Public · Community college

Rowan-Cabarrus Community College

Salisbury, North Carolina · Large suburb

16%
Transfer rate: $7,981
Avg net price: 35%
Grad / completion: $34,936
Median earnings

Rowan-Cabarrus Community College is a public certificate-granting institution in Salisbury, North Carolina (large suburb setting), enrolling 4,164 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicMidsize · 4,164 undergradsLarge suburbCold winters

About Salisbury, North Carolina

Salisbury is a city in the Piedmont region of North Carolina, United States; it has been the county seat of Rowan County since 1753 when its territory extended to the Mississippi River. In 1753 an appointed Anglo-European trustee for Rowan County was directed to enter 40 acres (16 ha) of land for a County Seat, and public buildings were erected. Salisbury has developed a strong record of historic preservation since the late 20th century. It is the site of a noted prisoner of war camp during the American Civil War and has ten National Register historic districts. (Wikipedia)

Setting: Large suburb
Highest degree offered: Associate
Nearest big city: 34 miles to Winston-Salem, NC
To the ocean: 161 miles
Nearest airport: 22 miles to Concord-Padgett (USA)

How Rowan-Cabarrus Community College compares

Graduation rate35%

Higher than 20% · #69 of 90 in North Carolina

First-year retention60%

Higher than 24%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$34,936

Higher than 49% · #23 of 84 in North Carolina

Average net price$7,981

Cheaper than 79% · #44 cheapest of 90 in North Carolina

Median debt at graduation$9,458

Lower than 63%

Student–faculty ratio15 : 1

Lower than 56%

Undergraduate enrollment4,164

Larger than 89%

Percentiles compare Rowan-Cabarrus 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 North Carolina.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

Women2,68665%
Men1,47835%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White50%
Black23%
Hispanic18%
Asian1.3%
Other or multiracial8.2%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 4,164
Student–faculty ratio: 15 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 28%
First-generation students: 47%
Students over 25: 22%
Median family income: $18,920
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $59,220
Endowment: $261,345

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 936 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

From North Carolina100%

Most first-years stay in state — Rowan-Cabarrus Community College draws overwhelmingly from North Carolina.

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: $2,064
Out-of-state tuition: $6,672
Room & board: —
Books & supplies: $1,800
Total cost of attendance: $17,338
Average net price: $7,981

Outcomes

Graduated: 35%
First-year retention: 60%
Transferred to another college: 16%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $30,316
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $34,936
Median debt at graduation: $9,458
Students with federal loans: 0%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 18%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students

35%

First-generation

13%

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: 0.1 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024): 1
Property offenses (2022–2024): 1

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

0.7reported offenses a year

0.3 violent a year0.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary

0.3

Robbery

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

$6,580

$30–48k

$7,494

$48–75k

$8,903

$75–110k

$13,074

$110k+

—

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.

28%

of first-years get a grant from the school

$924

average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 28% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $924. 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 437 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): $34,936
Typical debt at graduation: $9,458
Debt vs. one year's pay: 27%
Out-earn a HS grad: 38%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.7 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

$32,463

Men

$40,581

Men out-earn women by $8,118 (25%) 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: 29°F
Annual rain: 43.7″
Annual snow: 2.4″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Salisbury, NC US station (3.1 mi from campus).

What Rowan-Cabarrus Community College graduates study — and earn

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssoc.

475 grads$28k 1 yr$41k 5 yr$9k debt

475$27,726$40,721$8,719 Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralCert.

155 grads$35k 1 yr$44k 5 yr$9k debt

155$34,853$43,581$8,609 Precision Metal WorkingCert.

138 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

138———Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming ServicesCert.

118 grads$23k 1 yr$27k 5 yr$17k debt

118$22,578$26,704$16,500 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssoc.

79 grads$68k 1 yr$73k 5 yr$12k debt

79$67,501$72,629$12,062 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsCert.

61 grads$24k 1 yr— 5 yr$7k debt

61$24,497—$7,000 Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician (HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR)Cert.

51 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

51———Health and Medical Administrative ServicesCert.

50 grads$26k 1 yr$33k 5 yr$11k debt

50$26,220$33,259$10,875 Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralAssoc.

48 grads— 1 yr$42k 5 yr— debt

48—$42,265—Criminal Justice and CorrectionsCert.

43 grads$47k 1 yr$56k 5 yr$11k debt

43$46,993$55,540$10,625 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsAssoc.

37 grads$24k 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

37$24,148——Business Administration, Management and OperationsAssoc.

28 grads$29k 1 yr$38k 5 yr— debt

28$28,870$37,684—

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 Rowan-Cabarrus Community College

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

Gaston College

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Transfer: 12%
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Earnings: $37k

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Students: 2,633
Tuition: $2k
Transfer: 13%
Earnings: $36k

Coastal Carolina Community College

Public

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Students: 2,724
Tuition: $3k
Transfer: 18%
Earnings: $36k

Alamance Community College

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Students: 3,080
Tuition: $3k
Transfer: 19%
Earnings: $34k

Forsyth Technical Community College

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Winston-Salem, North Carolina · Large city · 3 mi to Winston-Salem

Students: 7,113
Tuition: $2k
Transfer: 12%
Earnings: $34k

Colleges near Rowan-Cabarrus Community College

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< 1 mi

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Catawba College

Salisbury, NC · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,235 students

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Pfeiffer University

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Pinnacle Institute of Cosmetology

Mooresville, NC · Private for-profit · Certificate · 18 students

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Universal Technical Institute-Mooresville

Mooresville, NC · Private for-profit · Associate · 1,345 students

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Davidson College

Davidson, NC · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,867 students

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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.