Public · Community college

Sandhills Community College

Pinehurst, North Carolina · Fringe rural

21%
Transfer rate: $4,157
Avg net price: 53%
Grad / completion: $31,656
Median earnings

Sandhills Community College is a public associate-granting institution in Pinehurst, North Carolina (fringe rural setting), enrolling 2,539 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicMidsize · 2,539 undergradsFringe ruralNJCAA Division IIICold winters

About Pinehurst, North Carolina

Pinehurst, officially The Village of Pinehurst, is a village in Moore County, North Carolina, United States. In 1895, James Walker Tufts purchased 500 acres (200 ha), and eventually purchased an additional 5,500 acres (2,200 ha), of land for approximately $1.25 per acre in the North Carolina Sandhills, with the vision of building a "health resort for people of modest means". (Wikipedia)

Setting: Fringe rural
Highest degree offered: Associate
Nearest big city: 58 miles to Raleigh, NC
To the ocean: 104 miles
Nearest airport: 34 miles to Fayetteville Regional Airport - Grannis Field (FAY)

How Sandhills Community College compares

Graduation rate53%

Higher than 40% · #33 of 90 in North Carolina

First-year retention80%

Higher than 65%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$31,656

Higher than 38% · #57 of 84 in North Carolina

Average net price$4,157

Cheaper than 94% · #22 cheapest of 90 in North Carolina

Student–faculty ratio14 : 1

Lower than 62%

Undergraduate enrollment2,539

Larger than 84%

Percentiles compare Sandhills 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

Women1,64365%
Men89635%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White52%
Black19%
Hispanic14%
Asian1.6%
Other or multiracial14%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 2,539
Student–faculty ratio: 14 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 28%
First-generation students: 46%
Students over 25: 21%
Median family income: $19,710
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $56,475
Endowment: $29,494,369

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Cost

In-state tuition: $2,040
Out-of-state tuition: $6,648
Room & board: —
Books & supplies: $1,080
Total cost of attendance: $14,709
Average net price: $4,157

Outcomes

Graduated: 53%
First-year retention: 80%
Transferred to another college: 21%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $28,363
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $31,656
Median debt at graduation: —
Students with federal loans: 0%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students

53%

First-generation

17%

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: 57 (26 men · 31 women)

Varsity sports (4)

Volleyball17

Basketball16

Beach Volleyball14

Golf10

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

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

$2,674

$30–48k

$3,988

$48–75k

$5,713

$75–110k

$7,778

$110k+

$12,360

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.

42%

of first-years get a grant from the school

$1,904

average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 42% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,904. 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 349 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): $31,656
Typical debt at graduation: —
Debt vs. one year's pay: —
Out-earn a HS grad: 34%

Weigh it value

The payoff is less clear-cut here — weigh the debt against the earnings and your intended field before borrowing heavily.

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

$29,921

Men

$34,973

Men out-earn women by $5,052 (17%) 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: 31°F
Annual rain: 47.8″
Annual snow: 1.3″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Carthage Wtp, NC US station (7.7 mi from campus).

What Sandhills Community College graduates study — and earn

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssoc.

317 grads$22k 1 yr$36k 5 yr$6k debt

317$21,553$36,186$5,500 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssoc.

56 grads$66k 1 yr$74k 5 yr$13k debt

56$66,238$73,822$12,977 Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralCert.

35 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

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

30 grads$52k 1 yr$57k 5 yr— debt

30$51,685$56,737—Criminal Justice and CorrectionsCert.

28 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

28———Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsCert.

24 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

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

18 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

18———Business Administration, Management and OperationsAssoc.

18 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

18———Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsAssoc.

17 grads— 1 yr$26k 5 yr— debt

17—$25,951—Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralAssoc.

16 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

16———Health and Medical Administrative ServicesAssoc.

14 grads— 1 yr$31k 5 yr— debt

14—$30,664—Business Administration, Management and OperationsCert.

14 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

14———

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 Sandhills Community College

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

Central Carolina Community College

Public

Sanford, North Carolina · Distant town · 35 mi to Raleigh

Students: 3,237
Tuition: $3k
Transfer: 16%
Earnings: $34k

Craven Community College

Public

New Bern, North Carolina · Distant town · 78 mi to Wilmington

Students: 1,989
Tuition: $2k
Transfer: 13%
Earnings: $34k

Lenoir Community College

Public

Kinston, North Carolina · Distant town · 71 mi to Raleigh

Students: 1,469
Tuition: $3k
Transfer: 22%
Earnings: $34k

Vance-Granville Community College

Public

Henderson, North Carolina · Distant town · 32 mi to Durham

Students: 1,665
Tuition: $2k
Transfer: 13%
Earnings: $34k

Nash Community College

Public

Rocky Mount, North Carolina · Fringe rural · 44 mi to Raleigh

Students: 1,689
Tuition: $3k
Transfer: 28%
Earnings: $35k

Richmond Community College

Public

Hamlet, North Carolina · Distant town · 68 mi to Charlotte

Students: 1,352
Tuition: $2k
Transfer: 14%
Earnings: $30k

Colleges near Sandhills Community College

Central Carolina Community College

Sanford, NC · Public · Associate · 3,237 students

23 mi

Paul Mitchell the School-Fayetteville

Fayetteville, NC · Private for-profit · Certificate · 149 students

27 mi

Manna University

Fayetteville, NC · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 183 students

28 mi

Richmond Community College

Hamlet, NC · Public · Certificate · 1,352 students

28 mi

Montgomery Community College

Troy, NC · Public · Certificate · 852 students

28 mi

Carolina College of Biblical Studies

Fayetteville, NC · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 159 students

29 mi

Fayetteville Technical Community College

Fayetteville, NC · Public · Certificate · 9,471 students

29 mi

One Stop Academy

Fayetteville, NC · Private for-profit · Certificate · 31 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.