Public · Community college

Shelton State Community College

Tuscaloosa, Alabama · Midsize city

19%
Transfer rate: $14,557
Avg net price: 30%
Grad / completion: $35,014
Median earnings

Shelton State Community College is a public certificate-granting institution in Tuscaloosa, Alabama (midsize city setting), enrolling 3,148 undergraduates. It is a Historically Black College or University (HBCU). Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicMidsize · 3,148 undergradsMidsize cityNJCAA Division I

About Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Tuscaloosa is a city in and the county seat of Tuscaloosa County in west-central Alabama, United States, on the Black Warrior River where the Gulf Coastal and Piedmont plains meet. Reportedly the name Tuscaloosa is a compound Choctaw Indian word; "tusko" meaning "warrior" and "loosa" meaning "black". The Black Warrior River flows through the north portion of the city. The Tuscaloosa Public Library is a joint city-county agency with nearly 200,000 items and approximately 47,000 registered patrons (28% of the county's population). (Wikipedia)

Setting: Midsize city
Highest degree offered: Associate
Nearest big city: 51 miles to Birmingham, AL
To the ocean: 167 miles
Nearest airport: 56 miles to Birmingham-Shuttlesworth (BHM) · major hub

How Shelton State Community College compares

Graduation rate30%

Higher than 12% · #34 of 41 in Alabama

First-year retention58%

Higher than 20%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$35,014

Higher than 49% · #11 of 33 in Alabama

Average net price$14,557

Cheaper than 52% · #26 cheapest of 38 in Alabama

Student–faculty ratio18 : 1

Lower than 39%

Undergraduate enrollment3,148

Larger than 87%

Percentiles compare Shelton 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 Alabama.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

Women1,85859%
Men1,29041%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White51%
Black37%
Hispanic6.6%
Asian0.6%
Other or multiracial4.8%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 3,148
Student–faculty ratio: 18 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 43%
First-generation students: 48%
Students over 25: 17%
Median family income: $15,976
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $67,950

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 972 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

From Alabama96%
Other U.S. states4.2%

Most first-years stay in state — Shelton State 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: $5,127
Out-of-state tuition: $8,997
Room & board: —
Books & supplies: $4,500
Total cost of attendance: $20,350
Average net price: $14,557

Outcomes

Graduated: 30%
First-year retention: 58%
Transferred to another college: 19%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $31,581
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $35,014
Median debt at graduation: —
Students with federal loans: 0%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students

30%

First-generation

15%

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: 136 (73 men · 63 women)

Varsity sports (6)

Baseball40

Basketball28

Softball22

Cross Country18

Golf15

Other Sports13

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

$14,091

$30–48k

$14,492

$48–75k

$16,073

$75–110k

$17,545

$110k+

$16,269

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.

24%

of first-years get a grant from the school

$3,948

average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 24% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $3,948. 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 735 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): $35,014
Typical debt at graduation: —
Debt vs. one year's pay: —
Out-earn a HS grad: 38%

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

$30,700

Men

$43,361

Men out-earn women by $12,661 (41%) 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: 92°F
Winter low: 35°F
Annual rain: 57.3″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Northport 2 S, AL US station (6.6 mi from campus).

What Shelton State Community College graduates study — and earn

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssoc.

194 grads$23k 1 yr$39k 5 yr$7k debt

194$23,390$39,342$7,375 Business Operations Support and Assistant ServicesCert.

104 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

104———Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssoc.

90 grads$61k 1 yr$65k 5 yr$14k debt

90$60,540$64,513$14,000 Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing AssistantsCert.

85 grads— 1 yr$52k 5 yr— debt

85—$52,034—Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/TechniciansCert.

81 grads— 1 yr$68k 5 yr— debt

81—$67,520—Precision Metal WorkingCert.

77 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

77———Electrical/Electronics Maintenance and Repair Technologies/TechniciansAssoc.

53 grads$65k 1 yr$92k 5 yr— debt

53$64,821$91,537—Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming ServicesCert.

52 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

52———Electrical/Electronics Maintenance and Repair Technologies/TechniciansCert.

52 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

52———Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies/TechniciansCert.

43 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

43———Human Development, Family Studies, and Related ServicesCert.

42 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

42———Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming ServicesAssoc.

38 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

38———

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 Shelton State Community College

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

Coastal Alabama Community College

Public

Bay Minette, Alabama · Distant town · 19 mi to Mobile

Students: 4,798
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 25%
Earnings: $35k

George C Wallace State Community College-Hanceville

Public

Hanceville, Alabama · Distant rural · 38 mi to Birmingham

Students: 4,423
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 12%
Earnings: $40k

Central Alabama Community College

Public

Alexander City, Alabama · Distant town · 44 mi to Montgomery

Students: 1,203
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 37%
Earnings: $34k

H Councill Trenholm State Community College

Public

Montgomery, Alabama · Midsize city · 3 mi to Montgomery

Students: 1,674
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 18%
Earnings: $32k

Jefferson State Community College

Public

Birmingham, Alabama · Midsize city · 11 mi to Birmingham

Students: 5,470
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 37%
Earnings: $41k

Enterprise State Community College

Public

Enterprise, Alabama · Distant town · 79 mi to Montgomery

Students: 1,585
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 19%
Earnings: $43k

Colleges near Shelton State Community College

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Tuscaloosa, AL · Private for-profit · Certificate · 38 students

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Tuscaloosa, AL · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 706 students

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The University of Alabama

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6 mi

Marion Military Institute

Marion, AL · Public · Associate · 329 students

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Brown Beauty Barber School

Bessemer, AL · Private for-profit · Certificate · 54 students

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University of Montevallo

Montevallo, AL · Public · Bachelor's · 2,151 students

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Midfield Institute of Cosmetology

Midfield, AL · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 9 students

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Lawson State Community College

Birmingham, AL · Public · Associate · 2,900 students

45 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.