Public · Community college
Pennsylvania Highlands Community College
Johnstown, Pennsylvania · Fringe rural
- 17%
- Transfer rate
- $6,200
- Avg net price
- 38%
- Grad / completion
- $38,752
- Median earnings
Pennsylvania Highlands Community College is a public associate-granting institution in Johnstown, Pennsylvania (fringe rural setting), enrolling 788 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.
About Johnstown, Pennsylvania
Johnstown is a city in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States. Johnstown was settled by Europeans in 1770. Its population and economy expanded from the post-Civil War period well into the 20th century, as the Industrial Revolution stimulated manufacturing, mining of iron and coal, and the rise of the steel industry. Cambria Iron Company is a National Historic Landmark located near the downtown area. Johnstown's city seal has an image of this facility. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Fringe rural
- Highest degree offered
- Associate
- Nearest big city
- 62 miles to Pittsburgh, PA
- To the ocean
- 133 miles
- Nearest airport
- 4 miles to John Murtha Johnstown Cambria County (JST)
How Pennsylvania Highlands Community College compares
Higher than 24% · #124 of 151 in Pennsylvania
Higher than 21%
Higher than 64% · #68 of 137 in Pennsylvania
Cheaper than 86% · #4 cheapest of 152 in Pennsylvania
Lower than 36%
Lower than 49%
Larger than 70%
Percentiles compare Pennsylvania Highlands 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
- Women44957%
- Men33943%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White74%
- Black7.7%
- Hispanic4.3%
- Asian1.0%
- Other or multiracial13%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 788
- Student–faculty ratio
- 16 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 18%
- First-generation students
- 47%
- Students over 25
- 13%
- Median family income
- $30,293
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $52,632
- Endowment
- $391,760
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 209 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From Pennsylvania99%
- Other U.S. states1.4%
Most first-years stay in state — Pennsylvania Highlands 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
- $7,110
- Out-of-state tuition
- $13,350
- Room & board
- —
- Books & supplies
- $2,000
- Total cost of attendance
- $12,306
- Average net price
- $6,200
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
- 38%
- First-year retention
- 59%
- Transferred to another college
- 17%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $32,465
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $38,752
- Median debt at graduation
- $11,000
- Students with federal loans
- 13%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 42%
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 III
- Varsity athletes
- 46 (26 men · 20 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 (6)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- A
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 0.0 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 4 campuses (2,501 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.
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: 8% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $2,342. 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 210 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)
- $38,752
- Typical debt at graduation
- $11,000
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 28%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 43%
Typical debt would take roughly 2.8 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 $16,440 (50%) 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
- 79°F
- Winter low
- 19°F
- Annual rain
- 41.3″
- Annual snow
- 79.7″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Johnstown Cambria CO AP, PA US station (3.6 mi from campus).
What Pennsylvania Highlands 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 Pennsylvania Highlands Community College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Pennsylvania Highlands Community College side by side →
Butler County Community College
Butler, Pennsylvania · Fringe town · 27 mi to Pittsburgh
- Students
- 1,789
- Tuition
- $6k
- Transfer
- 25%
- Earnings
- $39k
Community College of Beaver County
Monaca, Pennsylvania · Large suburb · 22 mi to Pittsburgh
- Students
- 1,247
- Tuition
- $8k
- Transfer
- 28%
- Earnings
- $45k
Westmoreland County Community College
Youngwood, Pennsylvania · Large suburb · 27 mi to Pittsburgh
- Students
- 2,441
- Tuition
- $6k
- Transfer
- 18%
- Earnings
- $37k
Labette Community College
Parsons, Kansas · Remote town · 91 mi to Tulsa
- Students
- 801
- Tuition
- $4k
- Transfer
- 32%
- Earnings
- $38k
Pickens Technical College
Aurora, Colorado · Large city · 11 mi to Denver
- Students
- 686
- Tuition
- $5k
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $39k
Highland Community College
Freeport, Illinois · Fringe rural · 30 mi to Rockford
- Students
- 931
- Tuition
- $5k
- Transfer
- 19%
- Earnings
- $38k
Colleges near Pennsylvania Highlands Community College
University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown
Johnstown, PA · Public · Bachelor's · 1,808 students
Greater Johnstown Career and Technology Center
Johnstown, PA · Public · Certificate · 105 students
DLP Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center
Johnstown, PA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 90 students
Commonwealth Technical Institute
Johnstown, PA · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 129 students
Mount Aloysius College
Cresson, PA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,094 students
Saint Francis University
Loretto, PA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,557 students
Somerset County Technology Center
Somerset, PA · Public · Certificate · 59 students
The Salon Professional Academy-Altoona
Altoona, PA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 83 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.