Private for-profit · Community college

South College

Knoxville, Tennessee · Midsize city

21%
Transfer rate
$17,858
Avg net price
42%
Grad / completion
$36,642
Median earnings

South College is a private for-profit associate-granting institution in Knoxville, Tennessee (midsize city setting), enrolling 8,745 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

Private for-profitMidsize · 8,745 undergradsMidsize cityCold 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
Midsize city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
3 miles to Knoxville, TN
To the ocean
296 miles
Nearest airport
10 miles to McGhee Tyson (TYS) · major hub

How South College compares

Graduation rate42%

Higher than 28% · #62 of 81 in Tennessee

First-year retention52%

Higher than 13%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$36,642

Higher than 55% · #29 of 70 in Tennessee

Average net price$17,858

Cheaper than 40% · #55 cheapest of 82 in Tennessee

Median debt at graduation$18,668

Lower than 8%

Student–faculty ratio25 : 1

Lower than 12%

Undergraduate enrollment8,745

Larger than 95%

Percentiles compare South 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

Undergraduate vs. graduate

11,520students
  • Undergraduate8,74576%
  • Graduate2,77524%

Undergraduates by gender

8,745undergrads
  • Women6,82478%
  • Men1,92122%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White41%
  • Black43%
  • Hispanic1.7%
  • Asian1.5%
  • Other or multiracial12%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
8,745
Graduate enrollment
2,775
Student–faculty ratio
25 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
49%
First-generation students
47%
Students over 25
61%
Median family income
$22,714
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$78,750

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

Cost

In-state tuition
$18,535
Room & board
Books & supplies
$1,500
Total cost of attendance
$30,954
Average net price
$17,858

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 (within 6 years)
42%
Graduated on time (4 years)
50%
First-year retention
52%
Transferred to another college
21%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$37,570
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$36,642
Median debt at graduation
$18,668
Students with federal loans
62%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
25%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
50%
Low-income (Pell)
30%
First-generation
31%

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
$50

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%.

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 8 campuses (11,557 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.

< $30k
$16,820
$30–48k
$17,983
$48–75k
$18,964
$75–110k
$22,710
$110k+
$23,053

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.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$75,856

$18,964/year × about 4.0 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

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.

58%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$10,424
average award, among those who get one

A meaningful share of freshmen — 58% — get grant money from South College itself, averaging $10,424, which softens the sticker price.

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 510 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)
$36,642
Typical debt at graduation
$18,668
Debt vs. one year's pay
51%
Out-earn a HS grad
44%

Typical debt would take roughly 5.1 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
$34,274
Men
$46,742

Men out-earn women by $12,468 (36%) 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
26°F
Annual rain
55.8″
Annual snow
4.6″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.03.05.9JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Knoxville Exp Stn, TN US station (4.2 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 South College

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

Colleges near South 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.