5 yr— debt

51$18,572$37,995—Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralAssoc.

49 grads$28k 1 yr$40k 5 yr— debt

49$27,882$40,464—Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssoc.

47 grads$65k 1 yr$65k 5 yr$7k debt

47$65,160$64,707$6,511 Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/TechniciansAssoc.

45 grads$40k 1 yr$55k 5 yr— debt

45$39,954$55,297—Industrial Production Technologies/TechniciansAssoc.

42 grads$35k 1 yr$45k 5 yr— debt

42$34,861$45,313—General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing OperationsCert.

36 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

36———Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/TechniciansCert.

33 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

33———Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsAssoc.

30 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

30———

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 State Community College

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

Jackson State Community College

Public

Jackson, Tennessee · Small city · 79 mi to Memphis

Students: 2,511
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 13%
Earnings: $35k

Walters State Community College

Public

Morristown, Tennessee · Small city · 41 mi to Knoxville

Students: 3,591
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 11%
Earnings: $37k

Nashville State Community College

Public

Nashville, Tennessee · Large city · 5 mi to Nashville

Students: 5,653
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 15%
Earnings: $39k

Southwest Tennessee Community College

Public

Memphis, Tennessee · Large city · 10 mi to Memphis

Students: 5,047
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 16%
Earnings: $34k

Chattanooga State Community College

Public

Chattanooga, Tennessee · Midsize city · 6 mi to Chattanooga

Students: 5,284
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 14%
Earnings: $38k

Cleveland State Community College

Public

Cleveland, Tennessee · Small city · 27 mi to Chattanooga

Students: 1,975
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 12%
Earnings: $37k

Colleges near Northeast State Community College

Ross Medical Education Center-Johnson City

Johnson City, TN · Private for-profit · Certificate · 87 students

9 mi

TC Beauty

Johnson City, TN · Private for-profit · Certificate · 100 students

11 mi

East Tennessee State University

Johnson City, TN · Public · Bachelor's · 10,004 students

13 mi

Milligan University

Milligan, TN · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 818 students

14 mi

Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Elizabethton

Elizabethton, TN · Public · Certificate · 546 students

15 mi

King University

Bristol, TN · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 908 students

15 mi

Virginia Highlands Community College

Abingdon, VA · Public · Certificate · 1,349 students

27 mi

Tusculum University

Greeneville, TN · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 785 students

29 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.