Public · Community college
Northwest Shoals Community College
Muscle Shoals, Alabama · Small city
- 13%
- Transfer rate
- $2,838
- Avg net price
- 39%
- Grad / completion
- $33,828
- Median earnings
Northwest Shoals Community College is a public certificate-granting institution in Muscle Shoals, Alabama (small city setting), enrolling 1,969 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.
About Muscle Shoals, Alabama
Muscle Shoals is the largest city in Colbert County, Alabama, United States. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, as Europeans entered the area in greater number, it became a center of historic land disputes. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Small city
- Highest degree offered
- Associate
- Nearest big city
- 62 miles to Huntsville, AL
- To the ocean
- 277 miles
- Nearest airport
- 4 miles to Northwest Alabama (MSL)
How Northwest Shoals Community College compares
Higher than 24% · #22 of 41 in Alabama
Higher than 41%
Higher than 45% · #15 of 33 in Alabama
Cheaper than 97% · #5 cheapest of 38 in Alabama
Lower than 46%
Lower than 39%
Larger than 82%
Percentiles compare Northwest Shoals 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
- Women1,21762%
- Men75238%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White71%
- Black11%
- Hispanic11%
- 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
- 1,969
- Student–faculty ratio
- 18 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 27%
- First-generation students
- 51%
- Students over 25
- 12%
- Median family income
- $21,195
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $65,313
- Endowment
- $2,121,346
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 591 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From Alabama98%
- Other U.S. states1.9%
Most first-years stay in state — Northwest Shoals 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
- $5,131
- Out-of-state tuition
- $9,001
- Room & board
- —
- Books & supplies
- $1,600
- Total cost of attendance
- $11,340
- Average net price
- $2,838
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
- 39%
- First-year retention
- 69%
- Transferred to another college
- 13%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $31,469
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $33,828
- Median debt at graduation
- $10,000
- Students with federal loans
- 24%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 33%
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
- No
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- NJCAA Division I
- Varsity athletes
- 66 (34 men · 32 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)
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)
- 2
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (4,665 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: 39% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $3,204. 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 440 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)
- $33,828
- Typical debt at graduation
- $10,000
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 30%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 39%
Typical debt would take roughly 3.0 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
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.
Men out-earn women by $13,866 (49%) 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
- 90°F
- Winter low
- 29°F
- Annual rain
- 58″
- Annual snow
- 0.6″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Muscle Shoals Wtp, AL US station (2.5 mi from campus).
What Northwest Shoals 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 Northwest Shoals Community College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Northwest Shoals Community College side by side →
Northeast Alabama Community College
Rainsville, Alabama · Distant rural · 40 mi to Huntsville
- Students
- 1,629
- Tuition
- $5k
- Transfer
- 5%
- Earnings
- $35k
Snead State Community College
Boaz, Alabama · Distant town · 44 mi to Huntsville
- Students
- 1,427
- Tuition
- $5k
- Transfer
- 14%
- Earnings
- $36k
Lurleen B Wallace Community College
Andalusia, Alabama · Fringe rural · 73 mi to Montgomery
- Students
- 1,097
- Tuition
- $5k
- Transfer
- 19%
- Earnings
- $32k
Gadsden State Community College
Gadsden, Alabama · Small city · 57 mi to Birmingham
- Students
- 3,548
- Tuition
- $4k
- Transfer
- 10%
- Earnings
- $33k
Chattahoochee Valley Community College
Phenix City, Alabama · Large suburb · 4 mi to Columbus
- Students
- 1,110
- Tuition
- $5k
- Transfer
- 25%
- Earnings
- $36k
Bevill State Community College
Jasper, Alabama · Distant town · 34 mi to Birmingham
- Students
- 2,177
- Tuition
- $5k
- Transfer
- 19%
- Earnings
- $34k
Colleges near Northwest Shoals Community College
University of North Alabama
Florence, AL · Public · Bachelor's · 5,811 students
Heritage Christian University
Florence, AL · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 75 students
Lawrenceburg Technical College
Lawrenceburg, TN · Private for-profit · Certificate · 128 students
Athens State University
Athens, AL · Public · Bachelor's · 2,446 students
John C Calhoun State Community College
Tanner, AL · Public · Certificate · 7,070 students
The University of Tennessee Southern
Pulaski, TN · Public · Bachelor's · 864 students
Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Pulaski
Pulaski, TN · Public · Certificate · 246 students
Tennessee College of Applied Technology Crump
Crump, TN · Public · Certificate · 388 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.













