Public · Community college

Pellissippi State Community College

Knoxville, Tennessee · Large suburb

22%
Transfer rate
$4,983
Avg net price
31%
Grad / completion
$38,440
Median earnings

Pellissippi State Community College is a public associate-granting institution in Knoxville, Tennessee (large suburb setting), enrolling 6,715 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicMidsize · 6,715 undergradsLarge suburbNJCAA Division ICold winters

About Knoxville, Tennessee

Knoxville is a city in Knox County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. One of the oldest artificial structures in Knoxville is a burial mound constructed during the early Mississippian culture period (c. 1000–1400 A.D.). The earthwork mound was preserved, but the University of Tennessee campus developed around it. Knoxville is home to a rich arts community and has many festivals throughout the year. Its contributions to old-time, bluegrass and country music are numerous, from Flatt and Scruggs and Homer and Jethro to The Everly Brothers. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large suburb
Highest degree offered
Associate
To the ocean
302 miles
Nearest airport
14 miles to McGhee Tyson (TYS) · major hub

How Pellissippi State Community College compares

Graduation rate31%

Higher than 15% · #74 of 81 in Tennessee

First-year retention58%

Higher than 20%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$38,440

Higher than 62% · #21 of 70 in Tennessee

Average net price$4,983

Cheaper than 91% · #7 cheapest of 82 in Tennessee

Median debt at graduation$8,725

Lower than 68%

Student–faculty ratio19 : 1

Lower than 35%

Undergraduate enrollment6,715

Larger than 94%

Percentiles compare Pellissippi 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

6,715undergrads
  • Women3,77556%
  • Men2,94044%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White72%
  • Black7.6%
  • Hispanic10%
  • Asian2.2%
  • Other or multiracial7.4%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
6,715
Student–faculty ratio
19 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
24%
First-generation students
43%
Students over 25
19%
Median family income
$25,254
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$69,057
Endowment
$17,488,796

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 2,067 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Tennessee99%
  • Other U.S. states0.7%
  • International0.8%

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

1% came from outside the U.S. 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
$4,786
Out-of-state tuition
$17,770
Room & board
Books & supplies
$1,300
Total cost of attendance
$13,431
Average net price
$4,983

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
31%
First-year retention
58%
Transferred to another college
22%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$32,944
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$38,440
Median debt at graduation
$8,725
Students with federal loans
3%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
33%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
31%
Low-income (Pell)
24%
First-generation
24%

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
177 (110 men · 67 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 (7)

Soccer60
Baseball39
Basketball30
Softball16
Cross Country14
Volleyball11
Golf7

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)
3
Property offenses (2022–2024)
1

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 5 campuses (9,399 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.

1.3reported offenses a year
1.0 violent a year0.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Fondling
0.7
Rape
0.3
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
$4,085
$30–48k
$4,194
$48–75k
$6,369
$75–110k
$7,966
$110k+
$9,114

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.

6%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$1,448
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 6% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,448. 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 1,913 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)
$38,440
Typical debt at graduation
$8,725
Debt vs. one year's pay
23%
Out-earn a HS grad
44%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.3 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
$33,926
Men
$44,623

Men out-earn women by $10,697 (32%) 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
87°F
Winter low
29°F
Annual rain
59.7″
Annual snow
4.4″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.03.05.9JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Oak Ridge Atdd, TN US station (5.9 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 Pellissippi State Community College

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

Colleges near Pellissippi 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.